Entertainment Center and Bookcase:

With 22' ceilings in the room, Don knew it was necessary to design and build this unit 7' tall to take advantage of the overall scale of the space. In the next phase of the project, Don suggested that the area below the television become a media storage area, custom-designed to hold dozens of videos, DVDs and CDs in specially made glide-out drawers. Check back for an updated picture of this completed project.

Results: This unit combined the utility of a large storage space with the beauty of oak hardwoods to perfectly compliment the stunning Great Room where it was installed.

Master Bathroom:
A master bathroom that originally had no shower was a renovation problem that could only be solved by Don's insights and talent in custom cabinetry. The old cabinet was removed and discarded, the floor removed and all plumbing and drains relocated to accommodate a new shower and custom vanity with two sinks. Then an existing Jacuzzi tub was completely refaced to match the new vanity. Don pictured all of this in his mind and did the design work before the work began.

Vanity: custom-designed and built into an existing seven-foot space, the vanity has ample storage behind two sets of doors and in three glide-out drawers. Don added two large drawers at the bottom, capable of holding towels and other large items. This unique feature was Don's idea and something you'll never see on a standard vanity.

Floor: seventies-era shag carpeting was removed along with the underlayment. Once the new floor drain was run for the shower, Don resurfaced the floor with Italian ceramic tile.

Tub: an old Jacuzzi tub, still functioning but covered with worn carpeting, need to be completely refaced. The customer wanted to apply ceramic tile to match the new floor. But Don suggested continuing the oak accent around the tub, which included custom enclosures on each end for easy access to the plumbing, pump and pump motor.

Shower: a custom-made cultured marble shower finished off the project.

Results: an older, inefficient master bath became a spacious, modern "spa" with all-new marble, luxurious oak cabinetry and trim, and an elegant tile floor.

Kitchen:
After modernizing this older kitchen with all new stainless steel major appliances, the customer spent hours more looking through catalogs to find just the right butcher block island and work surface. Nothing was ever the right size, and the prices were prohibitively expensive. Only custom-built units would solve the problem.
Kitchen Island: after studying the catalog pictures the customer had collected, Don designed a butcher block island that fit the room exactly. With three spacious birchwood shelves, it provided ample room for and easy access to bowls, platters, and other kitchen items. It's most unique feature is an overhang on one end that accommodates a stool and gives the customer's school-age daughter a place to do homework or enjoy breakfast while mom prepares her lunch and readies her for school. A towel rack at the sink end of the island is an added convenience. Don also suggested installing hidden casters to allow the unit to be easily moved for cleaning underneath.

Butcher Block Work

Cabinet: it doesn't get any more practical than this; a butcher block work surface on a birchwood cabinet that hides the kitchen wastebasket right below a hole in the butcher block top. The customer wanted to be able to chop, cut, slice and clean up all in one motion, and Don came up with the custom cabinet to do the trick; all in three feet of dead space next to the range. Scraps from the cutting block drop through the hole into the waste basket that sits below. Don installed a full glide-out shelf underneath for easy access to the waste basket. Extra plastic garbage bags are tucked into a space below the shelf and two glide-out drawers handle all the utility items a kitchen needs. It's topped off with a custom-built oak step-stool that tucks away into a space below the drawers and slides out to let the customer easily reach her topmost cabinets.

Results: an old-fashioned kitchen lives up to its potential and becomes a modern, practical hub for all the family's activities.

Custom Office Desk:

Don designed the desk to meet the exact specifications of the customers, and the unusual shape and dimensions of the loft. Among Don's unique features are recessed areas in the desk tops to allow monitors to sit down at a more-comfortable level, a bookcase at the end of the center island, and structural supports below the desks that keep the support legs out of the way for easy maneuvering of the desk chairs.

Results: A loft area becomes a spacious home office with the addition of a large two-person desk and center island.

"One thing you can count on with Don Stowers is attention to detail. The fit and finish on his work is unbelievable. And he's never satisfied until he has it exactly right."
-Ron Schrein

"Don's not just a great cabinet maker. He can do everything. And he comes in with ideas and insight into ways to make things work better, look better and fit together better. We used every one of his suggestions, and he was right every time."
-Rena Roberts.

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