Save My Reno: Andrew's Bachelor Pad Kitchen

Home DesignTV Life

Apr. 5

Written By

Last night's episodes of Save My Reno win the award for most puns (from Matt and Karen) and most smiles (from Andrew).

Missed this episode? Watch it here. Andrew legit must go to bed with the sorest cheeks because he was never not smiling. But I can't blame the guy, with a sister like Courtney willing to pitch in and help with the renovation, he has good reason.TBH, Andrew actually had some pretty sweet digs already. He had his own workshop, a renovated basement, a beautiful back patio overlooking a ravine, and had built his own TV feature wall with barn board and gas pipe shelving. Plus, anyone with the gumption to float furniture like he did his sofa (which was also good-looking) is a winner in my books!While a handy dude (see that barnyard TV wall we're caressing? That's his handiwork), Andrew was admittedly in over his head when it came to his kitchen. In this tiny space, everything had to change. What he really wanted was an entertainer's dream kitchen, so first on the list was getting rid of the walls that boxed the kitchen in. Not only would it give him better sight lines for when he babysat his nieces, but it would let the light from his ginormous windows flood through the space and make the living, dining and kitchen one cohesive room.In addition, maybe he was just inspired by my lipstick or Seb's shirt, but Andrew wanted some pizazz! He's a cool, young dude and wanted a cool, youthful space. So in keeping up with "the kids these days", there was only one appropriate way to exit that initial meeting and get amped for demo: to jump out the back door! Yes, I said jump... In addition to wanting a new interior, getting rid of the lawsuit-waiting-to-happen was also on our to-do list for obvious reasons. Yes, my producer was mad at me for doing this, haha! I must have done it eight times. One point for hefty ankles! Seb wasn't too impressed either, but only because he knew I'd ask for a lift back up. :P Construction-wise, Seb and Andrew annihilated the tile floors and wall, but it turned out we were dealing with a support beam at the corner, and taking it out would have cost and arm and a leg. Instead of working around it, Seb clad it in barnboard and we turned it into a feature rather than an eye-sore. I actually think it looked intentional, like a picture frame where the artwork was the dining room.During demo, we actually do demo (shocker)! So my ears and cheeks were constantly red and had to be powdered alllll the time. It was a joke on-set ;)To divide and conquer, Andrew stayed with Seb to tackle the build and his sister Courtney came with me to handle design. A stroke of luck happened when we stumbled into a kitchen store where a floor model kitchen was being taken off of their show-room display. The cabinets were a solid wood construction with dovetailed edges, and they had all of the interior fixings you could possibly want—including a kick-ass kick-peddle garbage dispenser and solid wood cutlery organizers. There were also enough cabinets to install a bar area in the dining room (see on the left below). We were offered a big discount for the whole kit and caboodle and it was simply an offer I couldn't refuse!The only issue? It definitely played traditional, where Andrew wanted cool and contemporary, but I saw past the finishes to its bones as transitional. It only looked traditional because of the styling, hardware and colour, but outfitted in paint with a modern backsplash and cool brass hardware, it would scream contemporary! Courtney honestly didn't see it, so she had to really trust me on this one and take the leap of faith that it was the right call. And when I finally brought it to Seb and Andrew, they too questioned my choice, but I told them so just wait and see...While working together, Courtney also mentioned how their whole family grew up sailing (which explained why there were so many rustic and nautical touches around Andrew's home). This ended up sparking our hunt for a nautical wheel, but when my go-to spots didn't have any, I came across a chair... And a stroke of genius (or madness—I'll let you be the judge) hit me. I saw how the spindles would make the perfect wheel "spokes". And the best part? Where nautical wheels go for hundreds of dollars, we nabbed this chair for $15 and enlisted Seb's help to craft the hub. Courtney was definitely out of her comfort zone—but then again, it's not everyday you saw a chair apart to make a wheel, so I couldn't blame her! A not-so-funny fact: while popping a spindle out of the chair, it gave too quick and rammed up my forearm, giving it a good slice. I still have the scar! (Watch the whole DIY video here!)Once the cabinets were customized for this space and installed, it was time to unleash the blue! I personally would have gone with a blue that was a touch less saturated, but Andrew wanted them to pop with colour, and they turned out beautifully. Rede at Paint Core (in Mississauga) was awesome and we ended up using him and his team on future projects whenever we needed something sprayed out. The finish looks as seamless as you can get!My cheesy one-liner didn't make the show, but it still rings true: "Rede, you make my day!" Fun disclosure, deciding what to wear for this reveal was tough! Anything blue, green or purple blended too much, and yellows and oranges contrasted in a bad way, so this keyhole red rose dress from TopShop won over. And yes, that's paint in my hair—realities of being a designer!