Right brain left brain cohesiveness drives the engineered design of Linger Design Studio.
When I remarked to Amanda Lwanga, MASA, P.Eng., owner and creative director of Linger Design Studio, how unusual it is to meet an Engineer with style (no offense to all the left brains out there), she laughed. “Engineering is creative problem solving. In a way, design is visual problem solving.” The Sherwood Park renovation featured here presented many opportunities to put that theory into practice, not the least of which were competing husband and wife tastes (him: bold and glam / her: clean, farmhouse chic).
Lwanga’s professional background in environmental impact assessment means she approaches each project with not only design, but sustainability in mind. Though not every customer has the means or desire to go completely net-zero, environmental impact can still be minimized without sacrificing style or blowing the budget. For this renovation, the existing cabinets were refaced by the original cabinet maker who still had the templates 20 years after the kitchen was first built. Lwanga also uses low VOC paint and chooses sustainable fabrics such as bamboo over synthetics whenever possible. She recommends incorporating existing furniture and home features into your project to minimize waste. The challenge of updating old materials sometimes results in becoming the most inspired, unique parts of a renovation.
“Engineering is creative problem solving. In a way, design is visual problem solving.”
In this kitchen update, the goal was to modernize the space and neutralize excessive warm tones from yellowed oak cabinets and floors. White oak flooring and cabinet doors were installed, along with new light grey and white quartz countertops, giving the space an instant lift. The ‘pixelated’, blocky brick wall got a gorgeous German Schmear treatment to soften and urbanize the room. Luxe, rust colored velvet stools bring a pop of colour while complimenting the room’s natural light, and the black hardware and faucets ground the space.
New lighting adds a final touch of glam to bring it all together into a visually stunning custom kitchen. For more jaw-dropping interiors, check out lingerdesignstudio.com.
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