Seth and Allison's current kitchen.
Name: Seth and Allison (plus a dog, and a baby on the way)Type of Project: Kitchen/Family Room renovation
Location: Ventura, California
Type of building: Mid-Century, multi-level, single family home
The Renovation Diaries are a new collaboration with our community in which we feature your step by step renovation progress and provide monetary support towards getting it done in style.As part of our new Renovation Diary program, we're taking you into kitchens and bathrooms all over the country to meet the homeowners and be a part of the process as these rooms are transformed week by week. In this post, we're introducing you to Seth and Allison, who are in the process of remodeling their kitchen, as well as making significant changes to the layout of their home that will make the kitchen and adjoining family room a lot more useful.
From Allison:
When we purchased this house, we knew that it would require a lot of work. The half-century-old layout is chopped up into many separate rooms, which contrasts with our style and also accounts for a lot of awkward and wasted space. The goal of the renovation is to make better use of space through an open floor plan.
The area most in need of this update is the kitchen and family room space. The two rooms are currently separated from one another by a wall, and the space also doesn't take enough advantage of the deck and backyard it's connected to. What began as a kitchen and family room renovation evolved into an entire house remodel once we took a good look at the house with our architect and assessed our long term goals for the space.
In order to reconfigure the existing floor plan, most of the walls in the house are going to be taken down to the studs, and there will be a lot of rearranging. Still, the most exciting part of the design and renovation process is the kitchen and family room space. Our plan there is to open the kitchen up onto what is currently an awkwardly shaped den. This will involve tearing out the existing kitchen and rearranging and reworking the layout, as well as rearranging and replacing windows and lighting.
As one of the most important elements of the renovation is incorporating the outdoor space, we will be replacing an existing sliding glass door off the family room with a two-panel, multi-slide door from Western Window Systems, which disappears into a pocket into the wall when open.
We've planned the renovation so that the bulk of the work will be completed before we move in, which gives us the freedom to completely strip it down and make a huge mess. This turns out to have been an especially good decision now that we've learned we're expecting our first child this summer: all that drywall dust probably wouldn't be the best thing for an expectant mom to breathe in every night. (Even if I did, unknowingly, breathe in plenty while doing the initial demo!)
Thanks, Allison!
Check out the full series (so far) and be sure to join us next week for #4 of Seth & Allison's Diary.
(Images & Diary Text: Allison Gibson)
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I've never met an architect that didn't want to turn a remodel into an entire home renovation. Good luck, and I hope you save all of those cool kitchen cabinets for someone on craigslist or a salvage store.
Their current kitchen is updated compared to ours. Looking forward to taking the same steps, including taking out the wall between our kitchen and dining room.
I love those cabinets!!!
me too I love those cabinets, they are really lovely
Me three! I love most of that kitchen! Everyone has different tastes though.
I loooooooove the before kitchen; I understand everyone has different living standards but I can't wait until this "open concept" style dies. Every time I hear the term I cringe.
I also echo the sentiment of saving the cabinets for someone who will appreciate them. You cannot buy anything new like that anymore, please don't pitch them!
It's possible those cabinets were painted with lead paint, given the age of the home.
I look forward to seeing the change in the space- it looked like there was lots of wasted space in the home, especially in the kitchen area. And taking out those upper cabinets could allow for more light to come thru.
Can't wait to see the in progress & the after photos!
I like open space between a living room and dining room but think some closure between the kitchen and adjoining room is nice. I personally like sitting down to dinner with no view of what has to be cleaned up in the kitchen later. I also prefer table seating to island seating and many of these remodels open up to make room for an island. Not sure why they are so important.
@thorndale That is so true. My little bungalow is about 900 sq ft on the main floor and when I was doing the bath the architect wanted to take the whole place down to the studs.
I think the current kitchen is charming. I hope the new one is somewhat retro.
I also agree with jlwmid. I will never take down the wall between my kitchen and dining room because I don't want to look at dirty dishes while we're eating.
