Pulp In Progress: A Seattle-Area Kitchen Renovation

As part of our Three Step Design Process, we thought we’d start taking you on a tour through projects that are currently in progress. It will be a fun look into who we’re working with, what made them want to hire a designer, and how we are working with our clients to help solve some key design challenges to improve our client’s daily experience. Plus, you’ll get a glimpse at some of our designs before they’re completed!

Step 1: Consultation + Intake

Ashley, along with her husband Joe, found us through social media and discovered she actually worked with Beth’s husband. After filling out our online intake form, we learned a ton about our new clients and booked a consultation to see what their space looked like.

Q. Who is the client and what is their scope of work?

Our clients are 30-something professionals in the Seattle-area who purchased their first home together. As avid cooks, frequent entertainers, and wine aficionados, this couple was ready to make their house, with standard builder finishes and unfurnished rooms, their own!  They wanted something fresh and happy that was an expression of them and their style, and the new home they purchased just wasn’t that. It was time to invest in better appliances and finishes for a lifestyle return on investment. They came to Pulp to take on the interior design of their whole home in phases, beginning with a complete Kitchen renovation and overhaul!

Q. Why did the client decide to hire an interior designer rather than taking the project on themselves?

Client, Ashley + Joe:

“We knew we could put together something that would work for the kitchen, but, I know we would have played it safe and ended up with something resembling all the other kitchens on Pinterest.”

“We wanted something original, authentic, and reflective of our personal taste.  This room is the center of our house and our daily activities, we both love to cook and entertain so it also came down to wanting to love spending time in this room whether it’s just us making dinner on a Tuesday or we have a house full of people for dinner and, inevitably, we’re all having a glass of wine, hanging out in the kitchen before dinner.”

Step 2: The Design Phase

Here’s where we took everything we learned from our clients at our consultation and through our Splendid Living intake process and put all that information and our creativity to work for our clients. We started by gathering inspiration from our client in the form of a Pinterest board and other collections of images and began to collaborate between our offices on the design.

Q. What is the inspiration behind the new design?

Since our clients really disliked all the orange-toned wood, they wanted their kitchen to be bright, fresh, and modern without being overly fussy. We decided to go high contrast with lots of whites and creams. And, since they spend the most time in this space, we’re giving it a Living Room feel with lots of great art, amazing lighting, furnishings, and textiles. Rich and saturated pops of color with contrast off the neutral finishes.

Q. What was a unique design challenge and how is Pulp solving the problem?

A unique request our client had was that they wanted zero upper cabinets. It is quite possibly the first time we had a client tell us they have too much storage! But, we had to devise creative ways to treat the walls that would be functional and not break the bank filling the walls with hard surfaces. The look will be really incredible and feel soothing and open!

Q. What about the new design is the client most excited for?

Client, Ashley + Joe:

“I know Joe would say the wine fridge, for me it’s not something tangible. I can’t wait to walk in and see this beautiful finished space. We’ve lived in the house for a year and I would say this is the first room that will feel done. Ironically, it’s also the beginning of our work with Pulp to get the rest of the house feeling like our home.”  

“The finishes, art, and lighting that the Pulp team picked for us are things we never would have come across but really love!”

Step 3: Execution + Installation

Status: In-progess! Demo starts this week and all the approved items are on order and in transit! We will share the process on @pulpdesigns instagram as it’s available…