Downtown Atlanta Remodel \ Whiddon Residence

I design kitchens for a living, but what about the kitchen design where I live?? A few years ago I bought a loft in Downtown Atlanta in an area known as Castleberry Hill. It is the art mecca of Atlanta with an Art Gallery around every corner! I let the art theme of the neighborhood be my inspiration for this contemporary kitchen creation.

Whiddon Residence / Atlanta, GA
Quality Cabinets / Hancock Cherry / Burgundy / Amber Cherry Accents
Designer / Todd Whiddon
Installers / Todd Whiddon / Tyler Whiddon / Randy Rumpf

The kitchen my loft came with needed some SERIOUS work!

This is NOT the NKBA recommended method for removing cabinets. But since this is my kitchen, I wanted to experience how kitchens were remodeled before power tools were invented…

Kitchen remodeling isn’t quite like an artist having a blank canvas, it more like someone else dripping paint on your canvas and then you having to finish the painting and make it a masterpiece. When designing a kitchen remodel, you often have to measure around appliances and plan designs without knowing exactly what’s inside your walls. If you are changing the structure of your kitchen it is not only a good idea to hire experienced professionals, but you should also at least pull off the sheetrock and see what surprises are lurking in your walls that may affect the final outcome.

I found some unexpected water pipes for the loft above mine that I had to incorporate into my design.

My vision of a bigger, better, brighter kitchen begins to take shape…

And Here it is! Bold Colors, Exquisite Materials, Open Contemporary Design

I actually designed and installed this backsplash myself by out of 1″ travertine tiles with 1″ glass tile accents

These countertops ROCK! Literally! I used Stellar Night from Silestone which is engineered quartz with little chips of mirror in them. It is harder than granite, NEVER has to be sealed, and has micro-ban built right in! You should see the way all TWENTY TWO lights in the kitchen reflect off them at night!

Remember that laundry room door from the before Pics?

This kitchen design move is REALLY popular in high end designs these days, secret cabinet doors into pantries and other rooms in the house is a great way to impress your friends and potential home buyers! From the looks of my laundry basket…perhaps I forget I have a laundry room a little too often 🙂

Knocking out these walls made such a big difference in this space! And who couldn’t justify a NEW TV to go with their NEW kitchen view!

The accessories available in today’s cabinetry are great! I couldn’t live without my integrated trash cans! This is a 9″ spice pullout, DO NOT buy a 3″ spice pullout! Everyone and their brother comes to me wanting to buy the 3″ versions they see in magazines but those are pretty much the most useless things every invented because you can’t really fit anything on them…not all spice bottles are created equal!

Does your kitchen need an extreme cabinet makeover like this one?

Remodel Experience + Design Creativity = The Custom Design team at CDG!

Kennesaw Kitchen Remodel Before and After

Our kitchen remodel business is BOOMING!! We never thought we would see the day when our remodel customers were busier than our new home builders, but here we are! This is our latest remodel masterpiece in Kennesaw, GA. The design features Quality Cabinets with a two-tone color palette of Cider Cherry with a Licorice glaze and Sandstone Maple with a taupe glaze. The kitchen design also features many of today’s hottest design trends like high end integrated appliances and and a mantle hood.

Mullen Residence / Kennesaw, GA
Quality Cabinets / Manchester Cherry / Cider Licorice / Sandstone Maple Accents
Designer / Randy Rumpf
Installer / Adam Wheat

Here is the blank slate…

Adam starts his installation magic…

Final Product (well final as far as cabinets are concerned, tile backsplash to come soon!)

You could do some SERIOUS cooking with a setup like this!

Sub-Zero with Panels

Sharp Microwave Drawer and Fisher Paykel integrated dishwasher drawers

Ready for Cabinet Distributors of Georgia or one of our qualified remodelers to transform your kitchen or bath? Call 404-361-5200 and get started today!

Cabin Cabinets Anyone?

Most of the kitchens we design are around Metro Atlanta. So when the call came in to head up to Ellijay to work some kitchen design magic and breathe some fresh mountain air…We couldn’t resist!!

