A 1970s kitchen is transformed into something more modern. Since the budget was limited, the resources used were from Lowe's, Home Depot, and a discount flooring showroom. The challenge was to create a designer aesthetic using moderate-cost materials.
Walking into the kitchen, the first aspect you notice is the small enclosed area with only one light fixture. The kitchen is closed off to the rest of the house and in particular the living room. There are only two entrances to the kitchen and one is blocked when opening the refrigerator door. There are many others practical and aesthetic issues to resolve as well. To say that the kitchen needed some work is an understatement.
After the final renovation was completed, the kitchen walls were extended 1' by 1'. The wall was removed between the kitchen and living room with the addition of a 6' snack bar. The soffit was extended over the kitchen cabinets and a soffit was added above the snack bar. The existing heat runs and plumbing pipes were redirected. European style cabinetry and solid surface countertops with new stainless steel appliances were installed. The lighting was enhanced with the addition of recessed lights and hanging pendants over the snack bar. Finally, the tile flooring was replaced with Bamboo flooring.
Resources:
- Flooring: Lumber Liquidators
- Facet Fixture: Home Depot
- Cabinetry: Lowe's
- Countertops: Meganite.com
- Lighting: Home Depot
- Cabinetry Hardware: Myknobs.com
Other Before/After Kitchen Renovations:
- A Complete Colorful Kitchen Renovation…On a Budget
A Cool and Elegant Renovation for a Little Kitchen
Before & After: Small Kitchen Renovation
Sleek and Sliding Kitchen Renovation by Workstead
(Images: Marcia Prentice)
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stunning!
Those are stock cabinets? Amazing! I'd be interested to know what brand of cabinets/counters were chosen - not just where they were bought.
I wonder tho why they chose to push the island so far into the living room rather than take advantage of the floorspace within the kitchen?
Wow, it looks really huge afterward. I'm not a huge fan of the pattern on the cabinets, but the space is amazing.
Does anyone have a source for the blond shelving unit on the right in the first photo?
That's a great-looking kitchen. I also love the tile(?) on the fireplace wall.
love the kitchen... make/model of cabinets? Can't believe you got something like that at lowes.
The cabinets look like the Venecia line from Kraftmaid, which can be purchased at Lowes and Home Despot.
I like the shelving unit in the alcove near the kitchen. Can someone tell em where that can be purchased?
Another fan of the shelving unit in the alcove! It really grabbed my attention.
The after looks great!
I just can't stop looking at the odd sink/dishwasher set up in the before and thinking, "What an awkward set up."
The cabinets are the Venecia line from Kraftmaid. The countertops in the kitchen are Meganite (which is similiar to Corian, but without the brand name). The island overlaps the living room to create more space in the kitchen. There is a large dining room just past the living room, so I had the space. The shelving unit was from a local store in Green Bay, Wisconsin. I am checking to see if they still have it in stock or if you can purchase it online.
Thanks for all the great comments!
Hi the urban girl - it was a very weird set-up indeed. How do you wash the dishes and open the dishwasher at the same time - you don't. As I mentioned in the post. If you open the refrigerator door, it blocks one of the two small entryways into the kitchen. Something had to be done.
Hi emmelemm - it is indeed tile on the fireplace. I can't remember the brand, but the key is to get dark (almost black) 12" x 24" tile with a light grout and stagger each tile.
Since part of the point of this post was the limited budget, it would be helpful to have a price range for this remodel.
We just finished remodeling our kitchen and maybe I was just clueless before, but terms like "soffit" and "European style cabinetry" meant nothing to me until 6 weeks ago!!
The new materials are beautiful, but I agree with bepsf, why is the island so far away from the rest of the kitchen?
Thank you for including before & after floor plans!
Ah! I remember those cabinets - they were, unfortunately, out of my price range. :P They look amazing in this space.
Beautiful job!
