Remodeled Kitchen and Bath Adds Light and Space

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Joyce Ortner Video Testimonial

“We all just felt so comfortable and confident with Nicole and Viking Kitchens. Actually, it worked out perfectly!“—Joyce Ortner

On a flight for vacation, homeowner Joyce Ortner had been discussing redoing her kitchen and bathrooms while looking at a Consumer Reports magazine on fridges. She struck up a conversation with the person next to her, who gave advice on fridge door styles and placements.

The couple were talking, as it happened, to David Trachten, the owner of Viking Kitchens, who suggested that they talk with Designer Nicole Chicketti.

They called, they met, and they talked: “From that first conversation, we knew Nicole was right for us. It’s been really a great experience working with her. We were very specific about what we wanted and what we expected from our renovation, and she listened so carefully.”

Those design requirement centered firstly on creating a light, bright space. The original kitchen had outdated dark wood cabinets, an intrusive peninsula that blocked flow around the kitchen, and overhead cabinets that blocked light. We removed the peninsula to open up the kitchen, and allow natural light to flood in from floor-to-ceiling sliders on two sides of the kitchen. In its place, we added a small island that functions as a works surface and eating area.

For base cabinets, Nicole selected Homecrest with Bayport doors with slab drawer fronts and Sedona doors in French Vanilla for the wall cabinets.The cabinets are topped with Cambria Quartz counters in Torquay. Together, the colors are fresh and amplify the natural light, and the understated style helps to make the space larger.

“It was such a great idea to put in this little island, says Joyce. “It’s a space that I use every single day for multiple purposes. It just makes the kitchen work: it can be used as a counter to put food on, it’s a great prep area, and underneath we have the waste baskets so that I don’t have trash around when I’m working on the counter. We even eat at it more than at our kitchen table. I really love my island!”

Joyce had also mentioned she needed a place “to put her junk on,” and Nicole “came up with a cute little cabinet that fits perfectly.” It’s a neat detail, that, well, keeps the kitchen neat and tidy.

Having completed two house builds before, Joyce and her husband were wary of a renovation project because “everything takes twice as long as you expect. But what surprised me most about working with Nicole is that we kept to the timeline.” Even though the beginning of the project was right when the coronavirus pandemic started.

“I was so surprised at how easily the process went and how the communication with Nicole between me, her and my builder. We re-did our kitchen, our master bathroom, and we did a little work up in our second bathroom, and all of that was all completed within the six weeks. And that to me was amazing, especially given the circumstances we had to work under, so it was just a flawless process. We’d work with Nicole again!”

“I have friends that actually called me a couple of weeks ago, because they’re redoing their house in Simsbury. So we gave them Nicole’s name at Viking Kitchens. And I am certain my builder would use Nicole again in a heartbeat. We all just felt so comfortable and confident with Nicole and Viking Kitchens. Actually, it worked out perfectly!”