The latest issue of Cottages & Bungalows features a charming cottage style kitchen by Crown Point Cabinetry!

An eight page story showcases the beauty of soft yellow cabinetry with an island and hutch in reclaimed Antique Heart Pine; the perfect fit for this Lakeside vacation cottage.

If you’d like to check out the story, “Remodeling the Remodel,” is in the August/September issue of Cottages & Bungalows on newsstands until September 15th!

And, more photos of this kitchen can be found in our Custom Cabinetry Gallery (Album number 53)!

The crew at Fivecat from left: Annmarie McCarthy, Lisa MacNeil, Mark R. LePage, John Whalen, Bjorn Slate and Karen Sidel

Crown Point Cabinetry would not be where it is today without repeat business from loyal design professionals and builders.  To recognize these folks, we like to feature them here on Wood Shavings!   Through a Q&A session with Mark R. LePage, AIA, we’d like to introduce you to Fivecat Studio!

Fivecat Studio offers complete architectural and construction management services for additions, renovations and new homes.  Partners Annmarie McCarthy and Mark R. LePage, run their business from two locations-a studio in Pleasantville, NY, and another in Amagansett, NY.  Fivecat serves clients  throughout Westchester County (NY) and Fairfield County (CT), the Hamptons and the lower Hudson Valley region.

What are the hallmarks of a Fivecat home?

Every project by Fivecat Studio, whether it’s a single kitchen renovation or a multi-million dollar home, is unique; custom developed to meet the specific needs and requirements of each family member. We incorporate special details into every project, such as one-of-a-kind mouldings, special finishes or a custom newel post. Focusing on the little things can make a very big difference.

Do you prefer to design homes in a particular period style?

Our studio is located in Westchester County, New York, about 40 minutes north of Manhattan. Homes in Westchester are mostly traditional, yet our clients tend to be young families with modern tastes. Our kitchens, therefore, are typically designed to respect the traditional flavor of the home, but include the modern flair of our clients.

What is the most challenging aspect of designing a kitchen?

Every Fivecat project includes an in depth pre-design process, which allows us to learn the unique habits and discover the specific tastes and styles of each client. The most challenging aspect of designing a kitchen is meeting the specific wants and needs of each member of the family. Mom has a very different list of requirements than does her 10 year old son, but each person will be living in and using the kitchen every day. Our process results in a kitchen that is finely tuned to the habits, hopes, needs and desires of each family member and, in turn, impacts our clients’ lives in very positive ways.

If you could give one piece of advice to a homeowner planning to remodel their kitchen, what would that be?

We ask our clients to prepare a full inventory of every item they currently have stored in their cabinets, as well as everything that they would like to add to their new kitchen. We try to accommodate a place for everything, so everything has a place. We then request a second inventory of all activities that our clients will perform in the kitchen (cooking, washing, preparing food, bill paying, TV watching, Internet surfing, entertaining, etc.). Our advice: prepare an inventory.

A recent Fivecat kitchen with Crown Point cabinetry handcrafted from Cherry. Finish is Autumn Brown with a Chocolate Glaze.

What are some projects you’ve done with Crown Point in the past?

We have partnered with Crown Point on several kitchens over the past decade. Our most recent kitchen was for a young family in Chappaqua, New York. The client was very “hands on” and enjoyed working closely with our favorite Crown Point designer, Christine Dunleavy.

Annmarie and I look forward to Crown Point soon crafting a custom kitchen for our own family’s 1930s Tudor.

What do you like about working with Crown Point?

When we discuss Crown Point with our clients, we talk about their incredible dedication to customer service coupled with their furniture quality workmanship. Crown Point understands that service and attention is sometimes more important than the actual product. They work hard to make Fivecat Studio look good and we appreciate that.

The Fivecat staff enjoying a day at the beach in Montauk, New York

What do the folks at Fivecat do to relax?

As much as everyone at Fivecat Studio enjoys working in the studio, there are times when we all need to take a break. Every few months we plan some time away, to rest and learn about one another in a more social environment. We have taken day trips to Montauk to visit the on-going construction of one of our Project Architect’s family retreat. Each spring we spend a day navigating a local house tour to experience other architects’ best work. This summer, we are planning a trip to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City with all our families. The culture at Fivecat Studio is comfortable, casual and very family-friendly, so we all enjoy spending time together, in or out of the studio.

Corporal Visnu Gonzalez smiles proudly in uniform before being severely injured in Iraq. His home will be the 5th collaboration between Homes For Our Troops and Crown Point Cabinetry.

For the past several years, Crown Point Cabinetry has been an enthusiastic supporter of a wonderful organization out of Massachusetts called Homes For Our Troops.  They are a non-profit group that raises funds, collects building materials and organizes professional labor to build specially adapted homes for severely injured veterans-at no cost to their families.

