Old to New: Changing a Compartmentalized Kitchen to a More Open, Contemporary Space

A retired homeowner living alone wanted to remodel her outdated kitchen to better fit her lifestyle. The kitchen was divided from the rest of the house not only physically (a set of floating walls separated the kitchen from the dining room and the family room, making the kitchen feel very enclosed) but also stylistically, as the rest of the house had a softer, more contemporary feel. The homeowner wanted to open up the kitchen more while still maintaining a sense of separation between the kitchen and other rooms. Additionally, the enclosed set up of the kitchen combined with the house’s tall ceilings limited lighting possibilities; this was especially problematic considering the fact that the homeowner spent most of her time in the kitchen, and the lack of lighting made it difficult for her to enjoy the everyday tasks she did there. A soffit ran across the top of the kitchen, but due to the outdated feel of the fixture, it did not fit the more open appeal the homeowner wanted. In short, the homeowner wanted a kitchen that complemented the rest of her house and better suited her daily needs.