If you meet Levi Graber, be careful not to share too many ideas with him or the next thing you know, he might pull into your driveway with 20-foot trailers full of whatever you discussed. That’s what happened to Ed and Michelle Lechler. Well, sort of. Ed and Michelle met Levi at Cleveland’s Great Big Home and Garden Show, began to share ideas about their dream kitchen remodel and six months later, Ed and Michelle were enjoying a kitchen even better than the one in their dreams. Owner of Precision Woodworking of Sugar Creek, Ohio, Levi combines a designer’s vision, BFF trustworthiness and smiling likability with fierce woodworking skills and business acumen. No matter what ideas they shared, Ed and Michelle recalled, Levi responded, “We can do that,” or “We can make that happen.” And he did.
The kitchen is at once a cohesive unit of complimentary textures and colors, and a treasure trove of individual fixtures and details that catch the eye, from paneled appliances; to the pot-filler faucet perched above the cooktop; the farmhouse sink; and chalkboard that playfully shows off the Lechler children’s handiwork, and communicates important family reminders.
But perhaps the feature that draws the most attention is the island lighting. Above the 5×9-foot island, a pair of cast-iron barn door trolley pendants from Restoration Hardware accentuate the area’s artful combination of sophistication and rustic charm. These pendants fit in perfectly in this home where they are unusual but certainly not the only well-chosen detail.
Levi designed the layout of the kitchen, custom-made the cabinets and brought in subcontractors for items like the quartz countertops from Cambria, which Ed and Michelle chose in two complimentary colors. And while Ed and Michelle found the island pendants, table and chairs and other kitchen items themselves, Levi contributed plenty of ideas of his own, like the leather-lined surfaces on the range hood and the end panels of the island. The Lechlers chose leather-topped island stools to match.
In the Lechlers’ kitchen, Levi used knotty alder for the cabinets, and then finished them with a combination of paint and glaze. The kitchen floor is distressed hickory.
A Strongsville native, Ed developed the Cedar Creek Estates neighborhood where he and his family now live, and he also owns Rock Bottom Lawn and Landscaping, the group that is busy installing the Lechlers’ landscaping. Michelle is hoping the home’s exterior is ready for action before the end of the summer holidays so the family can host an outdoor party as successful as their winter indoor gatherings. But, even if the back yard isn’t quite ready, the kitchen certainly will be.