Kitchen of the Week: 27 Years in the Making for New Everything
A smarter floor plan and updated finishes help create an efficient and stylish kitchen for a couple with grown children
Deb and Michael Linley know how to make a thing last. They got 27 long years out of their 1960s ranch-style kitchen, through the raising of their now-grown daughter and son, without a single update. But the Linleys also know how to move on. After nearly three decades, it was time for the carpet (yes, in the kitchen), mismatched cabinetry and awkward hallway to go. “We were down to one working burner on the range, and the dishwasher no longer worked,” Deb says. “I had never even purchased a brand-new stove in my life, so this kitchen was just the one thing I wanted for me. It was my heart’s desire.”
“After” photos by Zachary Seib Photography
AFTER: Deb had done her research, spending years saving catalogs and brochures, keeping clippings in a shoebox and spending many late nights online looking at appliance reviews and different types of counters. Working with Elisabeth Loeser of Renovations Group, she and Michael came up with a more efficient layout and updated finishes that gave Deb the dream kitchen she always wanted.
A strong attention to detail added life to the kitchen’s now-mostly-white color palette, such as on the white painted transitional cabinets with full overlay doors and a pewter accent placed only on the edges for definition. “A white kitchen can be boring and flat, so we made sure to add visual texture,” Loeser says.
Visual texture also comes from the beveled subway tile backsplash with a dove-gray grout, highlighted by a strip of marble mosaic tiles that add dimension. Super White granite counters with gray veining were an alternative to Deb’s first choice of marble, which she decided would be too impractical. “The granite counters are beautiful and look just like marble,” she says. “This granite has a nice wave and some sparkle to it.”
There’s also a hint of gray in the white paint used for the walls and in the paint on the ceiling that punctuates the soothing and elegant look.
Cabinets: Dura Supreme Cabinetry with Arcadia Panel doors; cabinet hardware: Hickory Hardware, Belwith Products; pendant lights: Hinkley Lighting Gallery; wall paint: Sea Salt, Sherwin-Williams; ceiling paint: Paper White, Benjamin Moore; light above sink: Lamps Plus with custom shade
AFTER: Deb had done her research, spending years saving catalogs and brochures, keeping clippings in a shoebox and spending many late nights online looking at appliance reviews and different types of counters. Working with Elisabeth Loeser of Renovations Group, she and Michael came up with a more efficient layout and updated finishes that gave Deb the dream kitchen she always wanted.
A strong attention to detail added life to the kitchen’s now-mostly-white color palette, such as on the white painted transitional cabinets with full overlay doors and a pewter accent placed only on the edges for definition. “A white kitchen can be boring and flat, so we made sure to add visual texture,” Loeser says.
Visual texture also comes from the beveled subway tile backsplash with a dove-gray grout, highlighted by a strip of marble mosaic tiles that add dimension. Super White granite counters with gray veining were an alternative to Deb’s first choice of marble, which she decided would be too impractical. “The granite counters are beautiful and look just like marble,” she says. “This granite has a nice wave and some sparkle to it.”
There’s also a hint of gray in the white paint used for the walls and in the paint on the ceiling that punctuates the soothing and elegant look.
Cabinets: Dura Supreme Cabinetry with Arcadia Panel doors; cabinet hardware: Hickory Hardware, Belwith Products; pendant lights: Hinkley Lighting Gallery; wall paint: Sea Salt, Sherwin-Williams; ceiling paint: Paper White, Benjamin Moore; light above sink: Lamps Plus with custom shade
The five-burner cooktop is in the same location as the previous range. A counter added to the right of the cooktop creates symmetry and adds much-needed workspace. Three large drawers and two cabinets below the cooktop offer lots of storage. The top shallow drawer holds dish towels and plastic wrap, while the middle drawer offers storage for pots and pans. A deep bottom drawer was included for large pots and casserole dishes.
Dividers in the cabinet to the right keep cookie sheets, cupcake pans and chopping boards close by, while the left cabinet has a Lazy Susan for a blender, mixer and food processor.
A new red oak floor stained to match the existing wood floor in the adjacent dining room helps join the spaces. “It actually makes the home look visually larger,” says Loeser.
Cooktop: Architect Series II, KitchenAid; hood: Dura Supreme; backsplash: beveled subway tile, Sonoma Tilemakers; teakettle: Simplex
Dividers in the cabinet to the right keep cookie sheets, cupcake pans and chopping boards close by, while the left cabinet has a Lazy Susan for a blender, mixer and food processor.
