For Hudson Valley designer Ana Claudia Schultz, a kitchen, living, and dining room makeover provided her with a unique opportunity. The chance to work with a returning client and pull off her first fully virtual project. 

“I did two apartments of hers in Jersey City, and when she and her family moved to Tennessee, they asked me to help with the interfor design,” she says. A good rapport, plus the homeowner’s impressive knack for DIY, made Schultz feel comfortable proceeding.“Usually, I do a mix of virtual and in-person,” she says. “I’ll visit the client site at least once and do a lot of work from my office through PDF presentations.”

Out With the New

While the home was new construction, neither Schultz nor the homeowners liked the completed space, especially the dull kitchen. “It wasn’t what they wanted at all,” she says. “They had to purchase it with a finished kitchen to get the certificate of occupancy needed to move-in.”

The white kitchen was very traditional with a prominent hood. A streamlined, clean, and functional look would need to be achieved, while sticking to the original footprint and a modest budget. “There were certain parameters we had to work with like the corner pantry, placement of the hood and sink,” she says. 

Modern On a Budget

The spec-like kitchen went from basic to unique and contemporary with the help of BOXI by Semihandmade cabinets. “We worked with Semihandmade before, but when BOXI came out we knew we wanted to use it,” she says. Without having to rely on IKEA’s availability, the mid-pandemic renovation went smoothly. “We liked that BOXI is easy to work with, could specify with a bit of customization, and be creative with the layout,” she says. Plus, the cabinetry budget, which hovered around $12,000, was also a fit. 

Daily Gathering

The kitchen was already “standardly functional” yet Schultz added a wine bar, custom open shelves, and a custom corner table from Hudson Valley furniture maker Andrew Finnigan, a perfect place for the kids to eat.

When it came to countertops, Dekton was a highly attractive option due to its durable nature. “She’s a baker, so we wanted a double oven and counter material that could really get dirty,” she adds. 

The handy couple did all of the installation themselves besides the countertop and millwork, a big cost saver. 

Back to Black

While Schultz didn’t initially plan on a black kitchen, BOXI’s Peppercorn Edge cabinets played well with the Dekton countertop and backsplash.

For a final touch, she added Berenson and Restoration Hardware pulls and Workstead pendants. She refreshed the pantry with black paint to match the cabinets as well. “We would have painted it all the way up, but the BOXI cabinets didn’t go to the ceiling.”