Now in our fifth project with HFOT, we are excited to be handcrafting universal cabinetry for Corporal Visnu Gonzalez.  While serving in Iraq, Corporal Gonzalez was shot by a sniper, severing his spinal cord and leaving him paralyzed from the upper chest down.

Corporal Gonzalez is greeted by fellow soldiers at the groundbreaking of his new home

The Gonzalez home is being designed to fulfill the requirements of a LEED certified home.  To meet these criteria, cabinetry is being handcrafted from responsibly reclaimed Antique Heart Pine donated by our friends at Carlisle Wide Plank Flooring.

Kurt Kangas Inspects a beautiful Antique Pine door before securing it to a cabinet box

Production of kitchen and laundry room cabinetry for Gonzalez’s New Jersey home is now underway at our New Hampshire facility.

Gary Pitts attaches a door to complete this wall cabinet

The cabinetry design incorporates a number of universal features that will make daily tasks much easier for Gonzalez.  For example, the sink area and cook-top are wheelchair accessible, to be installed at a below-standard height and completely open below.  And, pull down units are being installed in upper cabinetry so that the contents are easily accessible from a wheelchair.

Lee Lamott assembles the pull down shelf that will help Gonzalez reach the contents of the cabinetry

The cabinetry will not be installed until later this summer, but don’t worry, we’ll keep you posted on the progress!

In the meantime, read more about the deserving veterans who have already received universal cabinetry from Crown Point through HFOT!

Army SGT. Marcus Kuboy

SSG Travis Strong

SPC James Fair

SSG Eugene Simpson

A current trend in kitchen design is to mix things up a bit with multiple cabinetry finishes in complementary shades and textures.  This impressive Canadian kitchen is a “triple threat”, incorporating three different finishes for a well balanced, beautifully coordinated space!

The majority of the  cabinetry is finished in a soft Buttercream Classic Paint, blending seamlessly with the Aga stove. For contrast, the substantial island is a bright Barn Red Milk Paint, with hints of Pitch Black peeking through the expertly distressed finish.  A third complementary finish is introduced in the hutch area.  Handcrafted from Cherry, this piece is finished in Autumn Brown stain with a Van Dyke Glaze.

The client absolutely loves her kitchen and was excited to share these photos with us, along with some kind words about her Crown Point experience:

“When we were finally ready to embark on a kitchen renovation in our 1830 log home, we searched locally for someone to build true traditional inset cabinetry.  Finding someone nearby who could do this met with dead ends.  Being Canadian, I had little hope we could access a company in New Hampshire, but on a whim I emailed them.  To my delight I received an immediate response from a designer who not only knew exactly where we lived, but had recent experience designing and installing a kitchen near us.”

“The next step was a trip to see the Crown Point facility.  We were greeted at the door with a sign welcoming us to the shop!  We were so impressed with everything about the facility-its precision, cleanliness, dedication to perfection and commitment to timelines!  From there, we worked with our Crown Point Designer, Lois Horan, through an email process that was in every way satisfactory.  She was ever patient and lead us to our final choices with a clear  but gentle vision.”

“In the end, we have a beautiful kitchen.  It’s everything we ever wanted, perfectly in line with the architecture and period style of the house, and like nothing we could have found anywhere else.  If ever I even consider having to move in the future, my first thought is that  I could never leave my Crown Point Kitchen!  The only saving grace might be the chance to work with them again on another project.  Thank you Crown Point for such a wonderfully pleasant experience, with none of the usual headaches and uncertainties seen in a typical renovation.”

-Homeowner, Merrickville, Ontario, Canada

Claremont School Board Chairman, John Napsey presents Matt Day with his high school diploma

The 3rd Annual Crown Point Cabinetry Scholarship was recently awarded to local graduating senior, Matt Day. The scholarship was established in 2007 to help one local student continue his or her education in the field of general construction, home engineering or interior design.  As the recipient of the 2009 scholarship, Matt will receive a check in the amount of $1,000 toward his first year of higher education.

Graduating in the top 10 of his class, Matt is a well-rounded three-season athlete who is very focused on his education and career goals. In the fall of 2009, Matt will be attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.  He plans to study engineering and also wants to play football.

Matt is all smiles standing alongside his girlfriend, Marissa Lockerby, on graduation day

Congratulations, Matt!  We wish you the best of luck at school!

The Crown Point Cabinetry Charity Committee, a rotating group of employees which distributes employee donations to local charities and other causes, established the scholarship to support a high school student intending to continue his higher education in the general construction field. Other requirements included a grade point average of 2.5 or higher, a written essay and an interview with Crown Point Cabinetry Charity Committee Members.