Kitchen Makeovers
Before and Afters
Kitchen Design
Kitchen of the Week: An Open Plan With Earthy-Eclectic Style
A designer helps empty nesters double the size of their kitchen and create a warm, contemporary look with retro roots
There’s a lot to love about a midcentury home. But for these Houston empty nesters, compartmentalized spaces and original 1963 kitchen cabinets weren’t part of the appeal. To open up and revitalize the house, which the wife grew up in, the couple brought in designer Brenda Denny.
For the kitchen, Denny encouraged the homeowners to look at Houzz photos for inspiration, and they arrived at a more airy layout with an earthy-eclectic look that feels fresh but still honors the home’s roots. Denny took down walls to expand the kitchen by 143 square feet and added rich cherry flat-panel cabinets and an aqua-colored backsplash that deliver a warm yet retro feel. A charcoal gray island with a quartzite countertop adds a bit of modern style. And a custom suspended shelf system over the island that displays a pottery collection and a vintage wood console table that acts as a coffee station give the updated kitchen eclectic flair.
For the kitchen, Denny encouraged the homeowners to look at Houzz photos for inspiration, and they arrived at a more airy layout with an earthy-eclectic look that feels fresh but still honors the home’s roots. Denny took down walls to expand the kitchen by 143 square feet and added rich cherry flat-panel cabinets and an aqua-colored backsplash that deliver a warm yet retro feel. A charcoal gray island with a quartzite countertop adds a bit of modern style. And a custom suspended shelf system over the island that displays a pottery collection and a vintage wood console table that acts as a coffee station give the updated kitchen eclectic flair.
After: Denny knocked the entire house back to the studs and took down walls. She ditched the former G-shaped kitchen layout and pushed the new kitchen into the former dining room and opened it up to nearby living areas. (See floor plans below.) This helped more than double the size of the kitchen to 264 square feet.
A single-wall layout with a large island creates fluid traffic paths. A sliding barn door at the rear next to the fridge opens to a walk-in pantry that includes double ovens, a desk, a wine refrigerator and cabinetry.
Rich cherry flat-panel cabinets and aqua backsplash tile give the kitchen warmth and color. The charcoal gray island base and brown Sandalus quartzite top add a bit of drama.
A suspended railing and shelf system over the island, as well as open shelves on the island end and on the wall, display the owners’ collection of handmade pottery. “She loved the midcentury feel of the house but wanted to bring in an industrial element as well,” Denny says.
Custom cabinetry and suspended rack over island: Accent Cabinets
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A single-wall layout with a large island creates fluid traffic paths. A sliding barn door at the rear next to the fridge opens to a walk-in pantry that includes double ovens, a desk, a wine refrigerator and cabinetry.
Rich cherry flat-panel cabinets and aqua backsplash tile give the kitchen warmth and color. The charcoal gray island base and brown Sandalus quartzite top add a bit of drama.
A suspended railing and shelf system over the island, as well as open shelves on the island end and on the wall, display the owners’ collection of handmade pottery. “She loved the midcentury feel of the house but wanted to bring in an industrial element as well,” Denny says.
Custom cabinetry and suspended rack over island: Accent Cabinets
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A 36-inch, six-burner gas cooktop sits on the perimeter and features a stainless steel backsplash section and a stainless hood. As noted, the walk-in pantry contains double ovens. “They liked double ovens versus a range,” Denny says. “A cooktop and double ovens is less expensive than a range, and you get the extra oven.”
Satin nickel cabinet knobs and pulls complement the steel finishes. Polished soft white Dolomite stone countertops on the perimeter feature swirling gray and tan veining. “It has a natural organic look and feel, which contributes to the midcentury modern design style of the cabinetry,” Denny says. “It also adds nice lightness to the space against the darker wood cabinetry.”
Cabinet hardware: Brixton Button knob and Shrewsbury D pull, both in satin nickel finish, Top Knobs; perimeter counters: Lucente Dolomite, Pomogranit+ADR; wall and ceiling paint: Snowbound, Sherwin-Williams
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Satin nickel cabinet knobs and pulls complement the steel finishes. Polished soft white Dolomite stone countertops on the perimeter feature swirling gray and tan veining. “It has a natural organic look and feel, which contributes to the midcentury modern design style of the cabinetry,” Denny says. “It also adds nice lightness to the space against the darker wood cabinetry.”
Cabinet hardware: Brixton Button knob and Shrewsbury D pull, both in satin nickel finish, Top Knobs; perimeter counters: Lucente Dolomite, Pomogranit+ADR; wall and ceiling paint: Snowbound, Sherwin-Williams
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The 4-by-10-inch aqua ceramic backsplash tiles have a gradient look and stainless steel Schluter trim. “The color was perfect for the space, and I love the irregularity of the texture,” Denny says. “It has almost a watercolor effect on these tiles that played nicely with the colors she was wanting to bring out in the house.”
