The Refrigerator Used To Be The Focal Point Of The Kitchen… But Upscale Found A Way To Make Our Kitchen SHINE.

When John and Tori Wishart were looking for a home in Ithaca, they found one they loved and bought it for a great price. But there was a reason for that great price — many updates were needed. Over time, they have had many of those updates completed, all by Upscale Remodeling – a half bath, insulation, a roof. But two projects have taken the Wisharts’ breath away – the front porch and the kitchen.

The kitchen in their home desperately needed a total renovation. There wasn’t, actually, much that could be saved. Tori worried about a new look, wondering if it was even possible, because not only was the kitchen small, but, unfortunately, the refrigerator was the focal point of the room. (“The refrigerator!” Tori said. “Can you imagine?”) To their amazement, Steve Nash was able to design a renovated, sleek kitchen, generally sticking to the footprint, while finding a way to recess the refrigerator into the back wall. Now Tori has the kitchen of which she dreamed – where the refrigerator is not the first thing guests see. “I didn’t think they would be able to make such a dramatic change, but finding a way to move the refrigerator was brilliant,” Tori said.

Tori found visiting Upscale’s new showroom prior to the kitchen renovations helpful. “Seeing actual displays simplified our decision-making process. I am a visual person, so the showroom was an amazing asset – I didn’t know what I want until I saw it! And then I just said, ‘That’s it!’”

While she loves her new kitchen, she is just as passionate about her new front porch. John and Tori were living with a narrow cement slab that barely held two people. Nights relaxing on the front “slab” were not comfortable. Upscale built the Wisharts a beautiful Brazilian walnut front porch – so beautiful that people walking or driving past have stopped to ask her who built it. Tori absolutely loves it. “John and I enjoy sitting out there now, relaxing and reading, drinking coffee or wine, depending on the time of day.”

John loves all of the work, too, but he was slower to come around. As Tori was meeting with Upscale Remodeling to discuss the kitchen, she could see John sitting in the livingroom, pretending to pick money off an invisible money tree. “But he is just as thrilled as I am,” says Tori, and the Wisharts are looking forward to more renovations over time. Until then, they will happily sit and sip on their beautiful new front porch.

Endorsing statement: “Each project with Upscale Remodeling has been exactly as we envisioned. We absolutely couldn’t be happier.”