Jason & Susan

One of our most favorite place in the new home is the kitchen. The kitchen was professionally designed by Okelo and despite paying a premium price for the import quality counter/cabinets and the design, we are very pleased.  The designer really helped us to maximize the space and the use of the kitchen.  It’s a lot of fun cooking and cleaning in the kitchen.

Originally, the kitchen in it’s “mao pei” (pre-zhuang xiu) condition looked small, perhaps only 4-5 sq. meters in size. We wanted to fit a full [American] size double-door refrigerator, large sink, built-in oven, dishwasher, built-in microwave, plus lots of cabinet and counter space (including a breakfast bar).  We were wondering how that could be done since most of the kitchen stores we visited didn’t think it was even possible to fit a double-door refrigerator, not to mention clueless about the piping for the dishwasher and garbage disposal.  On top of that, the gas pipe and meter was installed on one corner, hogging what could otherwise be cabinet space.  Most designers said they couldn’t put cabinets there, otherwise the gas meter would be inaccessible.

Then we found Okelo Kitchen and the designer was able to come up with a design/layout that included everything we wanted and more!  He added an extra cabinet plus a bigger breakfast bar!  Instead of the rectangular shaped bar, he added a curve to one side so the bar extends further out, providing extra space for the legs and bigger counter space!  Brilliant! Also, all the cabinets extended to the ceiling, adding another layer of shelving space (and no room to collect dust). In addition, the tiny space between the cabinets and the refrigerator serves as the perfect location to place our large trash bin. Every inch of kitchen space is put to good use!   The kitchen is still the same size, but the result is very very different!

Several people in our complex have come to take a look at our kitchen because they have the same kitchen layout.  They all complained about the gas meter/pipe and how their kitchen designs have far less cabinets.  They were all amazed at how space-efficient our kitchen is …   until we told them the price we paid and their jaws dropped.  Yes, indeed, in hindsight, we might have paid a bit too much (double/triple everybody else) but in the end, we are very very pleased with the result and that’s what we paid for. Perhaps one might “steal” the design and try to duplicate it using cheaper material/labor, saving quite a bit, but sometimes it’s not just about the design or idea. It’s about professionalism and quality, which is mostly lacking in this part of the world.  You get what you pay for.