Guest post by: Brittany of the Brittany Makes blog
Brittany is a California based designer, curator, and blogger with an expertise in vintages rugs and textiles. Brittany blogs about DIY, ‘how-to’s”, home decor, arts, crafts, and design inspiration.
My clients and I weighed countless options for cabinetry in this kitchen remodel, and ultimately my clients fell in love with the quality and craftsmanship of the CliqStudios product.
As an interior designer, you’re often faced with a client who wants a million-dollar kitchen on a shoestring budget. I’ve faced this exact situation when renovating my own kitchen; not having a sufficient budget for a kitchen remodel is a real problem most homeowners face. I’m happy to report CliqStudios has positioned themselves to resolve that for good!
Kitchens are expensive, there’s no way around it. CliqStudios has saved homeowners from the woes of sub-par pre-fab cabinetry. No longer do you have to resort to particle board cabinetry to afford a new kitchen. CliqStudios offers an array of high end style door fronts and box sizes, which are all built-to-order using furniture-grade plywood. Their unique “semi-custom” system allows both homeowners and designers to get a kitchen that looks both high end and satisfies the budget. I’m excited to share my firsthand experience with CliqStudios, from both the designer’s perspective as well as the homeowner’s perspective.
Working with CliqStudios
I’ll go out and say it – working with CliqStudios was a total dream. First, I ordered some samples of the Shaker cabinet doors in a variety of colors. I met with my clients and we decided on a two-toned kitchen, Medium Gray lowers and white uppers. Simultaneously, the CliqStudios sales team introduced me to Shelly, one of CliqStudios’ top kitchen designers (she’s basically a kitchen angel). Shelly oversaw the kitchen design for our project. Like most homeowners, I don’t have the 3D rendering skillset required for kitchen designs, but you guys, CliqStudios provides every customer with a designer to ensure the entire design from start to finish runs smoothly!
Getting Creative with Design
To start, I provided Shelly with measurements of the kitchen and concepts surrounding the design for the new kitchen I was planning for my clients. Shelly helped me solve countless problems. For example, the dining space was already tight, and my client wanted a built-in cabinet on the back of the dining wall. This was a must, but it left no room for a dining table. My clients also wanted to seat 6 people in this tight space, which I kept concluding was impossible! Shelly and I brainstormed solutions and she ultimately suggested adding a T shaped peninsula to the dining space, which could seat up to 5. It was a creative solution, one that wasn’t obvious, but was perfect for the space.
Our 3D Rendering
Once we finalized the designs, Shelly provided us with a full 3D rendering and design plan for my client’s project, as well as a product list and invoice. I was able to provide the 3D rendering to my clients, which made me look like a true professional! We paid for the cabinets then waited a few weeks for them to be built. CliqStudios builds all cabinets and ships them ready to install so customers don’t have to worry about building the cabinets themselves.
Easy Installation
Our contractor was so impressed with the cabinets, he even said they were the easiest cabinets he’s had to install as they arrived already assembled, all he had to do was secure them in place. The fact CliqStudios cabinets arrive already built saves time and money that homeowners would typically have to pay for their contractors to complete this part of the process. CliqStudios cabinets make kitchen renovations run more efficiently in this regard.
Our contractor also confirmed just how easy it would be for a homeowner to install themselves. My clients aren’t very handy, so we were happy to have our contractor install the cabinets for us, but I could see how CliqStudios has successfully created a system which allows folks to take on the installation themselves if they wanted to.
The Best Part?
I recently asked my clients to share with everyone their favorite aspect of the cabinets. They gave me three things: the soft close drawers and doors, the quality of the product (2 years later they still look brand new!), and the fact their kitchen looks like it was custom designed instead of what you typically think of when you hear “online cabinets”. My clients couldn’t be happier. With the help of CliqStudios, I was able to deliver on all their hopes and wishes for their new kitchen. I can’t wait for my next project!
