This Midwestern Family’s Tired 2000s Kitchen Gets a Jaw-Dropping Makeover
You know that feeling when you stare at something for so long that it all gets a little jumbled, your view of it now skewed? That’s exactly what happened to interior designer Jasmin Reese’s client.
Upon moving in, the client didn’t love the kitchen, but the project fell to the wayside until the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything: “She had to sit with that kitchen she hated 24 hours a day, and she couldn’t stand it a minute longer,” Jasmin explains.
The Kitchen Was Typical 2000’s Builder-Grade, and Lacked What the Client Wanted
Jasmin, who’s the founder of Chicago-based Jasmin Reese Interiors, was hired to help the kitchen flow with the rest of the home, which had an “edgy, sophisticated, clean, and urban” feel. The initial kitchen was seriously lacking that.
The Dead Space Got a Functional Refresh and Was No Longer Wasted
“The original kitchen was what she would call builder’s grade circa 2006 and was not at all to her taste. Dark green granite counters and backsplash to match, and wood cabinets that blended into the floor,” Jasmin explains. “She also had a ton of dead space that she could never figure out what to do with.” Once Jasmin and her client aligned on a vision, she drew the plans, got samples and quotes, and began making changes.
The original oak cabinets were replaced with soft gray cupboards adorned with hardware that the client compared to jewelry. Any wasted space got a functional refresh: A mudroom was added, a major perk for the client’s Chicago family, and there’s now a built-in banquet too.
Her Favorite Part Is the Custom Built-In Banquet Because It Captures Exactly Who She Is
“[The built-in banquet] may be the love of my life,” the client shares. “We put in hand-painted inkblot wallpaper that was to die for with a custom turquoise cushion and more extra space for shoes underneath. It is just so cool and different and really captured my design aesthetic.”
Additionally, the area above the cabinets sat empty, which the client hated. Jasmin gave it texture and purpose by covering it with a brass panel. The client calls it the “pièce de résistance” and appreciates how unexpected and unique it is. (It’s also Jasmin’s favorite part of the room.)
Now She Loves Every Detail and It Was Well Worth the 6 Month Renovation
The kitchen makeover took around six months to complete and cost $80,000, including the furniture and new cabinets. And now? Absolutely no hard feelings towards the kitchen: “I could go on forever about all the things I love about that kitchen,” the client says.
Inspired? Submit your own project here.
This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: “It May Be the Love of My Life”: This Midwestern Family’s Tired 2000s Kitchen Gets a Jaw-Dropping Makeover
