Timeless Black Walnut Built-ins
Accessible/Aging In Place | Built-ins | Custom Cabinetry
When Cynthia and Rick moved into their new tract home, it had plenty of space but little storage and not much personality. Cynthia wasn’t sure what style of cabinetry she wanted, but she had one idea: a 100-year-old hutch that had been passed down through her family for generations.
When our designer, Elizabeth, and Master Cabinetmaker, Ron, saw the hutch, they knew the new built-ins had to be designed around it. The result is a black walnut entertainment center and built-in cabinetry that give the great room the storage it needed and a character rooted in family history.
The Challenge
The great room needed a lot of storage, but Cynthia also wanted it to reflect her traditional style and her love of genealogy. The new cabinetry had to feel like a natural companion to a century-old heirloom, in a house that had none of that history.
Our Approach
Elizabeth presented a few layout options inspired by the hutch, and Cynthia chose the final design with very few revisions. From there, Cynthia was involved at every step. She helped Elizabeth hand-sort each piece of walnut headboard to echo the hutch’s calico grain, confirmed every drawer height, and approved a mockup of the top valance before it was built.
The valance is the centerpiece. Elizabeth based its shape on the hutch’s toekick, our cabinet drafter, Sydney, worked out its proportions and Ron shaped it by hand from a single piece of solid black walnut. We also routed a finger grip into the underside of the countertop edge for added stability. Our install crew finished the project in four days, cleaning up thoroughly at the end of each one.
The Result
What was once a plain tract-home great room now has storage and warmth that are unique to Cynthia and Rick’s family. The new built-ins sit alongside the heirloom hutch as though they belong to the same generation.
Slide the green circle left and right to see before and after.
A Home Full of Character
We are thrilled with how effectively these cabinets not only provided much-needed storage for Cynthia, but changed the entire mood of this open concept great room. What was once a simple tract-house has become a home full of character that honors their family history and has a personality that is unique to their family.
“They worked with our original idea & tweaked/adjusted it until we found the perfect design. Using that design, the skilled craftsmen at the GCCI cabinet shop created a stunning black walnut entertainment center. To top off our experience with GCCI, an amazing installation crew spent four days in our home as they expertly finished our unit. All 3 men who made up the installation crew treated our home as if it were their own. Their clean up at the end of every day assured we would not be tripping over blocks of wood or spreading saw dust all over the house. A big thank you to the design team of Elizabeth & Ron, & to the construction & installation team of Dennis, Bobby & Theo.”
Cynthia Stevenson
Corvallis, OR
Hand-crafted Top Valance Moulding
This top moulding valance is the star of these built-in cabinets! Our Designer Elizabeth drew inspiration from the toekick valance of the family heirloom hutch, our Cabinet Drafter Sydney meticulously calculated the perfect proportions for the shape, our Master Cabinet Maker Ron shaped this piece from a solid piece of black walnut by hand, and it was perfectly installed by our Cabinet Install Team of Dennis & Bobby. This cabinet project is a great representation of the extraordinary capabilities of the G. Christianson team.
Routed Finger Grip Countertop
When Cynthia told us that she has Parkinson’s, we immediately thought of this routed finger hold countertop solution! Cynthia visited Rose Christianson’s home, who was the first to use this routed finger hold countertop, to see if this solution was the right fit for Cynthia. We found that it was helpful for Cynthia’s balance, and our Cabinet Team was able to add this feature to the planned walnut countertop. We created a groove on the underside of the countertop’s overhang, this gives you an easy way to hold on to the countertop to help your balance.