So envious of the before. If it were mine, I'd fix the ceiling, replace the flooring, refinish the cabinets, replace the countertops, hood, and appliances, and call it a day. Not a small job, but I'd be happy with the cabinetry and general layout. I can see the appeal of opening up that wall to the family room, but what they have now is already so much more livable than my kitchen. Heck, I just wish my kitchen had that much space and storage in it! I'm sure they'll do a great job with the reno--just chalk me up as jealous.
Give me four walls and nothing else, and I'd be happy. I love open concept living. The kitchen is a focal point for my home and because it's next to the dining room, it's where a lot of people gather. I like to be able to socialize and work on dinner. Before when the kitchen was closed off, I felt like a servant.
Looking forward to seeing how the progress goes on this.
Of course architects try to get your to do the whole home. The see things differently which is bad and good and can get ridiculously expensive.
It breaks my heart that you're getting rid of those cabinets.
I love these renovation diaries, but I want to know where I can see the other 2 I was following (Nesting a nursery and The world's ugliest condo). I never got to see the final products! Where can I find those posts? They're not under the "Renovation Diary" category.
Sweet little house and looks like it's in good shape. The new floor plan seems a lot better. Couple thoughts though, I don't understand the need for both a family room and a living room when the house is a 2 bedroom/1 bath. If it were me I'd consider using the extra space for a work room that could be converted to extra bedroom. And as long as you are ripping everything out, a powder room would be a good idea. But those are only my own thoughts and I'm not going to live there! You are brave taking this on here on AT.
One other thought, those disappearing wall sliding door things are really cool and in all the design magazines right now, but honestly, are they practical? They cost a lot more than sliding glass doors to install (support posts have to be removed). And with the whole wall open, birds, bugs and neighborhood cats can enter your home at will. Also, unless it's usually 66-80 degrees outside, you may not have them open nearly as often as you think.
My house has 3 walls of glass - sliding glass doors lined up with same-sized floor to ceiling windows, with more windows up above. The windows have 4x4 support beams between them. The whole wall is glass and looks the same as the fold away walls when closed. The doors to go in and out are 3' wide sliders. On good days we slide the doors open all the way (one door on each wall). We've had birds, cats, and bugs make their ways indoors too. Anyway, you just might want to think carefully about that disappearing wall. If you can get the same visual effect for half the price, it might be a good spot to save $$.
Just curious, but what's the difference between a Family Room and a Living Room?
I don't see a dining room ... I wonder why they don't utilize the family room as a dining room instead, and use the living room, as, well, their living room.
I second the idea that a closed kitchen makes the cook feel like a servant. Sure, the guests can see dirty dishes, but I think it's more important that we all get to interact. To each their own on that part, though. As for those tiles on the counters- I have the same ones, and I hate them! They are hard to clean, and cups tip over because they're slightly rounded. Lucky you for having them taken out before you move in. We're saving up for our reno. Good luck!
I have an old-fashioned, totally separate kitchen (with a door, even) and I do find myself wishing it were more open. No big remodels in store for this house, but that is a change I would make given the chance. On the other hand, we do have a "living room" and "family room" that are open to each other, and those I wish could be closed off at least sometimes to allow for quiet workspace or a sometime-guest-room.
I guess everyone who loves the open concept kitchen keeps a really, really neat kitchen. I do keep my kitchen clean, but to be honest, I'd hate for it to be on display to the rest of the living area ALL of the time. I have an open concept dining room / living room which I much prefer.
Hi Allison, I was so excited to see a Ventura home on AT! Your home already looks beautiful with such great sunlight, and I look forward to seeing your changes come to life. My husband and I have a woodshop in Ventura where we design + build custom furniture and cabinetry, and last year we had the opportunity to work on a project with David Ferrin of Arketype Architects. David is great to work with, and his designs are awesome. You're definitely in good hands!
If you'd like to visit our website www.ableandbakerdesign.com, you'll see the work we did for David in our Projects section. Anyhow, I just wanted to say "hi" from a fellow Venturan... I'm really excited to see Installment #2 next week. Congratulations on your baby on the way, and best of luck with everything!
-Jen
Every renovation project is really exciting! I really liked this one; it is better trying to improve a house using the space that is available depending on each one likes. The open space style is for certain people, there are others who prefer more privacy and like to have the typical division of a house which is great also.
I hope you enjoy the final results!
