A Modern, Black & White Miami Kitchen

Project by: Sara & Laura
Location: Miami, Florida

The house was built in 1948 and this was the original kitchen, complete with slanted cabinets, pink tufted leather breakfast bar and metallic butterfly wallpaper (YES, you read that right!). The glass sliding doors on the upper cabinets and the red, plaid wallpapered shelves were not doing this already dated kitchen any favors. Throw in some awkwardly placed appliances (see: oversized, difficult-to-reach sink, extractor hood at chest height) and we had a kitchen nightmare on our hands.

The kitchen itself was dark and cramped, so we wanted to open up the space and make the most of the natural light from the large living room windows. We took down the wall behind the range (left) to create an open plan living space and completely revamped the layout. All of the existing cabinets were removed – the pleather tufted breakfast bar was the first to go! Then came the (very dingy) linoleum tile, which was removed and replaced with a wood-look porcelain that continues throughout the house.. The new floor plan moved the bulk of the new cabinets to a different wall, and we created an island with a breakfast bar to house the large farmhouse sink and dishwasher. To add some much needed storage to the rest of the house (there was no storage closet!) we made the most of the awkward corner at the back of the kitchen by creating a large hall closet.

We sourced the cabinet frames, fronts and appliances from IKEA, and scored them while they were on promotion at 30% discount. Keep an eye out for these – they’re a great way to save $$$ if you’re on a budget! The cabinet fronts are IKEA’s LAXARBY range. That gorgeous farmhouse sink is another IKEA steal. For us though, the bar pulls steal the show. Clean lines + brushed brass made these guys a no brainer!

Countertops are Silestone’s Lyra quartz – a great alternative if you love the look of marble, but need something a little more hard-wearing. The hammered metallic pendants make a statement over the island. We popped some antique filament bulbs in them for a soft, warm glow.

Thanks, Sara & Laura! You can see more on their blog the habitat collective.

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