Free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   One of my favorite things to work on is older homes with a bit of history because I find it an interesting challenge to marry the historical architectural features of a home with modern design elements that work well for my client’s current lifestyle. This home was particularly fun because it was the second kitchen we had done for this family and was quite a departure from the style of the first kitchen. The before shot of the kitchen shows a view from the family room. See the dropped ceiling? We were curious, was this just part of the design or was the dropped ceiling there to hide mechanicals? Well we soon found out that it was mostly decorative (yay!), and with the exception of a little bit of work to some plumbing from an upstairs bathroom and rerouting of the ventilation system within the original floor joists, we were in the clear, phew! The shot of the completed kitchen from roughly the same vantage point shows how much taller the ceilings are. It makes a huge difference in the feel of the space. Dark and gloomy turned fresh and light! Another serious consideration was what do we do with the skinny transom window above the refrigerator. After much back and forth, we decided to eliminate it and do some open shelving instead. This ended up being one of the nicest areas in the room. I am calling it the “fun zone” because it houses all the barware, wine cubbies and a bar fridge — the perfect little buffet spot for entertaining. It is flanked on either side by pull out pantries that I’m sure will get a ton of use. Since the neighboring room has literally three walls of almost full height windows, the kitchen gets plenty of light. The gold shelving brackets, large pendant fixtures over the island and the tile mural behind the range all pay subtle homage to the home’s prairie style architecture and bring a bit of sparkle to the room. Even though the room is quite large, the work triangle is very tight with the large Subzero fridge, sink and range all nearby for easy maneuvering during meal prep. There is seating for four at the island, and work aisles are generous. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKD, CBD Photography by: LOMA Studios For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

Inspiration for a contemporary l-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen remodel in Los Angeles with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, white backsplash, an island and gray countertops

Enclosed kitchen - mid-sized traditional dark wood floor and black floor enclosed kitchen idea in Minneapolis with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, gray backsplash, an island, stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops and subway tile backsplash

Example of a classic u-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen design in Perth with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, an island and white countertops

Designed and built by TreHus Architects
Eat-in kitchen - large transitional l-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen idea in Minneapolis with a single-bowl sink, gray cabinets, quartzite countertops, white backsplash, mosaic tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island, white countertops and shaker cabinets

Open concept kitchen - transitional galley medium tone wood floor open concept kitchen idea in Charlotte with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, marble countertops, stainless steel appliances, an island, white cabinets, white backsplash and stone slab backsplash

Mid-sized trendy u-shaped light wood floor and beige floor kitchen photo in San Francisco with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, blue backsplash, stainless steel appliances, a peninsula, black countertops, beige cabinets, soapstone countertops and glass sheet backsplash

Mid-sized trendy galley light wood floor and beige floor kitchen photo in Miami with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartzite countertops, beige backsplash, ceramic backsplash, an island, white countertops and paneled appliances

Large minimalist single-wall porcelain tile and gray floor open concept kitchen photo in New York with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, stainless steel appliances and no island

Transitional l-shaped dark wood floor and brown floor kitchen photo in Houston with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, multicolored backsplash, mosaic tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and gray countertops

Open concept kitchen - mid-sized traditional single-wall medium tone wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen idea in Sacramento with shaker cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, brown backsplash, paneled appliances, a peninsula, granite countertops, mosaic tile backsplash and brown countertops

Kolanowski Studio
Elegant light wood floor and beige floor kitchen photo in Houston with a farmhouse sink, beige cabinets, beige backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island, quartzite countertops and recessed-panel cabinets

J Kretschmer
Example of a mid-sized transitional single-wall porcelain tile and beige floor wet bar design in San Francisco with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, beige backsplash, subway tile backsplash, quartzite countertops and beige countertops

Reclaimed cherry wood counter top, simple cabinetry design, panoramic views from sink
Inspiration for a large transitional l-shaped dark wood floor and brown floor kitchen remodel in Burlington with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island, black countertops, solid surface countertops and subway tile backsplash

For those who want more of a good thing, we offer our Tealight 4 plan. This is the only Tealight home design that comes standard with three bedrooms (which can easily become four) plus a loft. You’ll see that the living room, kitchen and other spaces are just a bit more, well, spacious. You may also notice that the master bedroom is placed over the garage. This arrangement not only expands the upstairs, it lets you monitor when your teenager gets home at night. Which is also a good thing.

Example of a mid-sized transitional galley gray floor kitchen design in Minneapolis with flat-panel cabinets, beige cabinets, beige backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

Inspiration for a contemporary u-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen remodel in DC Metro with flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, gray backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

Trendy galley gray floor kitchen photo in New York with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances, no island and white countertops

Design by Robin Rigby Fisher CMKBD/CAPS Remodel by Buildworks Group Photos by Dale Lang of NW Architectural Photography
Eat-in kitchen - mid-sized contemporary l-shaped brown floor and dark wood floor eat-in kitchen idea in Portland with a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, stone slab backsplash, an island, medium tone wood cabinets and stainless steel appliances