A kitchen renovation sparks a new chapter and a love of design in an area homeowner.

She thought she would enjoy retirement after teaching for 32 years, but homeowner Patsy Black isn’t used to sitting idle. Black, who says she has always worked two to three jobs at a time, found she was a little bored.

Black has lived in her north Bossier home for 30 years and had always wanted to remodel the kitchen, but never had the time. She was also apprehensive because she had no experience with such a project. After running into Ashley’s Building & Construction owners Adam and Lisa Willard, Black decided to jump right in and gift herself a kitchen renovation for Christmas.

“It sparked a bug in her and she realized how much she loved doing this,” said Lisa Willard. “When everything began she was having so much fun. We got her actively involved – we would show her each step of the process ... from how the electrical looks behind the walls to how to lay tile. She just got really excited about it.”

In order to stick to the project’s budget, Willard says they worked within the room’s original footprint. The entire space was gutted, including the removal of wallpaper and the soffits above the kitchen cabinets. The modern new cabinets go all the way to the ceiling to increase storage space. The cabinet over the refrigerator is deeper now to maximize the available storage there as well. All the doors and drawers are now soft close.

The countertops are Silestone quartz in Marengo and the 12x24 porcelain floor tiles are Happy Floors in Apollo Gray. Both came from United Tile. The backsplash is Daltile Eternal Mosaics. The shakerstyle custom-built cabinets are by Ace Cabinets & Custom Finishes of Stonewall and are painted Sherwin Williams High Reflective White. Ace also crafted the vent hood. The plumbing work was done by A&M Plumbing. Danny Corley Painting transformed the walls with Sherwin Williams Silverpointe. The Delta faucet came from Coburn’s, and the pendant lighting was purchased from wayfair. com.

Previously, Black’s microwave took up valuable prep space on the counter next to her cooktop. Willard says a pantry was added on one side of the kitchen sink with a space to house a microwave. “That’s her favorite part of the whole room – that little cabinet,” said Willard. “It makes everything flow better.”

Another change that made a huge difference in the space was the addition of can lighting. Willard says Ashley’s uses higher-Kelvin LED lights, which make everything lighter and brighter so the beautiful colors in a room – especially the paint – can be seen for their true hues. G&S Electric of Shreveport brightened the kitchen and the living room with the installation of the can lights.

In the dining room, wallpaper and a chair rail were removed to help freshen the space. The window was framed after the removal of a windowsill beneath it. The painting in the dining room is by artist Ashley Beck of Painting From the Ashes.

Black says the process fulfilled something in her. She enjoyed the remodeling dynamic and discovered a talent for design that she didn’t know she possessed. “I’m just thrilled. I feel good about what I’ve picked and how it turned out. I’ve learned so much about what I do and don’t like,” she said. “It makes a person feel whole and complete when you figure out a purpose.”

In fact, Black loved everything about the kitchen remodel so much, she asked Ashley’s to transform her guest bathroom and bedroom as well. Then she started taking on smaller projects herself, like painting rooms and furniture. She and Willard revamped the living room by painting the fireplace with white chalk paint and painted the mantel black to match the support beam on the ceiling. They also painted the dining room table and chairs so they matched the new vent hood. “Many times when we remodel one room – especially if it’s an older house – the homeowners look at their new space and then they look at the other spaces and decide they want update them, too, to make it look just as beautiful,” said Willard.

This was more than a remodel for Black; she says it marked a new beginning. “It’s given me a whole new lease on life and a purpose,” she said. “It’s opened doors to other opportunities and meeting other people.”

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