The Goshgarian/Krueger Home

Gary Goshgarian and Kathleen Krueger have lived happily in their Arlington home for 26 years. But after 25 years with the same kitchen, they decided it was time for a change.

So what exactly was wrong with the kitchen? According to Gary, it was "ugly" (Formica cabinets), was "too narrow" (leaving the family feeling crunched), and "made it very difficult to entertain" (six entries greatly limited the room's functionality). Off of the kitchen was a tiny half bathroom.

Enter Custom Contracting. Gary and Kathy first contacted us in October 2004. A few months later, we got to work.

An Inventive Solution

The final plan called for enlarging the kitchen by knocking down the back wall and building out. This would create new space measuring 7' x 25'.

The greatest challenge arising from this plan was what to do with a support column housing some extensive plumbing. This column originally stood within the back wall. With the redesign, it was right in the middle of the kitchen.

Rather than removing the plumbing - which would have been cost-prohibitive - we chose to surround the column with a large island. Kitchen designer Nikki DeFelice helped come up with this solution. She also worked closely with Kathy to design the kitchen and choose elements such as high-end granite countertops, striking white kitchen cabinets (painted over birch wood), and cherry island cabinets.

The new kitchen also has a wall with a wet bar and wine racks. But perhaps Kathy and Gary's favorite enhancement is the radiant heating under the ceramic tiling.

More Room for Entertaining

Best of all, the kitchen feels more spacious. (It now measures 17' x 20', while the expanded half bathroom is 7' x 5'.) The additional square footage better accommodates foot traffic, lessening the impact of the six entries.

What was once a social liability has actually become a superb environment for entertaining. "I had no idea how spacious it would turn out," said Kathy. "We're blown away with the sense of space we have now."

From Custom Contracting's perspective, this was a rewarding project because it illustrates the importance of partnering with the client. Kathy in particular took a real interest in making decisions and expressing her vision.

"Kathy was committed, did her research, and really thought things through," said Scott Blain. "Her foresight and effort made the end result perfect because it's exactly what she and Gary wanted."