Category Archives: Atlanta Design & Build

Transforming to Your Gourmet Kitchen

Your kitchen is the heart of your home, the gathering place for family and friends. A kitchen remodel is a great way to make a big impact on your life.

Read more in Planning the Ultimate Kitchen Upgrade, a new ebook from Atlanta Design & Build.

This month, we’re exploring the trends we’re seeing in the kitchen. This post will focus on the “gourmet” kitchen, while later this month we’ll tackle kitchen remodels for those who don’t want the full-fledged gourmet experience.

To get insight on designing a gourmet kitchen, we talked to two of our Atlanta Design & Build experts – President Dale Contant, MCR, CRPM, UDCP; and Design & Sales Consultant Heather Marcet-Henderson, AKBD.

Defining the needs

At Atlanta Design & Build, kitchens are one of our most requested remodels. Many homeowners desire a gourmet kitchen, but a gourmet kitchen does not mean the same thing to everyone and it is not the answer for every client.

We know that every client has different needs and that is why the most important part of the project starts before construction ever begins. Using our proprietary HOMEStyle System™, we’re going to make sure we understand everything you need and want in your kitchen. We’ll talk about how you plan to use it, what you like about your existing kitchen and what you don’t. Our HOMEStyle System™ ensures we create, in design and in construction, the best solution for you and your family.

“Our process helps the Atlanta Design & Build team focus in on the ‘must-haves’ and the ‘nice to haves’ for each client”, Heather says.

Continue reading Transforming to Your Gourmet Kitchen
https://www.atlantadesignbuild.com/blog/infrar2020 Residential Coty award-winning bathroom

ADB Wins NARI Regional Contractor of the Year (CotY) Award for 2020

Atlanta Design & Build has been named 2020 NARI Regional CotY Winner, in Region 2-Southeast, for Residential Bath $75,001 to $100,000. Look at this amazing master bath transformation:

This elegant, spa-like bathroom also won a 2019 NARI – Atlanta CotY award.

2020 NARI Residential CotY bathroom vanity, water closet, heated towel bar
View of the water closet, built-in vanity, and heated towel rack

Winning a CotY Award is a distinguished recognition. We are honored to be in the ranks of the best in the remodeling industry. NARI received almost 500 entries valued at over $138 million, and our project stood out as the best in our category for our region.

Continue reading ADB Wins NARI Regional Contractor of the Year (CotY) Award for 2020

ADB’s Newest Kitchen and Bath Expert: Heather Marcet-Henderson

We are pleased to have Heather Marcet-Henderson, AKBD (Associate Kitchen and Bath Designer), as our Design and Sales Consultant and part of the ADB family: she has been with us for nearly a year! Heather is originally from San Diego, but her father was in the military, so they moved frequently. She relocated to Georgia in 1997 to attend The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), and now resides in Kennesaw with her husband and son. Heather earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology before she decided to study design, and she received a Master of Arts in Interior Design from SCAD.

In addition to her extensive education, Heather has a strong background in design. In the past, she has worked as a designer of model homes and clubhouses, a design representative for a tile company and a design studio manager for a new home builder. Heather has also worked as a private designer. As our Design and Sales Consultant, she works with clients making selections for cabinetry, countertops, tile, plumbing fixtures, etc. and choosing space planning design options for kitchens and baths. She does everything from drawing kitchen and bath layouts in Chief Architect to suggesting various organizational features for increased functionality.

A Solid Team with Integrity

Heather met Dale, and other ADB team members, 8 years ago when she worked with us on a client’s home where Dale was the contractor. She was applying for a job and called Dale to see if he could give her a reference. He said that he needed to hire someone with her skill set. The timing of their conversation was serendipitous, and it all happened organically. When Heather had previously met Dale, and other members of the ADB team, she thought it would be great to work with us—according to her, it has been great!


Her favorite part about being a member of the ADB family is that “ADB is a good, solid team of people. The level of integrity that Dale has matches my own personal level of integrity.”

Continue reading ADB’s Newest Kitchen and Bath Expert: Heather Marcet-Henderson
miniamlist kitchen, appliance garage

ADB & The Minimalist Kitchen

Does your kitchen need to be updated—not only for the latest trends in countertops or cabinets— but for the most functional workflow? Minimalist kitchens are increasing in popularity due to their amazing functionality and easy maintenance. We appreciate facets of the design and build process that keep in mind that the clients’ most precious asset is often their time. Here are some of the ways a low-maintenance minimalist kitchen can save you time.  