Unbelievable!! It went from drab and dark to bright and BEAUTIFUL! What a transformation. I am normally not a strong fan of modern designing but this is just breathtaking. I think I've used enough adjectives to describe how I feel about this make-over. Do you think that someone could use that tile fireplace in a "not so modern" home? Because I love it.
The fireplace is quite modern; however, with the right mix of contemporary and modern finishes and furnishings it is possible to pull it off. I am not sure that it will work in a strickly traditional home.
Looks great! Wow!!
IMHO, the reason the island looks so far away from the rest of the kitchen is because of the wide angle lens. It's also why the kitchen generally looks so huge, I think, despite them describing it as small.
Apf - that is exactly correct. It is the lens that makes it look larger than what it is.
The wide angle does have something to do with it, but the island is also quite far from the rest of the kitchen. Just look at how the oven gives scale to the image. Even if the oven is a modest 30 inches wide, you could probably fit 3-4 widths of it between the island and the counters, or about 7-10 feet. Maybe the owner can comment on this. Just from looking at the blueprints it seems like the owner wanted the island to serve as a food preparation space as well as a dining area, and that's why it was located so far from the rest of the kitchen. Also it probably works well for entertaining.
All in all, it's a nice space. I really like the dark wood tones. It's very mid-century updated.
I think your definition of "small" is much different than mine. That kitchen is huge.
The kitchen looks amazing...and huge!
looks great!
One quibble: "Since the budget was limited..." doesn't really tell us anything. A budget is inherently limited. It could be a $10,000 budget or a $150,000 budget. A budget without limits is not a budget.
To be perfectly honest, I am getting slightly weary of the posts that claim how "small" these spaces are for the owners. I live in a tiny one-bedroom apartment with a kitchen of about 45 square feet including the space occupied by cabinets and appliances. THAT is a small kitchen.
This, and the adjoining room in particular, looks amazing.
I seem to recall that these cabinets were upwards of $200/lineal foot. But I could be remembering incorrectly.
I was wondering, what kind of countertop did you get? It looks so lovely and crisp.
I'm in agreement with Scoot and heather77
The kitchen looks great. I'm just baffled by the placement of the island and how much it imposes upon the living area, unless the plan is actually not correct.
I'm always amazed at what people consider "small". I think the McMansions have skewed our idea of what a "modest" kitchen/house should be. I love the makeover, but I don't think I would consider this to be a "small" kitchen makeover. Great job opening the space though, looks very airy!
This is EXACTLY the way I want my kitchen to look!
I am curious I have seen more and more people adding a soffit above the cabinets. What is the thought process behind this?
I am in love with this kitchen.
I'm with you, somewhatperplexed. Unless a soffit is covering ductwork or pipes, it seems like a waste of valuable space.
Also, regarding bryn's comment: having been looking for a new home for almost two years now, my husband and I have looked at a lot of McMansions, and have found that kitchens in many, many buildings (of various types and areas) are a standard size. My husband and I currently live in a 800sq ft house, and homes with more than three times the size have kitchens no larger than the one we have now.
I don't think McMansions are the cause of our lust for spacious kitchens (and our skewed perspective on what size a kitchen should be). For me, at least, it's all the beautiful home magazines I read. But I'll keep reading them.
The resource for the shelving unit in the living room is Design's of the Interior. The contact at Design's of the Interior is Stephanie Bruss at (920) 437-3549.
The "limited budget" must be relative. You don't move a powder room on a truly limited budget. Plumbing is ridiculously expensive. Re-routing water supply is not so bad, but waste lines are a big deal. And FYI, the reason why kitchens seem small, even in McMansions, is because of the work triangle. No one wants to log a millions steps just to make dinner. Appliances, work surfaces and storage are supposed to be close to each other. This enormous counter looks too far away to be useful, and maybe its the photo, but now the living room looks tiny...maybe she hasn't got any furniture yet? Just one seat by the fire? I see this is an old post, and I would love to know what choices would be made now that they have worked in the kitchen for some time.