Garrett Residence / Ellijay, GA
Kraftmaid / Mandolay Maple / Ginger Glaze
Designer / Todd Whiddon
Installer / Tyler Whiddon

These homeowners love to cook and love to entertain for a LOT of people!! We designed this island with entertaining in mind. When it comes time to design your kitchen, remember not to get all caught up in only the “functional” aspects of kitchen design! There is also a “SOCIAL” aspect of kitchen design! The skilled design team at Cabinet Distributors of Georgia can blend the functional and social aspects of kitchen design and make them LOOK GREAT! Not only can you seat more than 6 people at the island, but it works great to have this much counterspace accessible to the living and dining areas for serving food buffet style. This island SCREAMS come mingle by the spinach dip!!! As a side note…the homeowners made those stick stools themselves! How cool is that!?!

Notice on the other side of the island, the cabinetry is 12″ deep to allow more seating at the end of the bar, it then transitions to 24″ deep to allow for storage cabinets, an integrated trash can cabinet, and we capped of the end with an open display cabinet. These shadowboxes created with molding are a great alternative to standard raised end panels. While they are not quite as expensive as raised end panels, they still cost a pretty penny due to the amount of trim it takes to create them and the extra labor for your installer to craft them

Now You see the Dishwasher…

Now You Don’t!!

Integrating appliances into the cabinetry is a hot kitchen trend. Be prepared for multiple trips out from your installer though. After the cabinets are installed, your appliances will have to be installed before the custom panel installation. While it is “possible” to sometimes install the panels before the appliances are installed, I don’t recomend it… these custom appliance panels are COSTLY and a dent in one of them from the appliance guy’s handtruck is not easy to fix! When the installer comes back to install the custom panels and false cabinet fronts onto the appliances, we usually schedule any punch items from the original install to happen at the same time. With gas prices the way they are now the less trips for the installer the better for everyone!

The design work doesn’t always stop in the kitchen! Entertainment centers and offices are some of my favorite rooms to design. Here we designed a custom office complete with lots of open storage and a wood top that matches the cabinetry!

This bathroom is pretty simple cabinetry wise but for those of you looking for some ideas on trimming out your mirrors with molding I thought I would share this pic with you!

Buckhead Kitchen Remodel

Intown Atlanta remodels are great! There is so much diversity in people, houses, and kitchens. This kitchen is a masterpiece of simple, elegant design. The Irish Creme glaze goes great with the decor of the rest of the home. The design keeps with the upscale, classy look of the home and features pull out pantries by the range, a freestanding range hood, and excellent symmetry throughout.

Kraftmaid / Marquette / Irish Creme Glaze
Designer / Randy Rumpf
Installer / Adam Wheat

Notice the separation of doors and drawers and the bump outs at the range. Simple design ideas like this can really set your kitchen apart!

The bump out theme is continued on the sink run, along with matching raised end panels on the exposed ends.

This handy area is not only home to the microwave, but is a great place for photos and to toss the mail after a long day at work!

Speaking of a long day at work…no place better to unwind than at your own custom bar!

The master bath features Kraftmaid Cherry cabinetry with granite tops. The top overhangs the vanity to give more counterspace with open shelves for more storage.

Design Ideas \ Mantel Range Hoods

One of the hottest trends in kitchen design is “Mantel” style designs over the range area. The possibilities are limitless with the Mantel design, but there are some important things to consider when using Mantel range hoods.
Designer: Ashley Rustemeyer
Installer: Jeremy Anders
Cabinets: Quality Cabinets Lafayette Champagne Mocha with Kraftmaid Dresden Moss Glaze Island

The first is space, this type of design takes up a LOT of room on a wall!! Most higher end homes are using 48-60+ inch ranges anyway so the house has the room already planned out to accommodate something like this. Counterspace is something else to keep in mind, as any design that has elements that come down to the countertop can eat up valuable counterspace. Also be sure to check local fire codes for spacing requirements around the cooktop surface, it is usually a minimum of 3-6″ from the edge of the rangetop

A platerack is an excellent way to show off those plates you never use anyway!

