Qualified Remodeler Magazine

JAN 2017

Qualified Remodeler helps independent remodeling firms to survive, become more professional and more profitable by providing must-have business information, namely best business practices, new product information and timely design ideas.

Issue link: https://qualifiedremodeler.epubxp.com/i/771639

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 23 of 68

f ever there was a perfect ecosystem for a remodeling company to grow and prosper, it is the Bay Area of Northern California. Iris Harrell, past owner of her namesake company in Palo Alto, California, certainly picked the right location when she moved from Dallas in 1985. Today, the employee-owned com- pany is prospering in the heart of a booming Silicon Valley and earning the respect of clients who consistently come back for more. Such is the case with an active, empty-nester couple, living in Los Altos Hills, California. ey had previously hired the company for an extensive exterior renovation to their mid-century home. ey came back only a few years later to remodel their kitchen and great room and, subsequently, they have moved on to adjacent outdoor living spaces. eir kitchen remodel, which won a 2016 Master Design Award gold recognition for Kitchen More an $150,000, replaced a much more compartmentalized space. e existing kitchen was much smaller and two stair steps away from a breakfast nook. And it was two additional stairs from there to the neighboring family room. e spaces lacked the kind of connection that many homeowners seek today. A three-person team from Harrell ran the project: Lisa Stern is the design team manager; Gloria Carlson, CKD, is a senior designer; and Scott Marshall is a project manager. According to the team (interviewed jointly), the couple was especially interested in creating a kitchen for two cooks that would work well for entertaining. "So what they came to say was, 'is kitchen does not work anymore. e countertops stain. It is very discon- nected from the family room,'" Stern notes. "ey enter- tain, they cook a lot and they wanted it more connected to the family room. In addition, their tastes were very, very contemporary. [e homeowner] wanted it to be 'uber modern'—her words." Harrell Remodeling Inc., of Palo Alto, California, unifies and enhances a difficult existing kitchen and great room combination, resulting in a seamless modern oasis. By Patrick O'Toole I Photos: Bernard Andre QualifiedRemodeler.com QR January 2017 23

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Qualified Remodeler Magazine - JAN 2017