Everything is Streamlined and at Your Fingertips

We can replace upper cabinetry with open shelving to display objects you love and use daily. While maintaining the staged look of elaborate open shelving can be somewhat labor intensive, the ease of use is wonderful—and you can keep it simple. Everything you frequently use can be easily reached without opening a cabinet. Lower drawers and cabinets can hold most of your kitchen items, whether it is deep drawer storage, with dividers, or a full pantry wall, kitchen storage has come a long way. New and versatile kitchen storage can be one of the most exciting aspects of a kitchen remodel. Not only is lower cabinet storage often more organized, it is easily reachable. No more standing on a step stool to reach items in a high cabinet.  

Minimize Clutter & Clear the Countertops

Minimalist kitchen, appliance garage with Kitchenaid mixer
This appliance garage keeps your stand mixer close enough for easy use, while stowing it neatly away.

We suggest carefully evaluating which countertop appliances to keep in a minimalist kitchen. If you have not used an appliance in the past year, donate it or dispose of it. Don’t waste precious space on gadgets you do not actually use. Stow countertop appliances in appliance garages! Corner cabinets can be conveniently designed with outlets and you only have to open a cabinet door to access small appliances. This way your countertop stays clear when appliances like blenders, toasters, coffee makers, and slow cookers are not in use.

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MASTERPlan: ADB Has a Plan for Remodeling Your Entire Home

ADB’s MASTERPlan is an important part of our HOMEStyle System®. Are you overwhelmed by a dysfunctional or dated home? You may find yourself complaining almost daily about some facet of your living space: the layout doesn’t flow, the appliances are breaking, you’re tired of tile or wallpaper you chose decades ago, or you bemoan a previous owner’s lack of taste. Sound familiar? Home remodeling can be a costly and time-consuming endeavor, but our goal is to make the process as streamlined as possible by – well, to be perfectly straightforward – listening to you.

NARI ARC logo

We are a NARI Accredited Remodeling Company. We have a solid reputation as a professional design/build remodeling firm and over twenty years of experience transforming people’s homes to enrich their lives, but what really sets us apart is our unique HOMEStyle System®.

Here is a quick breakdown of our HOMEStyle System® followed by an in-depth look at the MASTERPlan, our antidote to stress when executing a home remodel!

HOMEStyle process showing MASTERPlan process

ADB’s HOMEStyle System®: Abbreviated

  1. DEEPDiscovery process. Rather than make assumptions about how to best design your home, we find out exactly how you use and envision using your space. This is a highly personalized process, not one-size-fits all.
  • INSPIREDDesign. Share your style preferences with our design team, and they’ll create a design based on both functionality and aesthetics. To minimize stress, we also provide assistance with material selection shopping.
  • MASTERPlan Your plan is prioritized based on your goals, timeline, and budget. Whether one project at a time, or all at once: we make a plan based on your priorities, creating the final result you want for your home.
  • BUILDINGPrinciples We stand by our work, issuing a 2-year HOMEStyle® Warranty—double the industry standard.
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Two 2019 CotY Awards for ADB

It’s our pleasure to share that we were honored with two 2019 Contractor of the Year (CotY) Awards from the National Association of the Remodeling Industry’s Atlanta chapter!       

Atlanta Design & Build won CotY Awards in the following categories:

Residential Bathroom $75,000 to $100,000

Our CotY award-winning master bath is luxury epitomized

Our clients’ 90s-style master bathroom had a dysfunctional layout that wasted too much square footage. Situated behind a pair of walk-in closets, the master bathroom was only accessible by walking down a narrow hallway. The large bathtub was a feature that the homeowners rarely used and wanted to eliminate. They did not like the dim lighting in their master bathroom and desired an increase in natural lighting. 

Our solution to the cumbersome layout of the master bathroom was a whole new design. We completely flipped the separate walk-in closets and the bathroom. Redesigning the space created a direct entrance to a new spa-like retreat with an expansive custom closet for two behind it. We incorporated many space-saving features into the design, like frosted, glass-fronted, pocket doors. Not only did the pocket doors eliminate the swing of traditional doors, but they help illuminate the bedroom and bath while maintaining privacy.    

Some highlights that the new master bathroom boasts:

Continue reading Two 2019 CotY Awards for ADB