"3 Ways to Revamp Your Kitchen" by Amelia Rodriguez

Blending Aesthetics and Functionality

Amelia Rodriguez from San Diego Magazine introduces 3 design techniques from Savvy Interiors creative director, Susan Wintersteen. From sleek, modern designs to timeless classics, tailor each remodel to reflect your unique taste and lifestyle needs with Valley Habitats! Say goodbye to cramped quarters and outdated features as we optimize layout and storage solutions for maximum efficiency. Elevate your culinary experience with premium appliances, luxurious finishes, and innovative fixtures that marry form with function. Experience the joy of a kitchen that not only looks stunning but also works effortlessly for you and your family. Let us turn your dream kitchen into a reality!

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Don’t be alarmed if Susan Wintersteen asks for a meal plan midway through a kitchen redesign consultation. With every new project, Wintersteen, the CEO and creative director of Solana Beach– based firm Savvy Interiors, considers everything from the number of kids and pets running through the house to “how many leftovers they have in their fridge,” she says.

Her focus on the practicalities comes from her background as a mother of five, researching flooring and fabrics that wouldn’t fall apart under the onslaught of rowdy little ones. “I became addicted to the feeling of blending what looks good with what is super functional,” she recalls. Initially a design hobbyist, she used her self-taught skills to launch her business in 2002. Her husband John joined Savvy seven years later, and the pair became general contractors, able to transform spaces through both big builds and aesthetic overhauls.

And it’s not just clients who benefit from Wintersteen’s thoughtful approach. In 2014, Wintersteen began redecorating rooms for kids experiencing medical crises, eventually creating a donor-funded nonprofit, Savvy Giving by Design. The organization now has 11 chapters nationwide and partners with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The nonprofit aims to create safe and comfortable spaces for children with medical needs, implementing, for example, automated beds and window coverings to account for limited mobility. But Wintersteen also wants to make the rooms a place of joy, filling them with color and cozy places to hang out and decorating them in line with each kid’s interest (say, superheroes or horses).

“[It] gives them the tools to enhance their healing,” Wintersteen says. “And when you see the impact it has on that kid, it’s really hard to not want to continue doing that.”

We asked Wintersteen to share deets from three of her favorite kitchen revamps.