For the Merkle family, hosting groups of friends and family at their Grandview Heights home has always been a joy. On such occasions, their guests gather in the dining room, sunroom, or most of the time, in their kitchen.
However, the kitchen they had didn’t comfortably accommodate a large group. So, they decided to reconstruct it into, what they call, a light-filled, hand-crafted, Scandinavian-meets-California-designed space.
Eat, play, love
Grandview Heights homeowner, Peter Merkle, says one of his biggest motivators for renovating the family’s home was a lack of seating – for eating or just hanging out.
“(Guests) would gather in the kitchen, which made it hard if I’m cooking, or my wife, Katie, is cooking,” Merkle says. “There would just be a bunch of people jammed in our kitchen, but that’s where people like to hang out, obviously.”
To combat this overcrowding, the family hired the Cleary Company to construct a plan.
Some of the design choices came from a collaboration between Katie Merkle, Peter’s wife, and one of the designers from the Cleary Company, Katie Florjancic, and together, they came up with an aesthetic for the renovation that fit the family.
The Cleary Company
The Cleary Company
The Cleary Company
The Cleary Company
First, they installed a large countertop with five stools. The new counter adds a fresh vibe to the home thanks to choosing a white marble top with small black streaks slicing through the solid material. New black tile floors complement the countertop perfectly.
The new wooden cabinets mixed with hanging ambient lights transform the energy of this renovated kitchen into more than just a room for cooking meals or doing the dishes, while a revitalized pantry and a new wine fridge and cocktail bar complete the area.
The latter two are Merkle’s favorites.
“Like I said, we host a lot, so having that wine storage and not having to have bottles out all the time is really nice, and something we never had before,” he says.
“We have two kids, ages seven and five, so we can sit up at the counter and do their homework (with them) after school,” Merkle says. “Just the four of us, my wife and two kids can all just sit casually and have breakfast or dinner or whatever, and all be together.”
Patience through the process
What was originally a 15-week project was extended by 12 weeks because of some unexpected challenges and additional design elements that were added along the way. Merkle says the process was smooth overall with no major setbacks or surprises.
Although the timeline for the project dragged at times, Merkle says that it was important for him and those who wish to have similar renovations done, to keep a level mind.
“Try and have realistic expectations on timing, because it’s not going to move as fast as you hope. You can’t really control that,” he says.
After a 27-week process, their new cooking and entertaining space is everything the family dreamed of, and more.
Wil Steigerwald is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
