Sunshine burnishes a marbled countertop. Rows of crockery nest in glass-front cabinets. A faucet gleams like modern art.
A beautiful kitchen is uplifting. Not just because of the smells wafting from the oven, but because light, order, and craftsmanship, particularly in the heart of the home, make the world feel like a better place.
Laura Medicus understands the alchemy. Her design firm, Laura Medicus Interiors, specializes in kitchens and has been lauded by national style publications and websites, as well as clients throughout the Rockies. Fresh and straightforward, a Medicus kitchen is above all thoughtful, designed to make life not just prettier, but easier. We wanted to learn how to employ a little Medicus magic.
Park City Home: First things first. How do you determine what will improve a kitchen’s functionality?
Laura Medicus: Most people can tell me exactly what’s wrong with their kitchen as soon as I meet them. Sometimes it’s that the kitchen is too cramped because it’s in an older home and we need to consider taking down a wall. Sometimes it’s that all the appliances are crammed into one small corner of the kitchen. Other times it’s an island that is either too big for the space or is an awkward shape.
The first thing I do is measure the existing space and study it with just the walls that we have to keep. It’s important to keep an open mind when you plan a space. Just because the refrigerator is in one spot right now doesn’t mean it needs to stay there. I love this part of the process — it doesn’t cost much of anything, just time — to look at your space with a clean slate. Flipping things around — adding a window, taking down a wall — all of it’s free at this point so why not try it?
PCH: What’s the biggest mistake people make when undertaking a kitchen renovation, and how can they avoid it?
LM: Mistakes and regret come from not fully exploring your options at the beginning. Keep an open mind.
Try to think about your space in new ways and don’t get hung up on what you have right now or what your neighbor did. For example, sometimes moving a sink isn’t as costly as you think it will be, or, adding a window can be more affordable than you imagine. Lost opportunities are big mistakes.
The other thing I see over and over are people not getting things they want because they overthink what a potential buyer might want. These “potential buyers” cause people to second-guess every decision they make and they end up with a design they feel lukewarm about.
PCH: Can you pinpoint any current trends that you feel will look dated in a few years, along with any you believe are here to stay?
LM: Kitchen trends shape my business. Unless you want a more traditional kitchen, you will likely fall in love with a trend when you remodel your kitchen and that’s okay! Design is cyclical and it’s okay to want something current in your new kitchen. Most of us dress to keep up with fashion trends and most of the time our homes are kept up to date as well.
Having said that, I’ve never been a fan of extra thick countertops. This was in style 10 – 15 years ago and it seems to be coming back. Arches are all the rage right now, but they are something that we just finished eradicating from 80s and 90s homes. Unless you have a certain style of home, think twice before adding them. I’m not a huge fan of bold, patterned backsplashes. I think they can be visually tiring. However, a backsplash is a fairly easy thing to change if you get tired of it.
Natural stone like quartzite, soapstone, and marble are timeless. A well-proportioned and classically laid out kitchen with an eat-in island will always be in style.
PCH: What has been the biggest innovation or improvement in kitchen design over the last few years?
LM: Quartz countertops just keep getting better and better. They’re an affordable, easy way to get the high-end look of marble or quartzite without any upkeep.
PCH: As far as budgeting goes, do you have a splurge/
spend philosophy?
LM: Adding a window and/or taking out a wall is almost
always worth it. Adding light and air into your space will lift your spirits more than an expensive backsplash. After that, good solid cabinets are a worthwhile investment. Your goal is to get cabinets that will last decades. Don’t worry about the color or wood tone in terms of longevity — if they’re good cabinets you can have a professional paint them in 15 years when you’re ready for something new. Appliances are also great investments. A high-end stove or range adds value to your home and is something you will use every day.
As far as saves go, you can reign in your money on the backsplash, countertops, lighting, hardware, and even sinks.
PCH: Can you ballpark what a full renovation of an average
kitchen would run?
LM: It depends on if you are knocking out walls, updating
your floors, updating your electrical, or moving any plumbing or gas lines. For a very basic kitchen remodel $40,000 should be comfortable. If you want to move walls and move other things, you will want quite a bit more. Most of the kitchens I work on start around $80,000.
PCH: If a homeowner needs to delay a full kitchen reno for a year or two, is there one project they can tackle that will have major impact?
LM: Paint your cabinets!
If you know you’re going to get rid of your cabinets in a year or two, go ahead and paint them. White or black are the easy choices, but a temporary fix is a perfect time to get a little bold with color. I recently helped a couple select a gorgeous deep blue-green to re-paint cabinets from the 1970’s that they needed to hang onto for another year. They’re gorgeous!
PCH: Even the most thoughtfully designed kitchens can end up looking a bit cookie-cutter. How do you combat that?
LM: If you’re able to customize or make at least one thing in the kitchen unique it will help keep it from looking like it’s straight out of a cabinet catalog. For example, repurpose antique or vintage doors for your pantry. Or have a local carpenter make a custom base for your sink. If you’re able to sacrifice a little storage, pull back on the amount of upper cabinets and hang vintage art or plates in that area. I call all of this “unkitchening the kitchen.”
PCH: Have you ever had an “uh-oh” moment during a renovation, when you realized you needed to go back to the drawing board, or change course?
LM: Last year, we had to add a support column in an incredibly awkward spot.
It was a last-minute addition from an engineer after the contractor demoed a wall, not realizing there was a support column inside it. The new column needed to be right in the middle of a walkway around an island.
I ended up creating an L-shaped island that attached to the column. It actually became a more unique look for the client over the standard rectangle that we were going with before.
PCH: What do you like particularly about designing kitchens?
LM: I like the challenge of a kitchen. There are so many different things that a kitchen needs to provide and it’s also a place where humans love to congregate. Being in someone’s kitchen allows access to them as a real person. It’s personal and special to get to help someone else cook or to share a cup of coffee in their kitchen. Kitchens are an important part of daily life and I love being part of that.