Save My Reno: Kenny and Lisa's Rock n' Roll Kitchen
Right from the get-go, this renovation was nuts (pun intended—you'll see why at the end of the post)!
The fact that I grew up going to Kenny’s punk shows and moshing to his band Moneen was crazy enough—but that’s only where the fun began. From the cat tree toss and animalistic howling during demo, to Seb and I’s many attempts at drumming (of which Seb was actually amazing and I was not), to me convincing Lisa that red can be a neutral, this project was bananas. (Missed it? Watch the full episode here.)
Needless to say, as a young couple, Kenny and Lisa wanted a cool kitchen—but also one that was functional. They had done some construction and light renovation already (installing their own floors and taking down the wall separating the dining area from the kitchen) but they needed help to get it right and make it function better for their family and for entertaining.
The space itself was one of the largest we worked with on this season, their property backed on to a gorgeous ravine and the flow and layout wasn't bad. So what exactly were the issues? Well, it was a combination of a dozen little issues that really added up: the aesthetics, quality of finishes, outdated appliances, broken cabinets, faulty island overhang etc. And most importantly, it didn't speak to Kenny and Lisa's vibe.
Demo was quick and painless—for us at least. For the cat tree? Not so much. This capture of Lisa and I’s reaction to Kenny is priceless! And there weren’t many surprises in this renovation. Instead we were served drama in the form of Kenny and in the form of some bold choices. Ahem, the blue backsplash! You choose which is bolder ;)
You could literally make 10 other shows with just our bloopers and behind-the-scenes content. In this episode, Seb and I took turns doing everyone else on the crew's jobs. As you can see, we operated the cameras too which essentially was 5 minutes of us asking each other "Am I in focus?" and "How do I do this?" over and over again. Those things are heavy. Kudos to Colin and Rick on our team who do this everyday with a smile...On the DIY side of things, it was a no-brainer that our project was going to revolve around music. It took a bit of research, but after finding the parts to make speakers cheap and getting Seb's help with constructing the box, Lisa and I challenged ourselves to make bluetooth speakers. It really was a edge-of-your-seat project because while it looked cool all along, we had to wait until we had it put together to find out if it worked or not (which it did, PS)!
On the design front, we had a ton of fun with colour but we grounded it all with simpler, neutral elements (such as the mid-tone wood floors and white counters). We installed flat-panel glossy white upper cabinets and contrasted them with a more traditional style in grey below. We also opted for a crazy-saturated blue backsplash which played off the the dining chairs and some decorative touches in the dining nook. Also in the dining nook, we installed a graphic wallpaper which—rather than being distracting—became a cool surprise as you round the corner. And I can't not mention the red vintage rug and gold pendant lights which nod to the cabinet hardware!
Seeing as we stuck to the same floorpan more or less, we took some other liberties with this kitchen and they paid off big time. Needless to say, Kenny loved his speakers and the both of them were so happy with how the whole space turned out. They not only have room at the counter for guests to sit at, but they have cabinets with "spinny thingies!" as Kenny so aptly put it. Happiness all around. :)
Oh, and one more thing. This gorgeous "flower pot" is actually a bull scrotum on a pulley. Yes, you heard right. And with that, I'll say over and out until next time! ;)
For all of the before and after photos, head to HGTV.ca!
Get The Look:
