Aanensens

We Lose an Old Friend

 

Harry Kruse (1928-2011)

Yesterday we lost an old friend and longtime employee, Harry Kruse.  Harry was many things we should all aspire to be in life: a gentleman, a professional, a craftsman, an honest friend.  He made our business better, and embodied everything we came to stand for in our work.  There were never any problems with Harry, only solutions.  Work was taken seriously, but with the greatest sense of humor and calm perspective for it all. 

Once, as a young man, I watched Harry stand in the middle of the room on a project we were about to start, slowly drawing on a pipe, lost in thought.  Later, I asked my father what exactly was going on here.  My father answered, "that's just Harry, figuring out every cut he needed to make, solving every problem he knew would arise, before he starts to do anything."  This amazed me then and continues to inspire me today.

Harry worked for over 35 years at Aanensen's, with all three generations of owners, well into his 70's.  He has been in thousands of our customers homes, who, if they ever happen to read this, would instantly remember him.  Even after he "retired," we called him back frequently for difficult or special projects that needed his level of skill and experience.  And during his time with us, he inspired and taught many other employees that will continue to spread his legacy of craft for years to come.

So on behalf of the entire Aanensen's family, and past and present staff, we thank you Harry.  One could not have a higher level of respect and regard for another, than we do for you.  You are a part of our family, and we will miss you.

 

 

Harding Land Trust House Tour

 

On June 6th, the home of one of our long time customers will be on the Harding Land Trust house tour.  We are  very proud of our long relationship with the family and of all the different work we have done over the years, everything from building the kitchen wing addition and remodeling bathrooms, to changing door hardware and coordinating all the different home maintenance needs.  If you would like to see this and some other of New Jersey's finest homes, follow the link below for ticket information.

http://www.hardingcivic.org/home/harding-announcements/308-harding-land-trust-house-tour-june-6-2011.html#

 

We are not immune to disasters!

Often when you open walls during construction, you are suprised by what you find.  Sometimes there are good suprises: the urban legend of a bag full of money never seems to materialize, but often a vintage newspaper or some an old tools do pop up, and they are interesting and fun for a little while.  But more often than not, the suprises one finds are, in a word, disastrous.

Kitchen Design: The Pantry

Although I am in the business of designing and selling kitchen cabinets, there is simply no substitute for a traditional walk-in kitchen pantry for efficient storage.  For the average homeowner it is just easier to find ingredients and tools quickly, and for the serious cook/"Foodie"/hoarder, it is a great place to hang out with the exotic ingredients and gadgets that are the object of their obsession. 

The problem is that houses that were built or remodeled after the middle of the last century, which are most of them, did away with pantry spaces.  In fact, over the course of our 60 years in business we've removed our fair share of pantries to make kitchens bigger so we to fit islands or some other design element built around cabinetry.  But I think pantries are making a comeback, especially now that I see less emphasis on upper cabinet storage in some of the more modern kitchens being published.  

The pantry doesn't have to be big either.  One just the size of an ordinary coat closet, lined on three sides with shallow shelves, can make a huge difference in how the whole kitchen works.

An example:

Recent Project: Colorful Children's Bath

 

This shared children's bath is a sophisticated study in blue and white, and is as functional as it is beautiful.  We used a pallete of all white cabinets and field tile, and dressed them up with punches of different shades of blue glass tiles and accents.   Here are some of the details,

Recent Project: Tranquil Master Bath

 

For this bathroom, the client requested a calm, ulcluttered, spa-like master bath.  So we kept the design very simple, and then let the materials we chose build a rich, warm environment that is truly relaxing to be in.  Here are some of the details:

Recent Project: Timeless American White Kitchen

 
This project was very rewarding.  We did a beautiful kitchen that honored the character of this house, but also improved the entire first floor flow of the home with a few simple moves.  We relocated the door to the rear of the house, from the kitchen to a new "mudroom",which had previously just been a large closet.  Then we cut in a new entrance to the living room from this mudroom, connecting all the rooms on the first floor in a circular flow.  It made the whole house feel bigger and more logical. 

My Own Kitchen

Below is a link to my own personal kitchen, which we remodeled about 6 years ago, and was published in HOME Magazine in May 2007.   It also won the Sub Zero/Wolf kitchen design contest for New Jersey that year.  At the time, I was enamored with Scandinavian Modernism and its clean lines and use of simple, yet rich materials.  The overall effect is a paradox:  it is simultaneously warm and rich, but also light and airy.

We've changed some things since then, updated and recovered furniture, painted the walls, etc., but the bones remain the same.  The Brookhaven cabinetry looks the same as the day it was installed, the solid walnut counters have developed a faint dappled texture and patina but still look fantastic, while the crema marfil marble island is stained and water marked and will most likely need to be resurfaced (though at this point I still regard the markings as a badge of honor from all the meals I've prepared on them).  The Wolf and Sub Zero appliances still look great, but I have developed a relationship with my local service company and see them grudgingly every year or two.  Like a German sports sedan that is now out of warrantee, cost of ownership can be high. 

Hope you enjoy, here's the article:

http://www.elledecor.com/home-remodeling/articles/wooded-bliss

Quick Tip: Kitchen Design

In a short run of cabinets with a cooking appliance in it, rather than using a free-standing range, use a cooktop and built in wall oven below.   

 

By having the counter and cabinets run all the way across, it unifies the wall, makes it look longer and gives it a higher degree of finish.  It is a more expensive proposal as you are wiring for and buying two appliances and more counter and more cabinets, but worth it I think. 

This is a hand painted kitchen with concrete and hand scraped knotty pine counters, glass tiles, and Wolf appliances.  There's a pullout stepstool tucked into the toekick to reach the upper storage cabinets.
 

Recent Project: Basement Remodel

This was a great project that involved remodeling a large basement. One room was to serve as a seating and TV watching area, with room for billiards and ping pong. An adjacent room has a full sized bar and gaming table. There is also a nook for exercise equipment, a full bath, and an area we will call “the hockey wall” (still in progress) for the kids to take slap shots at, as hard as they want. We also designed a full sized laundry room, and cleaned up utility and electrical closets.