Above, Denny designed the open cherry shelving and backed the cabinet unit with multicolored earth-tone ceramic tiles.
Backsplash: Maiolica Aqua, 4 by 10 inches, Roca Tile USA
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Above, Denny designed the open cherry shelving and backed the cabinet unit with multicolored earth-tone ceramic tiles.
Backsplash: Maiolica Aqua, 4 by 10 inches, Roca Tile USA
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Before: In the former kitchen, a bank of cabinets with the kitchen sink and wall ovens separated the space from the living room. At the end of the kitchen, a breakfast area had a sliding glass door that connected to an enclosed patio.
After: Denny replaced the bank of cabinets with the large island, creating better connection with the kitchen and living room. “We didn’t move the location of the kitchen sink,” she says. “The plumbing runs underneath the concrete slab, so when you have to move plumbing, there’s expense to break up the foundation.”
The new white single-bowl apron-front sink has a chunky commercial-style stainless steel faucet. A paneled dishwasher sits to the lower left of the sink in the island. A paneled pullout trash and recycling center is at the lower right.
The updated breakfast area includes an industrial-style table with vintage steel base, repurposed wood top and easy-to-clean steel-and-vinyl bar stools.
Denny replaced the sliding glass door with windows and created a new 8-foot-wide opening to a sunroom, which replaced the patio.
Sink: Whitehaven, Kohler; faucet: Eurocube, Grohe
The new white single-bowl apron-front sink has a chunky commercial-style stainless steel faucet. A paneled dishwasher sits to the lower left of the sink in the island. A paneled pullout trash and recycling center is at the lower right.
The updated breakfast area includes an industrial-style table with vintage steel base, repurposed wood top and easy-to-clean steel-and-vinyl bar stools.
Denny replaced the sliding glass door with windows and created a new 8-foot-wide opening to a sunroom, which replaced the patio.
Sink: Whitehaven, Kohler; faucet: Eurocube, Grohe
This angle shows some of the detail in the brown Sandalus quartzite island countertop in a leather finish. “It’s beautiful and has texture to it,” Denny says. “This material is very earthy and organic, which is very common in the midcentury modern style.”
Island top: Sandalus quartzite, Pomogranit+ADR
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Island top: Sandalus quartzite, Pomogranit+ADR
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At one island end is a vintage wood console table that belonged to the wife’s mother. A chunky Dolomite stone countertop that matches the perimeter counters integrates into the island base and countertop. Part of the rail and shelf system holds mugs, turning this area into a coffee station. A hole drilled into the countertop conceals the coffee machine cord that runs behind to an outlet. “I didn’t want you to see the cord or plug of the coffee maker,” Denny says.
The flooring is 10-by-40-inch wood-look porcelain tiles with white grout. “They have four dogs and it needed to be extremely durable,” Denny says.
The flooring is 10-by-40-inch wood-look porcelain tiles with white grout. “They have four dogs and it needed to be extremely durable,” Denny says.
Here’s a look at the couple’s collection of handmade coffee mugs. “Whoever makes coffee can choose a mug from the mugs on the rack above,” Denny says. “That’s the coolest thing. The homeowner hand-selected every mug from multiple ceramic artisans.”
Before: This floor plan of the former home layout shows how the kitchen (center) was closed off to surrounding spaces, including the unused dining room (bottom center) and the formal living room and informal living room (center). Off the kitchen sat a small breakfast area that connected to an enclosed patio (top center).
After: This layout of the updated spaces shows how Denny took down walls to open the kitchen (center) to the surrounding areas. A walk-in pantry occupies the spot where the dining room had been (bottom). Near the new breakfast area, a wide opening leads to the new sunroom (top center) that replaced the patio.
“This kitchen gives them lots of room for entertaining, easier flow, more storage and cooking space,” Denny says.
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“This kitchen gives them lots of room for entertaining, easier flow, more storage and cooking space,” Denny says.
More on Houzz
Read more kitchen stories
Browse kitchen photos
Hire a kitchen remodeler
Shop for kitchen products
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: An empty-nest couple with three grown children
Location: Houston
Size: 264 square feet (25 square meters), including a walk-in pantry
Designer: Brenda Denny of BKD Interiors
Before: The former kitchen had a 121-square-foot layout that was closed off to surrounding rooms. Off-white cabinets were original to the home and joined white appliances, beige vinyl flooring, laminate countertops, fluorescent lighting and floral wallpaper for a low-energy look and feel. The doorway seen at the back led to a mostly unused dining room. “The kitchen was outdated and not functional,” Denny says. “They needed a larger space with improved function and performance.”