This family is a designer's dream. Communicative, kind, collaborative and best of all, passengers in the car I was hired to drive. Nothing short of good vibes with every interaction.

With one client coming from Meridian Kessler and the other already a Zionsville suburbanite, I was asked to not only blend the couple's differing aesthetics: modern/edgy and farmhouse/feminine, but also infuse their house with detailed finishes taking it from suburban production home to a customized and unique house.

We made the decision to refresh the kitchen instead of completely starting over. From a sustainability perspective, it's always so satisfying to save cabinetry, and with these being white, it was an easy decision. We did however demo the island as it was wonky and undersized for this busy family that cooks and gathers for meals; it was a no brainer to beef up the workhouse of the kitchen. By incorporating a new drawer style microwave into the island, it freed up wall space to add a new double oven. Best of all, we enlarged the island to seat 5 comfortably. Solving problems. That's what we do!

For interest, we introduced stained oak on the island as well as an adjacent oak double door closet to house the outdoor paper goods and pool towels. We added the X design to the island, an iridescent backsplash and champagne brass cabinet hardware as our nod toward the farmhouse feminine. The honed black countertop and black faucet with a brass knurled finish was the wink to our modern/edgy client. All the lighting was changed- including the temperature of the undercabinet lights - so important to lose that awful cool white light- unless of course you are performing surgery otherwise, warm hues please.

You might be in a love affair with the vibrant bar stools or you might be saying what in the heck! Well, because I am listening to my clients and honoring their unique personalities vs channeling instagram's algos of what's ''in'', these barstools made for an excellent selection. They are colorful, vibrant and fun... the same three words that describe the couple's personalities. Indeed, if they were a chair, they'd be these exact chairs!

Next up, in chapter 1.1 we will visit the living room & dining room!