Mike and Nancy lived in their Palm Harbor home with their three children for 28 years.
“Once the kids started moving out, we started looking at the lifestyle we really wanted. We have a beach house in Clearwater, but we really wanted to live in the city too. Tampa gave us the best of both worlds,” Mike explains of their move.
Mike and Nancy decided to move to the Harbour Island area of Tampa. “It’s a really neat environment,” Mike says. “There are water shuttles that have stops at the convention center and restaurants. It’s got a really neat vibe.”
The couple knew their condo would need to be gutted, but they wanted to get settled first and create their wish list. “When we first moved in, the condo had bright red tiles, walls where there shouldn’t be walls,” Mike describes. “Once we knew the type of changes we wanted to make, we started searching for companies who could do a complete remodel and understood the restrictions of working in a high rise.
“There were three companies that we found, and Artisan Design was so far superior to the others. Past customers referenced things like high-quality and great customer service. Then we met Ralph—and we knew he was who we wanted to work with.”
Mike and Nancy had purged their belongings during their initial move to Tampa, so they were able to live out of their beach house during the renovation. “We gave Ralph and his crew our keys and we left town.
“They remodeled everything in the house with the exception of the master bath—but Ralph is looking at ideas for that now.”
The couple turned to the Internet to search for ideas, but they limited themselves to two options for each decision. “We didn’t want to get overwhelmed,” Mike says. “Ralph was also a huge help. He guided us to what we were looking for every step of the process.”
Mike and Nancy knew they wanted to go with earth tones and dark stain on their cabinets and floors. They also knew they wanted to maintain the galley-style of the original kitchen.
“We entertain a lot and everybody gravitates to the kitchen,” Mike says. “One of the things we liked about the condo was the long, large kitchen.”
Nancy knew she wanted an island, but Ralph gave them two islands. The first island has a working feel with plenty of storage and a drink drawer adjacent to the refrigerator. The second island is for seating, and there is a walkway between the two islands creating a path from the sink to the range. “It’s just a completely functional space,” Mike describes.
The kitchen opens into the dining/living area where the crew from Artisan completely transformed the existing bar area. “Artisan tore it all out and made it pretty,” Mike says.
“They blew me away. Ralph quoted me 12 weeks and I laughed at him… I thought maybe five months in my mind, but they were done in 15 weeks. They would have been on time if it hadn’t been for the normal delays.
“We were back in the week before Thanksgiving,” Mike says of their move before hosting 20 people for Thanksgiving dinner. “They exceeded our expectations.”
Resources: Kitchen designer: Ralph Mills, Artisan Design; Interior designer: Patricia Thompson, Artisan Design; Cabinetry, sinks and faucets: Artisan Design; Countertops: Pavimento; Appliances: Bosch dishwasher; Wolf induction cooktop, double oven, microwave drawer; Sub-Zero refrigerator, wine chiller, beverage center, Ferguson