The Remodel of a Contemporary Kitchen

The Birth of a New Kitchen

The possibilities are endless, but usually the budgets are not! 

That was the dilemma when this homeowner came to us, wanting to gut their dated kitchen. The other was the fact the footprint of the space we had to use included two very large floor-to-ceiling picture windows. The space was not very wide either. The homeowners decided that they wanted to expand the space and make it more functional for entertaining, but also not be so over-designed that the two empty-nesters would feel lost in the space.

Original 1970's kitchen

The original kitchen's layout was very common to that time period.  This 1970's colonial had it's kitchen at the rear of the home with a U-shape layout that didn't work with how this couple used the space. The existing soffits (drop ceilings) made the space feel small, and closed in. 

Adjoining Dining Room

The adjoining dining room, was rarely used and too formal for how the homeowner wanted to operate in the space. The lady of the home was cut off completely from her guests in the kitchen while entertaining. And there's one of those floor to ceiling picture windows that we had to deal with!

An outdated buffet area

 The current cabinets had little to offer in the aesthetics department, and the intercom system was no longer in use.

Additonal wall in kitchen

Another view of the wall in the adjoining dining room

It was decided that with lifestyle and budget in mind, we would blow out the wall between the dining room and kitchen to open the space up. The soffits were removed raising the ceiling and a design was settled on that would allow us to contend with the two picture windows at either end of the space.

Most clients will also have a good idea of what they like or don't like. These homeowners were a little lost when it came to that part of the project and weren't sure what direction or style to go with. Not a problem! Part of our design process includes asking lots of questions to make sure that we understand all the needs and wants of our clients. Armed with enough information, we made suggestions for products and colors selections that would work with their lifestyle and tastes.

A quick shot of the demolition of the existing space

Here's what the space looked like after we ripped everything out

The final look is a total transformation and very dramatic! 

The new layout allows the homeowners to interact with their guest while serving food. Cabinets and wine racks were added in the space that was once the dining room. The whole space is more open and bright with a much needed updated and more contemporary look.

The homeowners were willing to give up the idea of a typical table and we were able to use the space to add the snack table that sits up to 4, perfect for when it's just the two of them, but accommodating for when their college aged children are home.  

A new run of cabinets gave additional storage space, and the oven was moved to wall, freeing up usable counterspace .

The final layout included actually pulling the cabinets away from any wall, and floating them creating a Z-shaped layout ending in a snack table made completely of quartz.