This kitchen, included on the upcoming 2013 Kitchens of the Bluegrass Tour, gave the homeowners everything they were looking for, even a second kitchen
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The old kitchen in Tim and Beverly Walden’s Richmond Road home wasn’t anywhere near large enough as one would expect out of the size of the house.
It was small and cramped, “with a big island in the middle, so when you opened the refrigerator door, it hit the island,” Beverly said. Whenever the couple was entertaining, there was always a bottleneck at one of the entrances.
When the couple decided they would completely rework their kitchen last year, they used the services of Chris and Cindy Hopkins of C & C Home Improvements, a husband-and-wife design and construction company based in Nicholasville.
To open up the kitchen to flow into a casual dining room, a bearing wall was removed and a countertop sitting area was installed while the entryway was widened.
The kitchen island was taken out, which exposed missing portions of the hardwood floor. Instead of replacing the flooring, which the Waldens liked, with its rustic, hand peg nails, Chris Hopkins patched in the gaps to give a uniform appearance.
Custom-made cabinets, extending to the ceiling, gave the family much-needed storage space. Interestingly, pieces of a laundry room and coat closet were morphed into a “prep kitchen,” complete with the former kitchen’s cabinets and recut pieces of its granite countertops. Being close to the grilling station outside, the prep kitchen serves as a space where work can be done without messing up the formal kitchen. The Waldens also use the prep kitchen for their day-to-day countertop appliances, so the main kitchen isn’t cluttered.
“I use it all the time, making coffee, juicing,” Tim said. “We have all of that back here so we don’t mess up the kitchen.”
The new kitchen also utilizes some efficient space-saving features, such as corner cabinet apparatuses and appliances installed in the space underneath the stairway.
“It’s changed the whole experience,” Tim said. “It used to be when we had family over, or friends, we’d try to get them out of the kitchen because it was so cramped. Now, we encourage people to be in here. We put the food out and let them hang out in here. We rarely use the other rooms as much now.”
2013 Kitchens of the Bluegrass Tour
The Waldens’ home will be one of several homes open for viewing during the 2013 Kitchens of the Bluegrass Tour, presented by Child Development Centers of the Bluegrass (CDCB).
The tour, which will be self-guided and features 14 kitchens in homes throughout the Lexington area, will raise funds for programs and therapy services for CDCB’s preschool which helps children with and without special needs achieve their maximum potential.
The kitchens were selected based on criteria, including location, “wow” appeal and style.
New this year, Jimmy Nash Homes and Kitchen Concepts are sponsoring a cooking demonstration and hospitality station in one of the homes on the tour. In addition, all ticket holders can enter a free drawing for prizes, including a variety of kitchen-related items and gift certificates.
The tour will run from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. May 18 and 1 - 5 p.m. May 19. Tickets for the tour are $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the tour. Tickets are available at many local businesses, call (859) 218-2322 for a list or visit www.cdcbg.org to purchase online. Tickets will also be available at each featured kitchen on the day of the tour.