Before and After: She Replaced Her Dark, Awkward 90s Kitchen Cabinets with Soft Oak and Pink Tiles
Sometimes an unexpected roadblock becomes a chance to make a standout choice. When Lidia Valdivia of Moonstone Design & Build was working on the 1990s kitchen in Taylor and Declan’s home, their surprise appeared when replacing the original cabinets.
“Heavy, dark cabinetry on every wall. Awkward uppers over the peninsula that blocked light and sightlines,” Lidia explains, of the reason they wanted to change the cabinets. “The kitchen and dining area were separated in a way that interrupted the flow, and the whole space felt closed off for a house that really wanted to breathe.”
While Changing the Cabinets, a Project Constraint Turned into a Stunning Corner Moment
While in the wall, the team found that the soffits were actually providing structural support, and it would’ve cost a lot to move them. Instead, they opted for open shelving that matched the lower cabinetry and tiled up to the soffit. “It turned a constraint into one of the best moments in the room,” Lidia says.
One Tile Sample Was What Started the Rest of the Kitchen’s Design Direction
The tiles were always meant to be the star of the room; Lidia even refers to them as the “anchor of the room.” After Taylor ordered a sample of the pink Luna Arc tiles from Tile Club, they became the jumping-off point for the rest of the kitchen’s direction.
Lidia shared that Taylor and Declan wanted “warm oak tones, Moroccan and Spanish influences, a mid-century sensibility, and a little whimsy” in their new kitchen. The soft pink tiles were the perfect complement to all of those design desires. Lidia loves how the color of them changes depending on the light. To capture the Moroccan essence, Clay Imports Lotus Midnight tiles were installed on the floor.
They Created Cohesive Flow That Made the Whole Main Floor Finally Feel Open and Airy
It wasn’t just the soft colors from the tiles, cabinets, and flooring that made the room feel welcoming; there were structural changes, too. “The layout change matters too. Removing those awkward upper cabinets over the peninsula opened the kitchen to the dining area, letting the whole main floor breathe. That’s the kind of shift you don’t photograph as easily as a tile, but it’s what the homeowners feel every day,” Lidia notes.
After being opened up and establishing a cohesive flow, the home feels more connected to the mid-century modern aesthetic of the rest of the 1958 home. The kitchen makeover took about five months to complete and cost about $130,000.
It’s Easier to Live Day to Day Because the Home Finally Feels Like Theirs
“They’ve told us how bright and airy it feels now, how much easier it is to live in day to day,” Lidia says of the clients’ favorite part of the remodel. “But what means the most to me is that they feel seen in it. The color, the pattern, the playfulness — all of it reflects who they are. The house finally feels like theirs.”
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This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: Soft Oak and Pink Tiles Replaced Dark Cabinets in This ’90s Kitchen
