Designer Jane Cunningham’s client, Peggy, and her husband had to sell their home in Las Vegas and move to Colorado to care for her ailing mother. When Peggy was recently asked to return to Vegas for a great work opportunity, she needed to buy a small place so she could travel back and forth.

“She needed a small house she could call home during the week and that she could decorate to her taste without other family influence,” said Cunningham, ASID, and CEO and principal designer for Room Resolutions.

Cunningham chose the cabinet and tile selections based on the colors Peggy was wearing when they met to choose colors – black and teal. Her new kitchen features pullout shelving, a Solistone Folia glass tile backsplash in juniper and flowing granite countertops. She chose a black gloss-painted, foil-raised panel door style called Regency by Lamination Technology Industry, along with GE Stainless Steel appliances and Hafele brushed nickel hardware.

All of these elements give way to what Cunningham calls an “I belong here feeling for a work-week oasis with potential for the beginnings of a retirement home.”

Budget and Challenges

According to Cunningham, the budget was fairly small considering she needed to gut the space and relocate the pantry to a more functional location. She was also concerned with budget because she knew she wouldn’t be cooking much for herself during the week.

“It is also very challenging to find modern or contemporary tile while working in a small budget,” said Cunningham. “Peggy was truly set on having glass tiles in a modern teal color for a backsplash, and I really didn’t want to disappoint.

They had to keep the existing footprint because the flooring had been replaced previously, and there were few tiles to use as replacements.

“Note to homeowners: Never do flooring renovation if you have an inkling that you’ll be doing more remodeling,” said Cunningham.

Peggy was in and out during the process of the remodel because of her work arrangement and flying home each weekend, but Cunningham said she actually made it quite easy and was very accommodating.

“It was fun to watch her make her design decisions based just on her wants, which appeared to be something she hadn’t been able to do in the past,” she added. “We all need that moment of self expression with no other opinions in the mix. She actually leaned on me – as it should be – to add reassurance that her selections would come together.”