Where did the time go? It seems like just last week were were basking in the glory of grout fame followed by a hike in the mountains of Montana that left us breathless. As in, we realized our aerobic condition was no match for hiking terrain at altitude. Later, one of our projects was mentioned in The Spruce July edition.
Note to self: if you drag your junk up a mountain range, it pays to be in shape. Your glutes will thank you later.
Back at sea level, we completed a small modern kitchen in a traditional home built in 1925. This three bedroom home had been renovated in 2004, but the current owner and avid cook wanted to improve the kitchen for his daily use and frequent entertaining. We’ll start with the “before” pics to set the scene.
We love a good challenge! The previous kitchen was tightly packed, featured stock cabinetry with dark wood tones, upper cabinetry placed at different heights, terra cotta tile on the floor, malfunctioning cooking appliances at the end of their service life, and little organized storage.
A handful of new kitchens can successfully incorporate an authentic heirloom or an antique on occasion. This kitchen included a new freestanding cabinet that was distressed to appear old. We call this “fake old” because it’s a modern counterfeit. Unfortunately, in this instance, it was intended to hide problems with stock cabinetry and unresolved layout problems.
The new kitchen features sleek new cabinetry, improved lighting and appliances, and a simplified design in the same compact footprint. There is no rule that says traditional kitchens must be placed in old homes. In fact, we appreciated the opportunity to break from conventional expectations in this kitchen.
A large single-bowl SmartStation from Julien replaced the old double bowl sink, and the new quartz countertops will handle heavy use in this kitchen.
A powerful range offers high BTU burners, convection and steam cooking functions, and a warming drawer. We are fans of the matte black mosaic backsplash, and the star pattern was subtly restrained by the charcoal grout.
Even 170 square feet can be highly functional and streamlined for a hard-working kitchen. A couple tips for improving a small kitchen: be ruthless when you cut the excess, pay extra attention to the cabinetry internals for enhanced organization, and don’t overlook multiple sources. of lighting. We were happy to update this traditional home without the constraints of a certain historical period, and we hope the owner enjoys many meals and gatherings in the new kitchen!
