Northshore Home magazine highlights the best in architectural design, new construction and renovations, interiors, and landscape design.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/974577
86 Ultimately, they decided to leave the ductwork as it was, but integrating it involved a bit of magic. The new upper cabinets only have shelving part way up—at the top, hidden inside each one, is a box with the ducts, which involved a lot of custom millwork. A specially crafted stainless steel panel in the middle of the cabi- nets above the stove covers both the range hood and the AC ducts above it. "I brought Premier in because on a project like this, you need talented carpenters," Crestin says. "You need the A Team." Crestin has a long history of working with Premier—Kumph was running one of the first projects she worked on as a design intern, and she met her husband, Kirby Crestin, on a project where she was lead designer and he was project manager. The couple has been married for 11 years now, and they work to- gether a few times a year—including on this project. "He can get inside my brain and see where I'm tak- ing things," Crestin says. "It's nice to have that kind of shorthand." That said, the pair has some rules around talking shop at the dinner table. "We both have to understand when it's okay to be off," she says. For his part, Kumph says his long-term working relationship with Crestin is a real benefit. "We can relate easily on her design ideas," he says. "Kristina has a great eye for fine details, well in advance. Together, we are able to work out special concerns." On this project, that level of communication was critical—when demo started, workers uncovered an unwelcome surprise that slowed the project down. "Initially, upon demolition we discovered serious structural problems," Kumph recalls. "Previous renova- tions had been re-structured inadequately." Because of this, a structural engineer was brought in—and the re- sult was a massive steel beam, along with brackets and supports that needed to be crafted and installed before work could move forward. Custom millwork was also critical for hiding me- chanicals and creating storage space, playing to another of Crestin's strengths. "I have a good background in custom cabinetry and millwork and a lot of techni- cal knowledge," she says, explaining that while the homeowner wanted to solve the aesthetic problems of blending old and new, there were a lot of interior archi- tectural details that also needed to be addressed. "I was a good fit for her without really needing an architect, except for the beam sizing," Crestin says. As one example, clever custom cabinetry hides a pantry, keeping the coffee maker and microwave tucked away. "The design of the pantry 'walk-in cabi- net' was a unique challenge," Kumph says. "Due to space constraints, true walls would have really limited the storage." Instead, Crestin's design called for custom panels and an entry door using cabinet construction. For pieces like this, and for decisions right down to the cabinet colors, having a design/build project with a custom cabinetry arm made all the difference. "It was a really nice team effort to bring some of these older home nuances together with a fresh, modern look," Crestin says. "There was a lot of collaboration on design details and how it was all going to come together." For contact information, see Resources on page 130. Lighting over the island is contemporary. A stainless steel hood adds a professional kitchen feel. Below, The design team of Kristina Crestin and Premier Builders.