How We Transformed A Boring 90's Kitchen Into a Bright and Cheerful Farmhouse Dream
All our kitchen transformations are fun and exciting, but this one was REALLY exciting! Our client was living in England due to work and had this cute little ranch style house rented out. The house was built in the 90’s and had good bones but it was crying for some loving. As she planned her move back to the US, she contacted us to do a complete transformation of the kitchen, living and dining space before her arrival! We worked almost exclusively via email, Zoom and phone. Oh technology!
Her dream was to open up this space and connect the living and dining spaces. We loved the high ceilings and the amount of natural light that poured in from the windows all around. It was a good start. Her wish list included adding rustic wood beams to the ceiling and having a big island with the cooktop taking center stage. We went to work right away and began analyzing the space, time and budget.
Before….
We began exploring all our options. The first thing we did was work on the floorplan. We knew we could take down the wall and remove the soffit to raise the ceiling, this was really going to help open up the space. Adding reclaimed wood beams proved to be a bit of a challenge due to some architectural details that would have been too costly to fix, so the client decided to eliminate that from her wish list.
Next, we worked on putting an island in the space. No problem. Plenty of room. However, relocating the gas line there posed to be another challenge. We would need to break through the foundation and that would eat up a good chunk of change $$$. Something the homeowner did not want to spend money on. So we continued to work on the plan and realized that by relocating the door a few feet to the right it would allow us to fit a 36” range, plus the refrigerator on the back wall and still have adequate cabinet storage. It was starting to take shape!
We created an open floorplan that allowed for plenty of room for this young family of three, plus a dog, to grow into and entertain friends and family for years to come.
Once the layout was solidified, we began to work on the pretty. We began by creating several mood boards to determine the direction the client was envisioning. Based on answers from our client, we determined that she was drawn to soft blues and greens mixed in with some rustic wood elements throughout. A clean and light filled space….
Being a single mother of two twin boys she didn’t want the space to feel too feminine and she loved the idea of a casual, slightly rustic, inviting space that could withstand the traffic of kids and dogs running around and still feel grown up when she wanted to entertain.
We selected materials that were are low maintenance and could take on a lot of heavy traffic, like luxury vinyl flooring, butcher block and quartz countertops. The classic white cabinetry and light wood tones on the floor definitely had a huge impact on creating a light and airy space. We added a much larger window over the sink that actually opens to the outside patio where we installed a countertop and two barstools. This was a fun touch! We sprinkled a few touches of black metal throughout without overdoing. This is what gave us the clean, modern farmhouse look without having too many rustic, chippy paint type elements. We kept all the appliances and plumbing fixtures in stainless steel for a crisp, clean design. And voila! The boring 90’s kitchen was boring no more!
During…
With such a time crunch on our hands, our construction team worked quickly and efficiently to ensure this home was at least 80% ready before their arrival back to the US. The kitchen came together first while our team continued to work on the rest of the space.
After…
The result was an astounding transformation with light pouring in from every angle. The homeowner was delighted with the new space and so were we. The large sink window opens to the beautiful garden and fountain outside which is one of my favorite features.
The client’s favorite feature was this fun and easy “barn wood wall”. We used a cool product called Stikwood that are actually thin planks of peel and stick wood! The contractors loved how easy it was to install!
This large window opens out to the beautiful lush garden with a fountain. We installed left over countertop material on the outside to create a bar with seating for two. How fun!
The addition of the floating shelves serves as functional storage with easy access to everyday cups and dishes plus it’s also aesthetically easy on the eye.
It was such a delight to help this family bring their dreams to life. I’m sure they will all enjoy this space for years to come! To see more pictures of this project click here.