Hi Allison, can't wait to see installment #2. I'm glad you're enjoying the process. How exciting that you've remodeled the space for your first child this summer, congratulations!
@Tess3 I like open concept kitchens but I have to agree. I think people have very unrealistic ideas about how they use their kitchen. Every day we produce a mountain of dishes and clutter that only gets cleaned up once per day. My dining table is open to the kitchen, and it's not very pleasant to look at the mess while enjoying a meal. I need some sort of holographic wall that I could turn on to block the view of the sink while dining!
Thanks for the comments, everybody! We're really excited about the project.
@AGameOfYesAndNo @jlwmid @Kathryn1123 @Tess3 Open concept kitchens are definitely not for everybody, I understand. We have done a kitchen renovation before (open concept as well), so we know that that layout works for us and our lifestyle. (We like to have family and friends over a lot, and as everybody inevitably ends up in the kitchen, it's nice to have it open to the other living spaces.) Plus, I am pretty obsessive about keeping it clean...it's almost a problem :) Also, it's not indicated on the floorplan image, but we will have a more formal dining space behind the kitchen on the other side, away from TV and dirty dishes.
@Parnassus @Gwendolyn_ATX It will actually be a 4+2 once we're done with the entire renovation (the floorplan above does not include the lower story of the house). It took me a while to get used to the idea of "two living rooms" as well, but now I'm actually looking forward to having a quieter separate space without a TV for reading by the fire. We promise to never put slipcovers on the furniture and make the front living room too formal! Also, we count ourselves very lucky to live in a place that is in the mid-60s most of the year, so we plan to keep the slider open a lot :)
@arketype Thanks for all your help! Despite all the work, we're having so much fun with this and can't wait to actually live there.
@AbleandBaker Hello, fellow Venturan! Thanks for the info; we'll definitely check your stuff out!
-Allison
I definitely think the space would benefit from being opened up, but I do agree that the cabinets are charming compared to most old cabinets. Please donate them!
If you watch enough of the HGTV/DIY shows all you need to do is put on some rubber gloves and strip them. Those old cabinets are beautiful. Treat the scraped off paint like hazardous waste and you'll be fine. Handy hint is to put the globs of stripper/paint in plastic and put them in the paint cans when you empty them.
I hate open concept. Whatever happened to the cozy intimacy of the kitchen. I have a 1945 colonial with a kitchen and separate dining room off the kitchen. I would never knock down that wall. Kitchens are for hearing about the day from your kids or significant other when you're washing dishes at the sink. I've had plenty of "stolen kisses" in the kitchen from my boyfriend while the rest of company is sitting in the dining room. I can cram all my friends around a small island in my kitchen. With me cooking is intimate--1 or 2. Not a team marathon with "stations."
Next time we build, we will NOT have an open floor plan. It's an echo chamber. There's no cozy factor. The kids go tearing throughthe house, bonking heads into immovable objects at high speeds. I really really dislike it. Id trade for that kitchen and those cabinets ANY day. I agree with the family room being superfluous. It'd make a perfect dining room.
I'm sorry but I am so disheartened to find yet another cool old kitchen ripped to shreds....only to be replaced by customized? yet so generic....open, stainless steel, granite, etc....
I'm confused. Is this the same house that was on Apartment Therapy's House On-Call a few years back? Or is this a new undertaking?
I'm in the same boat as BruinToo-- AT linked back to your (old?) house, which was just kind of confusing. It looked great, though, so I'd love it if you did a full House Tour after the kitchen reno is done! (And good luck!)
Just weighing in on open kitchens: don't like them because I don't like to interact with other people when I cook. I can but don't enjoy it. I want guests to stay in the living room with the drinks and the hor d'oeuvres I prepared for this purpose while I get the final preparations done. Even when you have kids, it's better, imho, to have then in close quarters than "over there"...
Just saw the final reveal -- it's beautiful! Congratulations!
Since we're in the process of buying our first home, to have more space for our new baby, we just learned about health risks of lead paint in older homes. If folks haven't already heard about it, EPA has a recent rule on lead-safe renovations and repairs (http://www2.epa.gov/lead/renovation-repair-and-painting-program), with practices that can help reduce exposure to lead paint hazards.