Acclaim Renovations & Design transformed this outdated space and made it a modern masterpiece

By Patricia Nugent

Bob Gallese and his trusty crew from Acclaim Renovations & Design were tasked with transforming the first floor of the Weber’s home in Mentor from all things 1980s to a sleek, open, modern space for entertaining.

“This major renovation is like a case study of how much can be accomplished within a home makeover,” says Bob.

“The existing kitchen and family room were stuck in the mid-80s, with paneled cabinetry, Formica countertops, colonial-style spindle banisters, an old-fashioned brick fireplace, paneled walls and faux-beamed ceilings. The homeowners collaborated with us on every idea and the results are really striking.”

Here’s a checklist of what they did:

• Took down walls between the family room and kitchen, and dining room and kitchen
• In the family room, tore down the brick fireplace and created recessed cabinets, then created a center section of rough-hewn stacked stone and added can lights in the ceiling to brighten it up. Removed the faux beams
• Tore down the spindle banister separating the family room and kitchen, and built angled corner cabinets
• Replaced paneled cabinetry in the kitchen with sleek recessed white cabinets, and changed out old white counters with dark gray quartz ones
• Tore out the old flooring and added COREtec waterproof luxury vinyl tile in the trendy widths
• Reconfigured the footprint to make room for an island and added a drop-down range hood
• Enlarged the windows for more natural light and installed an extra-large farm sink
• Laid the backsplash, which features wavy, four-sided shapes to break up all the clean, straight lines in the ultra-modern design
• Added storage

“Throughout the process, there were challenges to overcome, such as moving pipes or hiding pipes within cabinetry,” says Bob. “Over the past 20 years, we’ve risen to the challenge on every job, building our customers’ trust along the way. This job is a good example of that.”

Acclaim Renovations & Design powered by One Man and a Hammer is located at 8550 East Avenue in Mentor. The company has been awarded Contractor of the Year by NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry). Call 440-974-8082 or visit AcclaimReno.com to see more photos of this kitchen renovation, as well as many more room makeovers.