The homes in this unpretentious inner city neighborhood were built in the 1960’s and reflect their times with small, dark galley kitchens separated from the dining and living areas. The homeowners, avid cooks who love to entertain, wanted to reconfigure and enlarge their kitchen, add more storage and upgrade the lighting and appliances. The original front door opened directly into the dining room, and the homeowners wanted to create a buffered entryway into the home.

One of the biggest challenges was meeting all the homeowner’s remodeling needs within the larger than expected project budget. The homeowners committed to the project with the knowledge that the cost of the improvements would add value to the home, located in a desirable, central city neighborhood.
Another challenge was fitting their selection of a six foot long refrigerator/freezer unit and professional sized appliances into the modest home without it feeling cramped.

The kitchen was completely gutted and reconfigured with new traffic patterns created around a large central island. The appliances were placed on the perimeter of the kitchen and much needed prep space was incorporated into the maple topped island. The original front door and window were removed to accommodate the new refrigerator/freezer unit. An existing and underused storage space adjacent to the dining room was opened up to create the new front entry.

The new island, with its bank of storage drawers and wine cooler, doubles as a bar with casual seating. New cabinets provide much needed storage and feature black granite countertops and glass mosaic tile backsplashes. More storage is available in the new pantry and in the new message center adjacent to the kitchen, designed with an obscure-glass window that matches the glass in the front door.

Separated from the kitchen and dining room by a six foot, curved glass wall, the front entry welcomes guests with a window seat with storage underneath and two closets. New Saltillo tile was found to match the existing floor and added to the kitchen and front entry, giving a cohesive look throughout.

As the wall between the existing storage room and dining room was removed, the substandard ceiling joists were not up to the task of spanning the new open plan and the ceiling began to sag. The entire ceiling was removed and upgraded with new structure. At the same time, new dimmable recessed lights, concentrated on the kitchen prep areas, were wired throughout.

The homeowners now enjoy cooking and entertaining in their open kitchen – no longer cut off from company – where everyone can be part of the action, or if they like, can just sit back and relax!