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Writer's pictureJamie Laguilles

Burnell Drive: Kitchen Remodel



Out of all the projects I have worked on, Burnell Drive is my favorite and will always be very special to me.


I was hired to design the kitchen. It was a small space, roughly 13' x 9', the smallest I have ever worked on. It had its challenges due to its size and it was difficult to get the essentials in without compromising on the storage. So I had a lot to think about and not a lot to work with as I started working on this kitchen. As a designer who was so used to working on huge kitchens, this was a head scratcher. But ... I love a challenge, especially a design challenge. Game on!


So besides a good design challenge, here's also why this project is so special ...


I was so excited to take on this project mainly because who the client is. The client was my favorite teacher from my days as an interior design student at The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. We had been out of touch for some time so when he reached out to me, I was honestly touched and honored. He was the instructor who taught me computer-aided drafting or AutoCAD. Now this is important for two reasons.


For one, I struggled the first time I took an AutoCAD class with a different instructor. I didn't know if it was the instructor, the program or me but I was not getting it and that was frustrating knowing this was the foundation to any project and here I was, failing miserably! I barely passed but the perfectionist in me wondered if I was cut out for this designer life. It was required to take two classes to learn AutoCAD and that's when I met Andre and everything changed. Andre was the instructor this time around and he had a teaching style that took all the seriousness out of the program without sacrificing a full-rounded understanding of the program and its capabilities. AutoCAD was easy for me at the end of the term - I so got it! - and I was helping my fellow classmates too! Because of Andre, I became proficient in AutoCAD which has been pivotal in my career. It's the reason I was hired by prominent designers and showrooms and given the opportunity to work on so many amazing projects. If not for Andre, who knows what would have happened?


Which brings me to the second reason why working on his kitchen was so important ...


I'm a big believer in paying it forward. When Andre reached out to me about his kitchen, I was more than happy to help him and take on his project. I would not have gotten as far as I have professionally without having a solid grasp on AutoCAD, and for that, I have always been grateful to Andre. This was my chance to pay it forward and say "Thank You" by giving him and his wife the kitchen of their dreams.


Take a look at the life of this project below. I love how happy they are with everything :)






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