A Developer’s Kitchen Gets Flipped

Last year, Brooklyn resident Jane posted to Sweeten, a free service matching renovators to vetted general contractors, hoping to find the right contractor to remodel her condo’s cookie cutter kitchen. Not only was she bored with the kitchen’s aesthetic, she was also frustrated by its lack of functional storage. Most importantly she told us, “the stove is not vented and sets off the smoke alarms” –yikes! While we’re all used to making certain sacrifices in New York City, there comes a limit. So, Jane was eager to meet her Sweeten matches & give her home the kitchen it deserves. After meeting with a few members of the Sweeten network, Jane chose to work with Kris Famurat of Famurat Builders for her renovation.

Jane’s original kitchen had limited storage and for Jane, who likes to cook, the layout was not ideal. All the materials, however, were in great shape before renovating, so rather than trashing these components, Famurat’s team carefully disassembled them and were able to donate the cabinetry and countertop. The work here entailed a lot more than meets the eye: over the course of 5 weeks, the Famurat team tackled everything from extending HVAC and relocating electric & gas lines, to manufacturing and installing the custom island & cabinetry. We stopped by for a visit on the 3rd week of construction and definitely liked the new direction the space was taking. Here’s Kris Famurat –happy on the job!

“Kris has a breadth of knowledge and an aesthetic that was appealing to me.  He is also a hands on contractor… ensuring the quality of work his crew was doing.”

-Jane, Brooklyn Homeowner

We watched the guys while they installed the new, custom maple cabinetry. The cabinets are all oversized in depth for extra storage, as designed by the project’s architect and Sweeten member. The finished kitchen is just beautiful! We really love how the island base which is custom-made of stained walnut, contrasts the light maple cabinetry behind it, but blends well with the dark-stained hardwood floors. ‘Atlantic Salt‘ countertops by Caesarstone pull all the wood finishes nicely together. Lots of built-in shelving makes a great compliment to the closed cabinetry. Jane, whose hobbies also extend to pottery, uses the new space to display her work. Hanging over the island are 3 Pakhus pendant lamps by Louis Poulsen. Despite its name, ‘sultan grey,’ the glass tile backsplash has a pretty, light green glow that looks perfect next to the light maple surfaces. The craftsmanship of the custom cabinets really set them apart from pre-fab sets. Jane picked out her own pulls at Simons Hardware in Manhattan.

“Sweeten guarantees a competitive bidding process among competent contractors – this kept the price down for my job.”

-Jane, Brooklyn Homeowner

Jane’s new food pantries feature custom-sized doors on pivot hinges as well as electromagnetic auto-lighting switches that fade light in and out with the swing of the doors –very cool!

Many thanks to Kris & Natalia Famurat and to Jane for sharing her renovation!

Also, thanks to Marcin JM @ Diamond Shot Studio for the beautiful ‘After’ photos.

Would you LOVE to remodel your kitchen? Post your project to Sweeten!