Kitchen details:
USA made, LEED certified, FSC-certified Green cabinetry
LG Viatera quartz NSF-certified countertops
Black walnut Cafe Countertops (use wood sourced from sustainably-managed forests)
Six sawn oak wood floating shelves
Hand crafted Spanish backsplash tile set with glass epoxy grout
Home renovation and remodeling projects are in high demand with people spending more time at home entertaining, working, and learning. Popular television shows make those before-and-after transformations look relatively simple. But be careful. If you’re not using professionals, you
probably will not get the results you’ve been dreaming about.
The most common feedback Sharon and Waine Hicks, owners of Carriage House Custom Homes & Interiors, hear from their clients is, “We had no idea how much detail is involved in a kitchen or a bath project!” “There’s so much coordination in a project,” says Sharon. “Whether it’s a small bath or a huge kitchen, or a whole house remodel, everything has to be ordered at the right time and done in the right order.”
Sharon and Waine are definitely experts when it comes to home renovation and remodeling. Waine has been a general contractor for over 30 years, while Sharon is a certified kitchen and bath designer with the National Kitchen & Bath Association as well as with the American
Society of Interior Designers. “We primarily do interior remodels – kitchens, baths, additions, and office spaces,” says Sharon. “We’ve also done a lot of in-law suites.”
Their home design showroom in downtown historic Franklin at 100 Southeast Parkway features cabinetry, countertops, tiles, and more - almost everything needed for kitchens and baths. Clients can come in and see and touch the products they may want to use in their homes.
When designing a beautiful room, Sharon also takes the environment into consideration. For countertops, the quartz companies they work with, such as Caesarstone, Cambria, and Silestone, are all eco-friendly. “They are US Green Building Council members, which is an environmental stewardship program,” says Kelsey Benson, marketing coordinator for Carriage House. “Our cabinet makers are also US Green certified.”
Another eco-friendly factor is energy efficiency, so making sure a home is sealed well is important, explains Sharon. You can also use energy efficient lighting and fixtures, adds Kelsey. “And when we recommend appliances, we focus on those with energy star ratings,” says Sharon.
To cut down on toxic chemicals, they only use low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints. The same thing applies when they're doing flooring – they only want finishes that have low VOC. And if they’re buying pre-engineered wood floors, they seek out eco-friendly products as
well.
One of the projects in which they used a few of these eco-friendly practices was for two chefs who dreamed of having a kitchen large enough for the two of them to cook and to comfortably entertain their entire family. “We designed this kitchen around their desire for additional storage,
countertop space, and professional appliances,” says project manager Scott Hilla. “We met with the clients in our home design showroom to select each design element that was the look and feel of their vision for the room.”
But to give the chefs everything they wanted, they needed more space. “We completely removed the wall between the kitchen and dining room to create a significantly larger kitchen” he says. “Removing the wall also provided natural light to what was previously a dark, windowless kitchen. We turned this cramped kitchen into a luxurious room with multiple work zones that fit their requirements and dreams.”
All builder-grade materials were upgraded to higher quality, custom-fit items. “We also designed a luxurious beverage area featuring a wine cooler and hand-crafted, black-walnut countertops.”
“The homeowners were thrilled and overjoyed with the process and outcome of their new kitchen,” says Scott. “They especially love the abundance of countertop space and gained storage. As chefs, they appreciate the floating shelves next to the stove to store their most used
dishware. They also said the additional natural and LED lighting throughout was such a nice surprise. Overall, all of their wishes and needs were met or exceeded.” CarriageHouseCustomHomes.com