The Kugelmann's Waterfront Home Holds History
The river view, sea breeze and nature’s wildlife make Warren and Maria Kugelmann’s home an amazing place to live: but the fifty-one year family history is what makes it special. Mr. Kugelmann was five – the youngest of ten children -- when his parents bought their Merritt Island home in January of 1970 and moved in with seven of their ten children. Warren lived out the rest of his childhood and teenage years enjoying his Newfound Harbor home. His father, a retired Washington D.C. fireman, mechanic and cabinet builder, built the home’s new kitchen cabinets.
Fast forward to 2009, when Warren purchased the house from his siblings after his mother’s death. In 2017 Hurricane Irma hit the east coast and so severely damaged the roof and stem walls upon which the house was built that the whole house had to be demolished. He wanted to stay put, keep the family history and the land. Warren had been thinking about a redesign since he was a child, so he wound up bringing in twenty loads of fill dirt and starting over. He rebuilt: “preserving the original aspects of the old house”, but making it bigger and adding a bedroom. It is now a two-story home with a game room, media room, large modern kitchen and stainless steel outdoor kitchen, all decorated in waterfront coastal style. He kept the cabinets his father built and put them in the game room, and he kept the wrought iron stair railing, a beautiful addition to the rebuilt home. It is the perfect home for hosting their large family’s gatherings.
Building a new home means making a lot of choices: layout, flooring, wall colors/coverings, windows, doors, ceiling fans, appliances and more. The Kugelmanns went to Marble Designs of Florida for their countertops and at their showroom saw a display of Sea Life Cabinet Knobs by Peter Costello. His designs were unique and would perfectly compliment their décor.
The Kugelmanns then visited Peter Costello’s workshop where they made their selections and found the company very helpful and accommodating. They chose a variety of designs to use in the kitchen of sun-bleached wood cabinets and pale aqua countertops: conch shells, manatees, sail boats, dolphins and turtles were perfect. As they decided on their beach themed knobs and pulls, they considered design symmetry. In the bars in the media room and game room they used flip flop cabinet pulls, surf board drawer pulls and pelican wall hooks of rich pewter to hang purses.
They are very pleased that “many of the items [are] available as matching left and right sets such as the flip flops, dolphins (both knobs and pulls!), manatees, and sea horses.” Their Sea Life Cabinet Knobs are noticed by visitors “right away”, and they often comment “How nice the designs are, and how they really highlight our Florida/beach theme.”
If you are looking to create or enhance a coastal theme Maria recommends keeping things “light and airy” and use “open spaces” and suggests that you “think it through, long term big picture” and to remember “the love of personal things that connect you to your area history”.
We thank Warren and Maria for sharing the story of their beautiful home and the story of its evolution!
At Sea Life Cabinet Knobs, our wide range of cabinet knobs and pulls are designed to enhance the look and feel of any kitchen.
Since 2000, we've offered the finest and most extensive collection of coastal themed hardware in the county, and each product is hand-finished and inspected to ensure it is made to perfection. Our hardware is made from the finest pewter and available in brushed nickel, chrome, dark bronze, and white finishes.
For all your beach-inspired knobs, pulls, and towel hooks, shop the biggest range of the finest collection of coastal hardware on the market. To find out more about our range of products, visit our website today.
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Since pewter doesn’t rust, but can become dull over time (especially near saltwater environments), Costello Coastal Knobs recommends an annual cleaning:
