REDUCE, REUSE AND RENOVATE

Fine cabinetry saves the world.

By Kaitlyn Beickel

A1,100-pound, two-inch-thick marble countertop surrounded by custom-made cabinets and all of the top appliances is the epitome of a luxury kitchen. But, what happens to those sparkling appliances and meticulously crafted cabinets when multi-million-dollar homes get demolished or remodeled? That’s where Steve Feldman, founder of Renovation Angel, comes in.

“When I think about what happens to the kitchens, I talk about the three D’s,” Feldman says. “It’s the dumpster, which everybody knows about. It’s the devalue, where maybe your real estate agent says, ‘I’ll take that kitchen off your hands for $1,000 or you want to just give it to me’ and the homeowner doesn’t want it to go in the landfill so they say, ‘OK you can have it,’ and the third thing, which nobody talks about, is disappear.”

Feldman first became aware of the waste of high-end kitchens while fundraising for charity after leaving an 18-year career in radio. He found a wealthy donor to support his cause in Greenwich, Connecticut, but after she lost millions in the 2001 stock market crash, he looked for new donors in her area.

“It’s Greenwich, so her next-door neighbor was the queen of Iran,” Feldman says. “I see a sign in the queen’s driveway that says demolition in progress, so I drive up to this 10,000-square-foot Rockefeller mansion, and it’s gone.”

“That’s when I had the idea to earn the money for charity rather than to ask for it, by selling the kitchens, the fixtures, the appliances and the furniture that would be donated out of demolished mansions,” Feldman says.

A real estate agent heard about Feldman’s idea and shared it with the Greenwich Time newspaper, leading to an article on his idea published in October 2001. Shortly after, he received 36 phone calls from architects, builders, designers and even hedge fund managers, who said he could come to their homes and take pieces.

In turn, the mansion owners receive a tax deduction and free white-glove labor.

WE’RE KIND OF LIKE THE ROBIN HOOD OF THE KITCHEN WORLD, WE TAKE THESE GORGEOUS KITCHENS THAT WOULD END UP IN THE DUMPSTER AND WE MAKE THEM AVAILABLE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, AND OUR LUXURY OUTLET SHIPS NATIONWIDE. –Steve Feldman

“I’m a recovered addict, so we have given money to addiction recovery charities,” Feldman says. “We’ve supported charities that help foster children, educational charities, we’ve done some funding here in Scottsdale for Foothills Animal Rescue, we’ve funded designs for Designs for Dignity in Chicago.”

Interested in getting involved? Visit the Renovation Angel website to see if your kitchen qualifies to be donated.