For the fifth consecutive year, Aurora Kitchens & Interiors of Somerville, took home an award from the Central Jersey Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry for excellence in design and workmanship.
The company won for a difficult remodeling project in the “Residential Kitchen $40,000-$80,000” category.
”The project basically involved a complete redesign of this Hillsborough family’s outdated, builder-designed kitchen,” said Kelley Evens, managing partner of Aurora. “It lacked sufficient cooking and storage space, had a poor work flow and was not lighted properly.”
The appliances were in excellent condition — just poorly located — so were able to be part of the new design. Much else was replaced.
The refrigerator was positioned in such a way that its open door blocked the walkway between it and the oddly shaped island. The microwave sat on the counter and the cooktop occupied most of the top of the island, both taking up work space. There was no convenient surface near the wall oven on which to place hot items.
”The homeowner had to turn around with hot items and place them on the island, and with children in the area, this was less than ideal,” Ms. Evens said.
Relocating the refrigerator and the wall oven, replacing the cooktop with a professional unit and exhaust hood, and relocating both to a countertop location made food preparation more efficient. Replacing the cabinets and using full extension guides on all the drawers for better access, creating a built-in space for the microwave and redesigning the island provided more usable storage and surface space.
Hillsborough resident Kolbe Clark, managing partner of Aurora, said, “To make it even more attractive, a large window was installed in place of the single window over the sink to allow as much natural light as possible. A combination of adjustable recessed lights and hanging pendants over the island provide plenty of light for food prep or can be softened for dining.”