The island was highlighted using Moss Green from Kraftmaid, note the furniture feet, wine rack, and glass doors.

The living room Built-Ins were constructed using the same cabinets as the kitchen.

Design Idea \ Mixing Colors

When it comes time to design your kitchen, the color choice of your cabinets is a HUGE part of how your kitchen will look. Mixing 2 or more colors in the kitchen design is a popular trend that can maximize the visual impact of your kitchen without costing much more money than having all the cabinets the same color. While you may be thinking “I can’t decide on one color for my kitchen much less two!” Don’t worry, the designers here at CDG are trained in the latest design trends and colors. We can suggest colors that work well together and even show you some examples of past kitchens we have done with multiple colors to help give you some color inspiration.

Designer: Randy Rumpf
Installer: Tony Roper
Cabinets: Kraftmaid Rutherford Taupe Glaze with Kraftmaid Rutherford Garnett Glaze Accents

Along with 2 tone design, this kitchen features some pretty intricate crown molding details, look at the “keystones” above the fluted columns, fridge cabinet, and the hutch at the end of the run

The Island and beadboard backsplash were done in Garnett Glaze to give this kitchen some extra flair. Furniture posts were used to create a “table” to allow people to eat at the island.

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Designer: Todd Whiddon
Installer: Randy Rumpf
Cabinets: Kraftmaid Cherry Forge Autumn Blush with Kraftmaid Marquette Maple Charcoal Accents

This kitchens uses a bold mix of Cherry and Black, highlights include Double Stack wall cabinets, Fluted Columns, Arched Toekicks, and Multi-Piece Crown

Integrating Microwaves into Islands is becoming very popular. Here we incorporated it into a raised bar design to go along with the raised dishwasher which makes them more user friendly than having it at standard base cabinet height.

What was an ugly structural column was transformed to blend right in with the cabinets! While it may look beautiful, this appliance wall was a challenge for everyone involved to make the appliances and cabinets fit perfectly. This is why it is important to start your design early in the process so if you have a tight configuration like this, walls can be adjusted before the drywall stage!

This is not your average pantry! Over 30 individual components were used to create this custom piece!

Custom Built-Ins and Mantles

More and more homes are coming with fireplace bookcases and tv cabinets as standard fare. CDG specializes in bookcases, plasma TV enclosures, and fireplace mantles that match your kitchen cabinetry!

This kitchen features Quality Cabinet Manchester Cherry Cider Licorice, note the matching end panels on the sides of the cabinets, 4 piece crown molding, Fluted Fridge Panel, and glass door accent

Designer: Todd Whiddon
Installer: Randy Rumpf
Cabinets: Quality Cabinets Manchester Cherry Cider Licorice

We made a custom entertainment center cabinet to match the kitchen! This entertainment center also features Quality Cabinets Manchester Cherry Cider Licorice, check out the custom speaker enclosure above the TV, dentil molding in the crown and across the edges of the shelves, and cherry wood top!

We also custom design paint grade bookcases with special design elements like arched valances and pocket doors.

Designer: Stacy Anders
Installer: Matt Anders
Cabinets: Custom Paint Grade

Kitchen Remodel Before and After

Do you live in a subdivision where all the kitchens look the same? When it comes time to sell your home, NOTHING can ADD VALUE and help SELL YOUR HOME FASTER than remodeling your kitchen!! At CDG, our Semi-Custom Division works with some of the area’s top remodelers on everything from simply updating your cabinets and counter tops to full-blown knocking down walls kitchen renovations that would make Ty Pennington jealous!

Designer: Todd Whiddon
Installer: Tyler Whiddon
Cabinets: Saco Majestic Cherry Cinnamon

This type of kitchen look familiar?

Time to open things up a little!

This Pantry is MUCH nicer than before!

With the old Pantry removed, a large island helps out counterspace!

We used cabinet trim moldings to create a custom piece to anchor the new light fixture…