Extreme Recycling - Renovating a Luxury Kitchen

By Karyn D. Collins / Photography By Cathy Miller | May 05, 2019

Luxury kitchens are an everyday possibility, thanks to Renovation Angel

Wendy Aftab would be first to admit she’s not much of a cook. Many days she and her husband opt for a prepared meal or takeout from a local eatery.

But Aftab, of Wyckoff, knows her way around a high-end brand. And she loves a bargain.

That’s how she first fell in love with Renovation Angel, a Fairfield, NJ warehouse-size outlet store that specializes in reselling donated high-end kitchen cabinet systems, appliances and other furniture.

“The first time I went in there with a friend and we were like ‘whoa, this is really interesting,’ ” Aftab says, recalling her first visit some three years ago. “It’s like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ Some of the things they have are just amazing.”

Aftab’s first purchases—yes plural—were small pieces of furniture and accessories.

The 43,000-square-foot store has rooms full of furniture, appliances, fixtures and row upon row of kitchen systems—cabinets and, in some cases, complete set-ups including countertops and appliances.

“I saw the kitchens, too, and said, ‘Wow, some day.’ ”

Then “some day” happened. A sewer pipe burst, flooding Aftab’s kitchen. She immediately went on the hunt at Renovation Angel.

The result: a Rutt kitchen cabinet and storage system with a full-size storage cabinet, bookshelves and island. The kitchen came equipped with a raft of stainless steel appliances, only a couple years old and lightly used, no scratches, no stains, including a Sub-Zero refrigerator, a double Dacor oven and warming drawer and a Bosch dishwasher.

All for $11,000.

“I would have paid probably 10 times as much if I had purchased all of that in a regular store,” Aftab says.

Of course, there’s a catch. That $11,000 doesn’t cover the costs of removing the previous kitchen or installing and retrofitting the new one. And, Aftab warns, there’s also the cost of a contractor spearheading the project.

For Renovation Angel owners Steve and Lisa Feldman, bargain prices like these—and how items like Aftab’s kitchen get to Renovation Angel in the first place—are all about charity.

Steve Feldman, a former radio marketing executive turned corporate fundraiser, realized that there was an untapped market in unused and lightly used kitchens and furniture from luxury homes that were being remodeled or demolished altogether.

“We have two divisions. With our donation side, a homeowner gets a tax deduction by donating their kitchen, so we are helping to recycle products that would otherwise just be thrown away—and we’re talking about luxury products,” he says. “We have items that, in many cases, haven’t even been used. We offer free removal. They get a tax deduction and save themselves thousands of dollars. And we help to recycle.”

The second division offers surplus and showroom samples that are donated to Renovation Angel. Under that division, Renovation Angel has partnered with luxury brands like Sub-Zero and Wolf, and high-end tile and stone manufacturer Walker Zanger.

“It’s a win-win all around. We are recycling and reusing these beautiful things that would otherwise be thrown away. The shopper gets these things for a great price, and then there’s the whole thing of giving back to charity.”

In turn, Feldman uses part of the proceeds from sales to customers (like Aftab) to donate to charities.

Since 2005, the Feldmans have donated more than $2.3 million to charities with an emphasis on those that support programs for at-risk youth, addiction recovery, job creation and social entrepreneurship.

“We are really addressing a number of needs. We are national; we obtain items and sell items to customers across the country and give our donors the opportunity to take a big tax deduction,” says Feldman. “And if you’re a showroom, we’ll sell last year’s kitchen model for you. If you’re a consumer, you can come in and buy at a great price.

“And we don’t just use the proceeds from sales to cover our costs running the business. We also give back to the community through donations to charities.”

Knowing there’s a charity component to Renovation Angel is an added bonus for customers.

“One of the reasons why I love to buy from them is that a portion of all the sales goes to charities,” Aftab says. “I love that. It’s a win-win all around. We are recycling and reusing these beautiful things that would otherwise be thrown away. The shopper gets these things for a great price, and then there’s the whole thing of giving back to charity.”

Of course, the big draw for many customers is the eye candy appeal of the products, especially those designer kitchens. After all, kitchens like these don’t grow on trees, especially at these prices.

That’s what led Aftab’s friend, Ray Trevision, to buy his kitchen at Renovation Angel. Trevision didn’t even need a new kitchen. But he saw one on display in the warehouse-like Renovation Angel store, and it was love at first sight.

“I stopped by with a friend just to see what was in the store, and then I saw it and I said ‘maybe’ because it was just so special,” Trevision says.

“It” was a kitchen by the British custom-made luxury kitchen firm Smallbone of Devizes, equipped with a full collection of Miele appliances.

“This kitchen was just crazy. It was from a penthouse in New York that had been owned by some Swedish billionaire, and the guy never used the apartment. He sold it to some other billionaire, and the guy’s wife had that kitchen ripped out,” Trevision recalls. “This kitchen had never been used. The appliances all still had the tape and packing materials on them.

“And almost all the appliances were double—a double fridge, a double oven. There’s a full-sized wine refrigerator. It’s just ridiculous.”

Trevision paid $50,000.

Trevision followed up with a call to the Smallbone location in New York City to inquire about possibly purchasing a matching pantry. The price of a new pantry? $30,000. At Renovation Angel, he was told his kitchen would retail for at least $300,000.

Trevision rented a temperature-controlled storage space for a few months while he figured out what to do with his impulse purchase. He ended up knocking out a wall in the kitchen of his Haworth home and extending his kitchen by about 15 feet. The process, from purchase to installation, took about a year.

“It was so worth it. It’s such a beautiful kitchen,” he says. “It’s Macassar wood with these beautiful black and brown stripes in the wood—very contemporary, very high end. It was just an incredible opportunity. I would never be able to buy all this at retail. It’s amazing.”

RENOVATION ANGEL
275 Route 46 West, Fairfield
973.461.2344
renovationangel.com

Renovation Angel is a 501(c)(3) charity. It partners with these organizations:

Focus North America
focusnorthamerica.org

Designs for Dignity
designs4dignity.org

Timothy Hill Ranch
timothyhill.org

Foothills Animal Rescue
foothillsanimal.org