Project Summary:
Every kitchen has one or two things that just don’t work well—the kinds of things that bug and annoy like a lone mosquito hovering over your head at night. However, in this case, after 5 long years, there were so many things that were not working—from appliances to sightlines to work space—that these Maple Grove homeowners had finally had enough.
As they put it, “We just wanted to love our kitchen.” And that meant for the first time ever!
Design/Build Consultant — Jonah Smith
Design/Build Consultant — Kasey Birch
Project Manager — Drew Johnston
Lead Carpenter — Mark Arntzen
Paint/Finisher — Charlie McCloskey
Photography — Alyssa Lee
AFTER— Open concept kitchen, Gravity LVP Flooring (Big Horn), new island, pantry, and coffee bar, wall color Hirshfield's 0210 Hidden Cove (eggshell), cabinet finish custom dark walnut stain.
Goal: To put the love back into the kitchen, got it! And that meant a lot of changes, namely from a closed-off peninsula with a look-through to an open concept layout that also involved eliminating several eyesores in the dining room. It was quickly determined that an open concept layout would solve many issues. Having decided on that made the rest of the project fall together rather quickly. That meant moving everything from the peninsula: the sink to a new island, the stovetop/oven, and refrigerator to the opposite wall.
BEFORE REMODEL— Looking towards kitchen from dining room. This wall was removed.
BEFORE REMODEL— Looking back towards front entry, seeing the closet in background that was moved across the hall and a mudroom created in its place.
AFTER REMODEL— Same perspective, looking back towards front entry, where closet used to be. Pantry cabinet on right was added where refrigerator used to be.
AFTER— Pantry and low drawer for placematts.
AFTER—view from top of stairs, now unobstructed to the kitchen. Cafe' Quad Door Refrigerator and Slide-In Control Dual-Fuel Double Oven w/Convection Range.
This reconfiguration allowed us to add a deep pantry directly into the kitchen—something the homeowner had always wanted.
Lighting was a big issue that needed solving in this cut-up, unnecessarily dark kitchen. Existing skylights were focused solely on the center of the kitchen. So, we added Sola Tubes for extended natural light in the kitchen and the entryway. We also added a dozen recessed lights to brighten up the entire space.
BEFORE ABOVE: This kitchen was boxed in by a soffit that had to be remove in order to create the open concept and bring more light to the entire space with Sola Tubes.
AFTER REMODEL— Note reconfiguration of appliances, added lighting, Sola Tubes and ceiling reconfiguration, and coffee bar with a pull-out blender station
PRODUCTION— Sola Tube installation diagram and placement.
AFTER— The patio door was added for access to the deck as well as improved natural light and sightline to the backyard and pool. Island Pendant Lights — Stormy Skies Tapered Art Glass Pendant.
There was a pretty unsightly see-thru knee wall exposing the dining room to the lower level that we closed up to accomodate the desire for more privacy.
AFTER— Gravity LVP Flooring (Big Horn) throughout main floor.
The usefulness of every space is always a primary concern in the design process. Noting how the traffic flow and use stopped at the entrance from the garage—for coats and boots/shoes—we made the recommendation to switch the closet from the outside wall to the inside wall where more space was available and in its place add a mudroom configuration to keep the mess and dirt at bay.
Featured Materials
- Flooring — Gravity LVP flooring (Big Horn) in dining, kitchen & entry
- Custom Kitchen Cabinetry — Knotty Alder perimeter cabinets, paint grade island cabinets
- Cabinet Finish— Conversion varnish with Dark Walnut stain match finish
- Door Hardware — Vionaro drawers with under mount soft close full extension slides
- Pulls — Liberty Everly 3 in- Satin Nickel
- Backsplash — Cosa Marble Handmade Tile: Elongated Hex: 48GGRYHEX; Gainsboro Gray
- Grout — CTW Laticrete #88 Silver Shadow
- Countertops — Silestone, Stellar Blanco
- Paint Entry— Dining & kitchen walls: Hirshfield's 0210 Hidden Cove (eggshell)
- Paint — Island cabinet: Hirshfield's 0627 Into the Stratosphere
- Sliding Patio Door — Anderson 100 Series
- Island Pendant Lights — Stormy Skies Tapered Art Glass Pendant PE19029 CH Color: Chrome / Stormy Blue Finish: Chrome
Existing. VS. New Layout
