When LBK Design Build was named as the winner of a regional Contractor of the Year Award late last year, company president Nick Kornea was happy, but he wasn't surprised.

"We have an amazing team. We have great clients," Kornea says. "Just the combination of the two—it leads to really successful, well thought-out projects."

The awards, decided annually by a slate of professional judges with the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, recognize projects that are outstanding in their field. For LBK Design Build, their project transforming a cramped, dark kitchen into a bright, beautiful and functional space netted the company the award in the Residential Kitchen $100,001 to $150,000 category.

"The overall styling of this kitchen would be considered transitional," Kornea says. "The marriage of traditional styling and contemporary or modern styling."

Kornea describes the original kitchen's layout as awkward, and as this was a job done with no major structural changes, it called for extra creativity from designers in dealing with the existing space.

With the sink workspace was moved to under the window—a move the LBK Design Build team often makes to afford homeowners a nice view while washing dishes—the kitchen could accommodate a large island. The refrigerator was also moved in an effort to increase storage space with cabinetry

And speaking of the cabinets, the dated, darker wooden feature dampening the kitchen atmosphere was modernized with Bishop-style cabinets painted a warm oyster white. The brightness of the cabinets was balanced with a deep blue glazed subway tile backsplash.

"You don't want to do too much white," Kornea says. "The blue tile helped dial it back and tied another color into the space."

About 90 percent of kitchens have quartz countertops, according to Kornea, and this project was no exception. It's a solid choice, too—figuratively and literally—as quartz is a more dense material that does not chip or discolor easily. Plus, it's easy to clean.

With this winning kitchen, as with all of LBK Design Build's projects, the homeowner's lifestyle was an important factor to factor in.

"You have to consider their family. How many people live in the household? What are their ages?" Kornea explains, adding that his team will take into account the early morning hustle and bustle of a young family or the couple looking to open up a space for dinner parties and entertaining.

And whether they are working on a kitchen, bathroom or another space in the home, it's important to make sure the remodel doesn't stray too far from the style of the rest of the house. For instance, this kitchen was in a Colonial-style home, so going too modern wouldn't have worked.

"It would be estranged from the rest of the house," Kornea says, explaining this is why the team brought the kitchen up-to-date on modern trends but kept a classic style with clean lines throughout, too.

It's not always easy to envision what a space can become in a home, which is why LBK Design Build brings a project to life for its clients before a single nail is hammered. The company, established in 2014, offers services from remodels to additions to full custom builds. The wealth of experience the LBK team brings to the table helps put clients at ease.

Once the project's budget is established, LBK designers come up with different options and mood boards to help clients envision their project. This gives a chance to examine the different textures and finishes that could potentially go into a space, too.

"We always work very closely with the homeowners in our design process," Kornea says. "We propose two or three different options early on, and it's usually one of these ideas that inspires them or checks all the boxes. This gives them a lot more confidence going in."

LBK Design Build
Doylestown, Pa.
(215) 675-5000
LBKDesignBuild.com

Published (and copyrighted) in House & Home, Volume 23, Issue 7 (May 2023).
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