Modern Shaker

The eat-in kitchen in this home was bright, but felt a bit compact.

The eat-in kitchen in this home was bright, but felt a bit compact. The peninsula hood fan was also a big visual barrier to the views. The space was too narrow to allow an island, so we pushed the peninsula into the eating area leaving space for bar stools. Because there is a larger dining area right outside the kitchen, the clients have not missed the kitchen table. We added tall pantry cabinets for more storage, plus some pretty display. We relocated the range to keep the vent hood out of the main view, which created space for a sculptural light fixture. The new lighter toned cabinets and countertops brighten the space while the merbau wood flooring warms it up and flows out to match the rest of the home. The long brick format of the backsplash tiles matches the bricks in the adjacent dining/living area’s fireplace.

Interior Design and Construction by Ellenwood Homes
Photography by Lisa Seyfried

Before & After

Gallery
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"I asked Ellenwood Homes to change my kitchen / living area and turn it into an open concept situation. It looked like a fairly easy job but the walls that needed to come down were stuffed with plumbing, ducting and wiring for the whole house and no detailed drawings were available. Instead of starting a project without knowing if it would go way over my head, Marc conducted a very thorough investigation, suggested opening up part of the walls and he had the trades people who originally built the house come out to talk about what was there. I felt safe when we decided to go ahead with this. Lara is a wonderful designer, aware of tiny details and she came up with materials that I really liked. She seemed to understand exactly what I was looking for. These two people are a wonderful team, very professional and complementary to each other. And such pleasant personalities to work with. Budget and planning worked out fine, I love my new kitchen/living room and I would recommend Lara and Marc to anyone considering a renovation."
Birgit T.
"I asked Ellenwood Homes to change my kitchen / living area and turn it into an open concept situation. It looked like a fairly easy job but the walls that needed to come down were stuffed with plumbing, ducting and wiring for the whole house and no detailed drawings were available. Instead of starting a project without knowing if it would go way over my head, Marc conducted a very thorough investigation, suggested opening up part of the walls and he had the trades people who originally built the house come out to talk about what was there. I felt safe when we decided to go ahead with this. Lara is a wonderful designer, aware of tiny details and she came up with materials that I really liked. She seemed to understand exactly what I was looking for. These two people are a wonderful team, very professional and complementary to each other. And such pleasant personalities to work with. Budget and planning worked out fine, I love my new kitchen/living room and I would recommend Lara and Marc to anyone considering a renovation."
Birgit T.
The uniqueness of my situation made my choice of builder critical. I was away 90% of the time during the planning and building stages of my house construction and my old house was falling down around me. I needed a reliable and motivated design/build firm to execute the project within a certain time line. I found a house I liked online and sent Marc the link. From the pictures and rudimentary floor plan he and Lara drew up the plans and designed the house to accommodate my demands for green SIP construction. Finalizing the design of a house can be a little daunting with all the details. Lara made sure to have only 2 or 3 suitable choices of each layout, fixture or sample so I was able to make decisions without being overwhelmed. Marc and Lara proved to be very accommodating with my ideas and their communication was open and easy. In all, the project ran for almost one year start to finish and I now live in a beautiful and comfortable new home.
Sylvain B.
The uniqueness of my situation made my choice of builder critical.  I was away 90% of the time during the planning and building stages of my house construction and my old house was falling down around me.  I needed a reliable and motivated design/build firm to execute the project within a certain time line.  I found a house I liked online and sent Marc the link.  From the pictures and rudimentary floor plan he and Lara drew up the plans and designed the house to accommodate my demands for green SIP construction.  Finalizing the design of a house can be a little daunting with all the details.  Lara made sure to have only 2 or 3 suitable choices of each layout, fixture or sample so I was able to make decisions without being overwhelmed.  Marc and Lara proved to be very accommodating with my ideas and their communication was open and easy.  In all, the project ran for almost one year start to finish and I now live in a beautiful and comfortable new home.
Sylvain B.
Nancy and Mike B., Harrop

Our newly-purchased home was built in '93 and when the realtor arranged a first showing in late 2016, my wife said, "This place has potential value but it needs a serious updating".  At the same time, I kept thinking, "I think this house has good bones".  So we bought it, moved into it and embarked on updating it with the help of Lara and Marc from Ellenwood Homes. All excellent decisions.

Lara is educated and experienced in building and furniture design; Marc in construction and budgeting.  Add to that the varied skills of their main onsite contractors, Corey and Scott.  What a team!  We've never known better and if we were to tackle another job like this we'd choose these folks again...in a flash!

After a winter of renovating and selecting of new furniture - all guided by our team, we are totally thrilled with the outcome.  On top of that, we've gained very good friends in the process...

Nancy and Mike B., Harrop
Over 8 years ago, a friend of ours recommended Lara Ellenwood to help with the re-design of our newly purchased home. Since then we have relied on Lara for her amazing design sense and style. After talking to Lara we always know exactly what to do -- everything becomes so clear. We have complete confidence in Lara's ability to provide us with design solutions that suit our style and budget. She has really helped us make our house a home that we love.
Michelle and Dave W.
Over 8 years ago, a friend of ours recommended Lara Ellenwood to help with the re-design of our newly purchased home.  Since then we have relied on Lara for her amazing design sense and style.  After talking to Lara we always know exactly what to do -- everything becomes so clear.  We have complete confidence in Lara's ability to provide us with design solutions that suit our style and budget.  She has really helped us make our house a home that we love.
Michelle and Dave W.
We hired Lara to help us design the kitchen of our dreams in our existing space. Lara had all the right tools to help us visualize a finished project before we got started so there were minimal hiccups in the building stage. Lara was patient with us and after many revisions we finally committed to the one design that fit our budget best and gave us more than we thought was possible. Mark and Lara's team then stepped in and created the final product which is now the cornerstone showpiece of the home and is a cook's dream, which we both happen to love doing. Thanks to Lara, Mark, Corey, Dustin and the team for creating a functional and beautiful kitchen!
Larissa, O.
We hired Lara to help us design the kitchen of our dreams in our existing space. Lara had all the right tools to help us visualize a finished project before we got started so there were minimal hiccups in the building stage. Lara was patient with us and after many revisions we finally committed to the one design that fit our budget best and gave us more than we thought was possible. Mark and Lara's team then stepped in and created the final product which is now the cornerstone showpiece of the home and is a cook's dream, which we both happen to love doing. Thanks to Lara, Mark, Corey, Dustin and the team for creating a functional and beautiful kitchen!
Larissa, O.

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