Before & After: A Warm, Modern Kitchen

I’m excited to share this kitchen with you!  This kitchen renovation floated along with very few hiccups.  I tend to work mostly on homes that are 60 plus years old and this home was built in 2006 – a young buck!  In contrast to the 110 year old homes that are my usual wheelhouse, recent structures hold very few surprises and problems.

We live in a 70 year old home and while I like the “charm” I appreciate new plumbing, framing, electrical work and new foundations.  They are beautiful things.  Living and owning this home, and working primarily on older homes, has taken some of the romance out of older houses for me.  I still prefer the history of an old home, but I am much better now at recognizing the beauty of a newer place.  Older homes are a commitment.

This 2006 house has generous rooms with large windows, but it did come with an odd kitchen layout.  The previous homeowners installed an island without enough room around it (a fairly common error).   My clients took it out,  but were left with an awkward amount of space in the center of the room.  Too big to feel natural and too small for an island.  You need a lot of room for an island; they are big space hogs and they are still one of the top things a client wants when they come to me for help with a kitchen.  The first request is usually knocking out a wall, the second request is adding an island.  We can almost always knock out the wall (it just depends on budget), but I can’t always give them a functional island.

The clients liked having a counter near the breakfast table so I kept this area but pushed it back in the space a little.  I reconfigured this entire area, (there’s a powder room behind this wall) so that I could also work in a pantry and an island for the clients.  The rug that Snuggles is laying on is from Shaver-Ramsey, a beautiful rug store in Denver.  Note the new stainless steel cable and white oak stair railing there too!  This countertop wraps around to double ovens and then the door to the new walk-in pantry.

The floors are new white oak with a clear stain and I love the way the sunlight hits them.  The island is a dark soot color and the perimeter cabinets are white oak with a stain.  These cabinets are from Sander & Sons in Littleton, Colorado.   I thought this kitchen could handle darker cabinets over the ubiquitous white and the client was up for it.  Not shown are double ovens, a microwave drawer and the door to the pantry on the the wall facing the stove.

The tile behind the stove is Victoria by Surface Art.  This is an affordable tile that looks handmade and is available in a few different sizes.  The minimal handles are from Emtek.  I don’t recommend edge pulls with inset cabinets.  I found out after they were installed that this was a tricky install and probably not something I should try again (but they look so good!).

I like this view of the kitchen.  It’s modern with the flat front drawers, stainless hood and a large expanse of glossy white tile, yet due to the wood cabinets and floor, it’s warm.  The extra large globe pendants on the island help soften things up a bit too!  I found those for a good price on Wayfair and I don’t believe they’re there anymore.

I always wish I would take more photos, yet I don’t seem to remember that in the moment.  I took myself to task for my lack of “Before” photos and I am taking myself to task for not getting any photos of the other side of the kitchen!  It’s not as dramatic as the stove wall, but I think it would have been helpful to understand how the other pieces fit together.  Next time!

“Oops!  You caught me eating my feelings.  And they taste delicious.” Source