Make My Space Work Better

Scope: Why is it that big, beautiful homes from the 70’s have such small kitchens?

Our homeowners had a cozy yet cramped one-cook kitchen that was connected to the family room and a small separate dining room that couldn’t accommodate a proper dining experience. Being a close-knit family, they envisioned having a larger kitchen and dining area that seamlessly connected to the family room. They deliberated on the idea of expanding the dining room to match the size of the kitchen and merging the dining room and kitchen space. It felt like the most natural solution given their needs.

In the planning phase, we conceptualized a design that involved relocating the kitchen to the larger dining room area, while converting the old kitchen space into the dining area next to the family room. This transformation required closing existing doorways and opening up the new dining area to the hallway to create a more open and welcoming ambiance, all while addressing important structural and mechanical considerations. In addition, we installed new windows in the kitchen to harmonize with the redesigned kitchen and dining area, thereby allowing for better enjoyment of the expanded space and the serene backyard views.

As the kitchen design began to take shape, we carefully planned the placement of cabinets and accessories to ensure convenient storage access, as well as strategically positioning the new appliances, lighting fixtures, and electrical outlets. We also embarked on enjoyable shopping trips to select the perfect materials. Their enthusiasm was joyful, especially when choosing a stunning backsplash at Arizona Tile. The selection of cabinet colors made use of large paint samples to deliberate and finally decide on the ideal shade of white for the perimeter cabinets and blue for the island, after which they updated the existing hardwood flooring to luxurious butterscotch 5” white oak plank flooring.

Upon completion of the project, I asked if there was anything they would change, and their resounding answer was no!