Have you ever dreamed about your own island paradise? One that’s surrounded by deep blue waters and nothing but sunshine and sandy beaches? For Paul and Lorraine Soucy, the U.S. Virgin Islands was their dream realized.
After working together as a kitchen renovation duo in Beverly, Massachusetts, the Soucys retired, swapping snowy New England for the stunning scenery of St. Croix. But despite their island surroundings, their retro island interior was a little too outdated for their liking.
With a bit of help from the RTA Cabinet Store, here’s how Paul and Lorraine used their dynamic design acumen to redo their slice of kitchen paradise.
Navigating an Island Reno
The Soucys knew their brand-new kitchen needed new implements. But unlike the mainland, living on the U.S. Virgin Islands makes any upgrade a bit more difficult. In Paul and Lorraine’s search for cabinets, a lack of options was one of those frustrating difficulties.
“There’s one cabinet company on the island, and they have pretty much the gambit here,” Lorraine said. “So we weren’t going to use them because it wouldn’t have made any sense.”
Another thing that wouldn’t make sense was choosing cabinets that were pre-assembled. According to Paul, shipping costs for premade cabinets are based on volume, not weight, leaving a price tag that was a bit too much to pay.
Even the shipping itself is fraught with risk when your cabinets are already in one piece. “You’ve got a cabinet that’s put together and they’re shipping on a boat and coming off a boat and going onto a truck. You can get a lot of damage,” Paul said.
In the face of these problems, the Soucys knew they needed to do things differently. Despite working with premade cabinets up in Beverly, they decided to give the RTA Cabinet Store a chance.
Ready-to-Assemble Paradise
After using the RTA Cabinet Store’s free design help to narrow down their product selection, the Soucys received everything in their order in just under a month.
“We got everything here within six weeks, which we thought was fabulous,” Paul and Lorraine said.
And those earlier concerns about damage?
“They were packed like bricks. Even the long pieces of crown molding and baseboards,” the Soucys added. “Whoever does the packaging did a great job!”
Paul and Lorraine ordered 15 custom cabinets to complete their modern yet comfortable kitchen vision. The centerpiece features a statement island with the RTA Cabinet Store’s Smoky Grey Cabinets, two 24-inch beverage centers, and a wine cabinet for easy access to drinks after a dip in their pool.
For a two-toned contrast, they chose the RTA Cabinet Store’s Weston Sand Shaker to pair with the warm taupe flooring, countertops, and wrap-around molding where the ceiling meets the wall.
Elements of gold, blue, yellow, and green are the finishing touches, seen in the various pieces of décor, upholstery, and plants placed on top of the counters.
Final Preparations and Future Plans
With the vision in place and the products reaching their destination, it was finally time to assemble. The Soucys recruited their colleague and friend, Wayne, to hang the cabinets while they assembled them. Despite having 15 cabinets to assemble, it only took around 5-7 hours to put them all together. With Wayne’s help, the cabinets were up on the wall and their island assembled in just two days’ time.
Looking back on the project, Paul and Lorraine couldn’t be happier with how their RTA Cabinet Store cabinets turned out. In fact, they’re so happy with them, that they’ve begun to recommend them to others on the island, even going as far as to help other friends with their cabinet assemblies. They’re also including RTA Cabinet Store cabinets in their next project, a smaller bar that’ll also feature a countertop and a sink in the area where their dining room used to be.
After years of using only pre-assembled cabinets, the Soucys are convinced that ready-to-assemble cabinets are the product of choice for their island paradise.
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