Cabinet Refacing, Refinishing & Painting in Lake Forest

Lake Forest is a North Shore suburb about 30 miles north of downtown Chicago, one of the area's oldest and most storied lakefront communities, laid out back in 1857 among the bluffs and ravines along Lake Michigan. Cabinet painting, refacing, and refinishing are what we specialize in, not a service tacked onto general contracting, and that specialty is exactly what a Lake Forest kitchen calls for. This is a city of grand estates, winding tree-lined roads, and deep architectural history, anchored by the historic Market Square downtown and home to Lake Forest College. The kitchens inside homes like these deserve cabinet work that respects the house rather than fighting it.

The homes in Lake Forest

Lake Forest is known for its architecture. Many of its homes are grand historic estates, English Tudor, Georgian, and Colonial Revival among them, set on large wooded lots along the ravines and the lake, and the neighborhoods also hold classic ranches and colonials along with newer luxury builds. Homes here are almost always on the larger side, so kitchens tend to be generous, well-appointed rooms with space for a proper island and the storage a big household runs on, and the finish on the cabinetry becomes a real centerpiece rather than an afterthought.

Matching the color to the architecture

In homes with this much pedigree, the cabinetry has to earn its place. A painted Shaker in white, off-white, sage, or a soft muted tone suits the classic architecture beautifully, and keeping a stained island or a run of real wood in the mix honors the fine woodwork these houses were built with. There is plenty of room for a two-tone look, a painted perimeter with a stained white oak or walnut island that adds warmth and depth without overpowering the room. A designer consultation comes with every sizable project. Together you land on a cabinet color that works with your floors, your trim, your light, and the age of the home.

Older kitchens, and the quirks we plan for

Even the finest older kitchens reach a point where they are ready for attention. The historic homes carry their years in settled cabinets, hardware painted over through decades of touch-ups, and layers of old finish, while plenty of kitchens were last updated in the 1990s or early 2000s and are now hitting the twenty-year mark, with finishes that have faded and a style that has gone out of trend. In most of these homes the cabinetry is solid, well-built, and full of good bones, which makes it a strong candidate for refinishing, refacing, or a fresh painted finish, and worn or water-damaged areas can be repaired and refinished rather than replaced. You keep the layout you like and put the work into the surfaces you see and touch every day, and all of it gets noted at the first walkthrough so nothing catches you off guard mid-project.

More than the kitchen in a Lake Forest home

A home this size usually has more woodwork worth caring for than just the kitchen. A lot of Lake Forest projects grow to take in a butler's pantry, a library or office, a mudroom, a wet bar, or vanities throughout, all finished to match so the house reads as one considered whole. Lake Forest sits up at the north end of our service area, a run north from the Fulton shop in Pilsen. Expectations get set from the very beginning, and from the first coat to the last, the only job is to meet them and exceed them.