Kitchen remodeling job earns Carrollton business “Best Bang for Your Buck” on HGTV

Their Tuscan-inspired kitchen gets kudos for aesthetics, functionality, and return on investment.

Here's the kitchen in question, praised for its functionality and aesthetics.

CARROLLTON — This week, Home & Garden Television (HGTV) featured three Dallas-area kitchen remodels on its popular “Bang For Your Buck” series. Receiving top honors for being a sound investment for its Coppell homeowners, Ginger & Rick Blazek, the show honored experts at Kitchen Design Concepts in Carrollton.

The kitchen, located in a home in Coppell’s Waterside Estates neighborhood, was praised by HGTV host Vern Yip as “the perfect marriage of function and aesthetics.” Yip and his co-host, local real estate expert Robyn Freese, estimated the Blazeks received an 80% return on their remodeling investment, exceeding the national average return of 70% -- and also exceeding the return of the two other kitchens featured on the “Bang for Your Buck” episode. The design and execution of the remodel by Kitchen Design Concepts was projected to add approximately $72,000 to the value of their home.

“When it comes to remodeling projects, a kitchen upgrade is one of the most reliable investments you can make to increase the value of your home. In this economic climate, now more than ever, homeowners want to know that the money they’re investing is wisely spent,” said Jennifer Sherrill, president of Kitchen Design Concepts and one of the first women in the Dallas area to become a Certified Remodeler through the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI).

HGTV’s Vern Yip and local co-host Robyn Freese toured the Blazek’s kitchen, as well as two other kitchen remodels in the Dallas-area costing $90,000. Among the hosts’ favorite elements in the Blazek’s winning kitchen were its creative mix of complimentary materials, large teak island, commercial-grade appliances and windows, and French doors bringing in light from the outdoors.

“We were thrilled to be selected for the show, and the guys who shot it were so much fun. Meeting Vern Yip was a bonus, and he was very kind and interested in what we did to our kitchen,” said homeowner Ginger Blazek. “As the time for the show drew nearer we got a little nervous about seeing ourselves on TV, but they were so good to us. Our kitchen is beautiful, and the photographer really did it justice. I would do it again in a heartbeat!”

The look of the kitchen was inspired by the Blazeks’ travels in Tuscany. Design elements were selected to create the rich, organic feel of the Tuscan countryside -- from the large teak island and farmhouse sink to an earth tone palette and cork floors.

Looks played a part in the Blazeks’ desire to remodel, but they also wanted the kitchen to live up to the quality of cooking in their household. Ginger is an enthusiastic and skilled hobby chef who loves to entertain and bakes almost daily for friends and neighbors. Much of the design was created around her needs, including a marble baking slab, a pot-filler for convenient pasta-making, and a hands-free sink that can be activated by food-covered hands.

The design also kept in mind the regular kitchen duties of the household’s official “taster” and assistant chef, Rick. He has his own “man corner” incorporating a flat-screen TV, wine rack, commercial-grade refrigerator, and a prep sink where he can help chop or serve drinks to guests.

Kitchen Design Concepts co-owners Jennifer Sherrill and Mary Kathryn Reese attribute their success with the Blazeks’ kitchen to their unique approach to remodeling kitchens, which is influenced by both by their backgrounds as management consultants and their personal love of cooking.

“We begin every project by assessing the client’s lifestyle, examining not only their design preferences but the details of their daily routine, entertaining style, food preferences and storage needs. And, because we love to cook ourselves, we have a real passion for making these rooms really work for the people who live, cook and eat in them,” said Mary Kathryn Reese, vice president of Kitchen Design Concepts.

Source: Kitchen Design Concepts