Kitchen Renovation in Pasadena, CA

This Pasadena kitchen was all about getting a clean, bright look without giving up the practical stuff—storage, lighting, and a cooking zone that feels intentional. We built the cabinetry in our shop over four weeks, then handled the on-site install in two days so the homeowner wasn’t living in a construction zone any longer than necessary.

We built true frameless (Euro-style) cabinets with 3/4" maple plywood boxes and full overlay painted maple doors and drawer fronts. For daily use, we spec’d Blum Tandem undermount slides on the drawers and Blumotion soft-close hinges on the doors—simple hardware choices that make the kitchen feel solid every time you open and close it.

The layout was tight, so we used an 18" Bosch dishwasher to keep the sink run from getting cramped. That one decision buys back base cabinet storage and keeps the clearances comfortable, while still giving the homeowner a dishwasher that performs like a bigger unit.

For the surfaces, the homeowner chose Elite Stone Calacatta River quartz, and we ran it full height as a backsplash. The veining reads as one continuous surface, and it’s an easy win for maintenance—no grout lines behind the cooktop.

Lighting was a big part of the finished feel. We installed layered LED lighting—under-cabinet task lighting, toe-kick RGBW, and lit display cabinetry—and tied it into a Z-Wave setup with Home Assistant integration. That gives the homeowner real control: bright white when they’re cooking, a softer glow at night, and color options when they want the room to feel different without changing anything permanent.