A new red oak floor stained to match the existing wood floor in the adjacent dining room helps join the spaces. “It actually makes the home look visually larger,” says Loeser.
Cooktop: Architect Series II, KitchenAid; hood: Dura Supreme; backsplash: beveled subway tile, Sonoma Tilemakers; teakettle: Simplex
A pullout spice rack in an upper cabinet to the right of the cooktop keeps salt, pepper and spices within arm’s reach and helps the counters stay free of clutter.
The refrigerator was moved over about 3 feet, allowing space for the new wall ovens. The kitchen’s sink was moved slightly to the left to be centered under the upgraded window.
A lighted display shelf with an arch added for softness above the stainless French door refrigerator gives Deb a place to highlight her favorite decorative dishes and plates. Pantry cabinets with pullouts to the left of the refrigerator store assorted dry goods, including pastas and cereal.
The large double-door cabinet above the convection wall ovens holds holiday dishes and a punch bowl, while the large drawer below the ovens provides a home for a folding step stool that Deb uses to reach the higher cabinets.
Refrigerator, double wall ovens: Architect Series II, KitchenAid
A lighted display shelf with an arch added for softness above the stainless French door refrigerator gives Deb a place to highlight her favorite decorative dishes and plates. Pantry cabinets with pullouts to the left of the refrigerator store assorted dry goods, including pastas and cereal.
The large double-door cabinet above the convection wall ovens holds holiday dishes and a punch bowl, while the large drawer below the ovens provides a home for a folding step stool that Deb uses to reach the higher cabinets.
Refrigerator, double wall ovens: Architect Series II, KitchenAid
A roomy double-basin farmhouse sink was a splurge, but Deb and Michael were able to save money by comparison shopping and purchasing the sink online for $2,200 (priced elsewhere for $4,000) and using the Moen faucet they used with their previous sink. A molding detail added between the bottom of the sink and the top of the cabinets gives the sink area a finished look. Because of the sink’s heavy weight, extra support was built into the cabinet below.
Sink: Shaw’s Original, Rohl; dishwasher: stainless steel, Architect Series II, KitchenAid
Sink: Shaw’s Original, Rohl; dishwasher: stainless steel, Architect Series II, KitchenAid
Because Deb is 5 feet, 3 inches tall, the baking center counter to the left of the dishwasher was lowered so she could roll pie crusts and work on bread doughs in comfort. “I love it because you can really lean into stuff with the lower counter,” she says.
An end cabinet on the side of the baking center has an outlet and holds the kitchen’s microwave. The upper glass-front cabinets highlight attractive dishware and glasses, and help lighten the look of the room.
An end cabinet on the side of the baking center has an outlet and holds the kitchen’s microwave. The upper glass-front cabinets highlight attractive dishware and glasses, and help lighten the look of the room.
BEFORE: This shot shows the old kitchen’s eat-in breakfast table and a non-load-bearing wall that was part of a narrow and awkward hallway to the back door. Eliminating this wall improved traffic flow and gave the kitchen more space. Upgrading the existing double-hung windows to crank-out casement windows helped accentuate the height of the kitchen.
AFTER: A raised eating bar with turned posts replaced the old breakfast table. The window by the breakfast table was removed, and a horizontal window with views of the backyard and nearby nature trail was installed to the right of the original window. The new back door, now part of the kitchen, has a decorative window insert with a storm door on the outside.
Stools: Canadel Furniture; windows: Andersen Windows 400 series; back door: Jeld-Wen Windows and Doors
Stools: Canadel Furniture; windows: Andersen Windows 400 series; back door: Jeld-Wen Windows and Doors
BEFORE: This floor plan of the old kitchen shows the lack of counters and general workspace, and how the round breakfast table and awkward hallway were taking up space.
AFTER: The new floor plan shows the user-friendlier layout with extended countertops, lots of storage options and the new eating bar.
“I now can have people hanging out when I’m cooking, and they don’t feel in the way,” says Deb. “It’s more welcoming, and it’s really the room everything leads to and from.”
See more Kitchens of the Week
“I now can have people hanging out when I’m cooking, and they don’t feel in the way,” says Deb. “It’s more welcoming, and it’s really the room everything leads to and from.”
See more Kitchens of the Week
Who lives here: Deb and Michael Linley
Location: Greendale, Wisconsin
Size: 200 square feet
Cost: About $50,000 for labor and materials
BEFORE: This is the original kitchen inside the couple’s 1960s ranch-style, 1,600-square-foot home in Greendale, Wisconsin. The finishes were outdated and mismatched, and there was a serious lack of counter space for Deb, who’s an avid cook and baker.