beautiful, love the dark cork floors and how everything gradually gets lighter as your eyes move upward.

It's not all white cabinets! Awesome!

whoa.

Ha, I do love the curvy doors under the sink in the before picture, but the sacrifice was worth it, considering how very usable the after space looks.

where did that little fridge come from? Very space efficient

AMAZING. The full series of photos at their website is really impressive too.

Re: the fridge, I think it's a Summit. They make tall narrow counter depth fridges. Liebherr does as well.

Super spiffy! What a change you made. I really like the wine rack, too.

damn.

AMAZING job! The ikea cabinets somehow look so expensive here!

I love how special and customized their Ikea cabinets look! Definitely a very inspiring kitchen redo.

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer (there's always got be one, guess it's me this time), but if I was a buyer going to a 1910 house, I'd want something much more charming and fitting with the era. For this type of kitchen, I'd want a new build. But that point is moot if this is their "forever home" and not looking at resale value.

The other thing that bugs the heck out of me is when people tear out perfectly functional kitchens instead of "working with what they've got". It's the anti-green thing to do.

And feline AIDs is the number one killer of domestic cats, BTdubs.

I agree with Put a Bird on It. Nothing different or unique about the new kitchen, it could be anywhere. It's a shame they didn't want to embrace the bones of their home and do something in keeping with the era of the home.
They might as well have bought a new-build.

Just my opinion...

I just clicked on their house tour and they're ruining the vintage charm of that house. Just because you're architects doesn't mean you have to over re-do everything. It's like those hairstylists who wreck their own hair by dyeing it every week.

That said, it's obvious that they looked for a home specifically for this purpose, to flex their architectural muscles, so it's for them and I'm sure they're enjoying it. More power to them. LOVE the new curb appeal, though.

Gotta agree with Put A Bird On It and lolagirl... it's so completely different that it makes me a little sad. But it's their house not mine, so who cares? haha

The after IS beautiful though. Can't deny that :)

Nevermind, just looked at their house tour on their website... house wasn't very attractive to begin with. I take back my previous comment.

Love everything they've done!

Well, my background is in heritage conservation, and I have no problem with what they've done. In fact, I applaud their efforts. By modernizing their home in truly the best way possible -- they are embracing the best of contemporary design -- they are making it more preservation-worthy than it was before. The oldest isn't always the most valuable In terms of architectural style, and we need to learn how to better combine old and new. And except for the side-by-side windows on their front facade which I don't think are a god fit, I think they have done a brilliant job. Bravo!!

What a gorgeous kitchen! I love the dark to light transition with the warmth of natural wood thrown in.

Sorry, but there was absolutely nothing charming or worth saving in the original house. I love old buildings, and work in preservation, but, like mschatelaine said, you have to know when to say goodbye to old crap. Everything original had already been trashed (replacement windows, aluminum siding, storm door, green carpet, entire kitchen, etc.). Putting in a new kitchen that looked old would be just as anachronistic as the new kitchen, due to modern appliances, lighting, and materials. Might as well put in a gorgeous, functional new kitchen like they did (love the built-in dog bowls!).

@PutaBirdOnIt: Having recently house-hunted in Seattle, I saw very few houses of that era with kitchens that were vintage *and* functional, at least in my price range. I adore what they've done with their house. I'd do it in a second if I could afford it -- or DIY it.

agree with mschatelaine, fully. sometimes old crap is just old, broken, not-the-best-quality-in-the-first-place crap.

that said, when old stuff is nice and salvageable, then it can be worth keeping. however, if your aesthetic is modern, who is anyone else to tell you not to go for it?

So some people are suggesting that if you want newer finishes and more current styles that you should only buy new build? So that blows location location location out of the water then?
The kitchen looks great, bright, open and inviting. Hard to say no to that and if they did sell and new owners didn't like the kitchen it's pretty easy and inexpensive to replace those doors.

That ceiling is the REAL star of the reno.

Completly agree with mschatelaine. Sometimes old is just old. Or unsaveable. And going modern is in most cases better than going faux old!!

You can always tell the "Preservationists" - They're the ones who are jealous that they can't afford a nice redo like the neighbors, so they stomp their feet & make big noise to get the city to tell their neighbors what they can and can't do with their own homes.

Very nice redo that doesn't look like every other IKEA kitchen in the world - Congrats.

i like the old one... can you send me those vintage cabinets???

@jennysilentg - yup, the fridge is a Summit. Ours is about 5 years old, but I actually like the newer versions a lot better!

@ Put A Bird On It - I was actually expecting this comment. =) Our house was really in not-so-great shape when we bought it (we actually saved it from being torn down and replaced with a McMansion). We think it must have been a logger's cabin or something because there was no "charm" to save and all sorts of problems and issues that had to be fixed. Our house is small and by redoing the kitchen (which was very nonfunctional) we were able to add a second bedroom in without adding on to the house which was more "green" to us than preserving something that didn't work, used more energy, etc.

@LauraInCancun - Yes, it was really unattractive!

@monkeylizard - Thanks for the comment. We definitely salvaged, recycled and reused material where we could. We joke that the old growth douglas fir framing was the nicest part of our house (and is one reason we chose to expose the old joists in the living room).

@berkeley.loves.grey - If we sent you the old cabinets it would just be a pile of lumber! Unfortunately, they were built into the space so they had no real frames and were not in good condition. We did salvage the '60s era unpainted wood ones to reuse as storage in our garage.

I'm all for refurbishing and reusing but that kitchen was definitely not functioning ideally before - I think after 50+ years of the kitchen's existence (I'm guessing much more?) you're allowed to rip out and start over without "green guilt."
Also, i think the kitchen looks awesome, it's not my personal style, but I can appreciate it and if you love it, all the more power to you!

wow! so amazing,from traditional look to a modern style of kitchen.. good job.

Beautiful kitchen, a lot of thought put in the remodel, invaluable information in your blog and such gracious response to the negative comments. You guys rock :)

I love this blog and this house! Beautiful job on the kitchen. Could hardly be improved upon.

The before picture looks like the kitchen from Beetlejuice.

beautiful!!! i want one!

Another beautiful vintage kitchen gone.

Beautiful kitchen. Love the use if Ikea cabinets (that door style is great). Love the cork floors.

@zoee, the first and third pictures are actually from the same perspective, it's just hard to tell b/c there used to be a back porch behind the kitchen that we closed in during the remodel (and removed the wall that was in between).

This is quite possibly the most impressive before&after I've ever seen.

@LaurenZ We will soon be in the market for a 1910's bungalow in Berkeley CA and would die and go to heaven if we saw this kitchen in it. We'd be immediately sold. So don't fear that you lost a buyer for down the road!!

I tend to love vintage and dislike modern, but this is an awesome reno, and I'd looove to have a kitchen that gorgeous to inhabit.

Wow, what a makeover! It turned out beautiful-

Hey Lauren,
If you read this, please email me: annamaria@uccellinimedia.com (I wrote this post about your kitchen -- I emailed you a while back and wasn't sure if you got it. Would love to connect!)
Cheers,
AnnaMaria