The kitchen is the heart of our homes, isn’t it? Some of us satisfy our souls by baking and cooking in the kitchen. Others gather there to enjoy the fruits of our labors. Some just come to visit. When you spend as much time in the kitchen as we do, it helps if the space is big enough, the storage is adequate enough, the lighting is bright enough and it’s a place you enjoy. With that said, today we are sharing Jenn’s kitchen remodel! She created a space that embodies all the aforementioned things and more. It’s an inspiring and beautiful space. Read on to learn more!

The Before

The original kitchen wasn’t terrible…it was actually pretty nice considering some of the “before remodel” pictures we’ve seen of kitchens that were stuck in the 70’s, or worse. However, the cabinet bodies were all particle board and storage was not efficient. The florescent drop-box lighting left a whole lot to be desired. The light colored floor always looked dirty, especially with two dogs! Because Jenn’s an avid baker, we wanted an efficient space for measuring and storing ingredients as well as all of her equipment. We wanted clear countertops without clutter. Here’s a picture before the demo:

The After

No physical walls were harmed during this project, haha! The kitchen is still the same square footage and general layout with regard to appliances and the sink. In spite of the fact that no physical walls were moved or removed, and one window was eliminated, the space looks larger and lighter. The new skylights, horizontal cabinet grain and relatively clear countertops make for a much more spacious feel. Here are a couple of after photos:

Demo

Wow – what have we done! Demolition started the second week of March. We had no idea what was to come! What was originally projected to be a 3 month project ended up taking nearly 6 months due to Covid delays. Fortunately, our contractor was able to continue work, and did almost everything on his own to avoid having subcontractors onsite. Material and shipping delays were the main hold up, but our contractor did an amazing job under the circumstances. You can see that everything was taken down to the studs.

Lighting

We wanted to keep the existing glass block detail  because it adds light and is a common design feature in the house. Our architect suggested eliminating the window at the back of the kitchen next to the cabinets (you can see the window in the very first picture above) to allow space for a baking center. Her encouragement to add skylights was one of the best design decisions we made. We love the way the light moves through the space and highlights the cabinets and countertops.

The addition of 3 skylights made a huge difference in the feel and look of the space.

The light play on the cabinets and countertops is amazing!

Organization

We spent a lot of time researching kitchen storage options – Pinterest is quite a rabbit hole you can easily go down! The enclosed baking center and coffee station keep clutter to a minimum and both areas are quite functional. We added pullouts for things like cutting boards, and spices, and even knife storage. Due to the desire to utilize all the vertical space we could, we added a pull out drawer for a compact step stool and it was a great addition. Not having a laundry room means tucking the washer and dryer behind doors (see photo under cabinetry). We went with front loading washer and dryer and raised them up, providing storage both below and above. The under counter space behind the rangetop was formerly not utilized, so we added a pullout for dishes. The bookshelves for for cookbooks filled quickly!

On the left is a view behind the doors of the baking center, on the right is the coffee station.

Slide outs were included for cutting boards, knife storage and spices.

A hidden step stool is a must if you are going to utilize all of your vertical storage.

On the left, another pullout makes bottles of oils, vinegars, sauces, etc. so visible so that nothing gets lost and forgotten in the back of the cupboard!
The dish slide out utilized formerly dead space behind the rangetop.

Too many cookbooks???

Island

We have 2 dogs, and always found ourselves knocking into their water and food bowls. It was important for us to design the kitchen with them in mind. Our solution was to add a mobile butcher block which is great for added working counter space, but even better is that it incorporates the dog water bowl, 2 pull out food bowls and storage for bins of dog food!

Happy pups enjoy their meals from slide out food bowls.

Dog food, water and food bowls were all incorporated into the mobile island. The added countertop work space is a bonus!

Countertops

It was important for us to go with countertops that are environmentally friendly. After some research, we selected Richlite, a countertop material made from recycled paper. We love the look, and it is antimicrobial and quite durable – in fact many skate parks use Richlite for their ramps! We selected their layered countertop, which looks spectacular where we cut in a custom drainboard next to the sink.

All countertops were cut and finished onsite.

The layered look of the countertop compliments the horizontal grain of the cabinets.

The custom drainboard cutouts add a unique and functional design detail.

Cabinetry

Our cabinetry was custom designed and built by GIB Design Build. We immediately fell in love with the beautiful grain of Sapele wood and knew  we wanted the grain to run horizontally. The biggest challenge we encountered with accomplishing this was on the very large doors of the baking center and laundry. Due to the limitations based on the maximum dimensions of the wood pieces available, we decided to add a horizontal “break” on these large doors. This gives the illusion of two separate doors but functioning as one solid door. This horizontal detail fit right in with the rest of the cabinetry since we wanted a clean look with no handles or drawer pulls,   Our contractor did a fantastic job matching up the wood grain on the cabinets, making it appear as though it was created out of one huge continuous piece of wood.

The large laundry doors were accomplished using two pieces of cabinetry per door to create a consistent look, despite the limits of  the material size available.

Perfectly matched continuous wood grain!

Floor

After we selected the floor tile, we weren’t sure how we would transition from it to the hard wood flooring in our adjacent dining room. Our contractor came up with the brilliant idea to scatter the tiles into the hardwood. Once we decided on a pattern, he worked his magic and we LOVE the result!

Figuring out the layout for the floor…the final result was better than imagined!

Sources

Architect: Studio Oxeye

Contractor: GIB Design Build

Countertops: Little Tahoma by Richlite

Floor Tile: Terra Antracite 8″ Hex by Marca Corona

Backsplash Tile: Stonecloud/grey by Marca Corona

Combi Steam Oven and Convection Oven: Miele

36″ Rangetop: GE Monogram

42″ Refrigerator: SubZero 

Downdraft: Cattura by Best

Over sink light: 10” Dome Allied Maker

Sink: Diamond Anthracite by Blanco

Faucet: Artona Anthracite by Blanco

Window coverings: Alustra branch by Hunter Douglas

Chimney Tile: Antique by Fireclay