“Thirty years ago, Robin Lestina-Cikanek’s crowded, small kitchen placed second in an ugly kitchen contest.
“The longtime Portage Park resident is one of two neighborhood bungalow owners who received awards this month for home improvement work as part of the Driehaus Bungalow Awards. The competition, created in 2005 by the Chicago Bungalow Association, honors the creativity and preservation efforts of bungalow owners for projects large and small.
“The competition received a record 100 nominations this year and most entries came from Portage Park, according to a press release. Fourteen were selected throughout the Northwest and Southwest sides of the city.
“With help from a family friend, Lestina-Cikanek completely rehabbed her kitchen within the existing framework of the room, adding a large white island in the middle, more cabinets, a dishwasher, a large sink and more storage space.
“Lestina-Cikanek and her husband, Bill Cikanek, have lived in the home on the 4500 block of North McVicker Avenue for 42 years. It’s her husband’s childhood home and one that’s been in the family for a long time, so she wanted to preserve as much of its structure while making the kitchen more modern and functional, she said.
“The two-year project, which cost about $70,000, still keeps the style and integrity of the original 100-year-old bungalow, she said.” (Parrella-Aureli, Block Club Chicago, 11/28/22)