The intention with the downstairs kitchen was to modernise as quickly and reasonably priced as we could. We wanted to retain the Victorian charm while still keeping something that would appeal to the local rental market.
The old 1970s design choices had made the room seem dingy and small so the goal was plain and white modern cabinetry with classic Victorian tile choices.
Since we bought the house just before Thanksgiving 2017 we actually started by buying new appliances in the Black Friday sales.
This was really convenient for a couple of reasons – firstly we got the kitchen and laundry suite for 40% off (God Bless America!) but it also meant that we were able to measure up the kitchen cabinetry with the exact measurements required to match the appliances.
The Black Friday sales were also a great time to buy supplies and so we quickly had to make a lot of tiles choices to take advantage of the 40 – 70% off.
The great thing about a Victorian aesthetic though is a limited number of choices – with less than 20 tile patterns common in Victorian Brooklyn we were able to limit the range and make choices quickly. With the aesthetic choices made now it was time to find a cabinetry vendor and measure up the space so that we could get quotes. We received several in store, through designer and wholesale quotes.
Cliqstudios won out with excellent prices, design services and customer service working through several iterations of the design to work around the immutable fireplace.
They were able to take home made diagrams and convert to both contractor ready blueprints and also 3D renders of what they expected the final installation to look like.
The cabinetry arrived on time, on price and easy to assemble leaving us able to install ourselves or our contractors as appropriate. One thing I didn’t realise until quite late in the game was that I forgot to order hardware with the cabinets. Woops!
Thankfully there were plenty of options online that matched the aesthetic I was after and Amazon saved the day!