We chose three words to describe this remodel. Moody; because the deep grays and rich chocolate wood tones devour the space. Social; because we just pretended that the walls never existed between the rooms. And Overhaul; because we both modernized and improved the kitchen design as well as its interaction with surrounding rooms. Don’t even get us started on the before/after photos. The transformation is astounding! An almost full home interior redesign. So now that we’ve completely talked this home up, let’s get to the details and learn all about this featured remodel.

The Kitchen

Previously, partial overlay framed cabinetry with raised panels and exposed hinges devoured the kitchen. Soffits created a lack of “bonus storage” and the small, exposed, freestanding fridge was pushed against a wall. We upgraded to Ultracraft cabinets with a recessed paneled door. A tuxedo-style look was created with Cocoa stain on Cherry on base cabinets, and Mineral Gray paint on the talls and uppers. The new fridge is a 42″ Dacor built-in. And the backsplash? Daltile Artigiano, Italian Alps.

The kitchen was completely separate from the surrounding rooms, so we opened up completely to the living room (below) and even created a larger opening to the dining room (above). A common ask for most home interior renovations. Counter seating was a must-have, which is now created on the living room side of the kitchen peninsula. The cooktop and sink locations were flipped to add ventilation straight to the exterior and to create a more unobstructed view into the kitchen. The open shelves in the living room were redesigned with the new peninsula, as they wanted to keep open storage space.

Bar & Laundry Room

A dry wine bar, at the far edge of the kitchen, was created to match kitchen cabinetry, but the uppers got an upgrade. Sophisticated X-mullions with antique mirror inserts to match the backsplash really amp up the look. A wine fridge was added below the counter, which previously lived in the home office. The window seat was replaced with a wood piece to match the base cabinets.

And finally, the laundry room, to your right when standing at the bar, got a little upgrade as well. Keeping the same washer and dryer units, they just wanted to increase useable storage. So, with new cabinets, some enclosed to clean up the look, we brought them forward off the back wall for easier access. We also switched out their swing door and installed a pocket to maximize clear floor space. Don’t forget the floors! It’s the Reverie 7 from Arizona Tile.

Construction Elements

The stairs from the sunroom/living room area to the upstairs were an L-shape with a landing and needed to be refinished. We tore out and replaced everything – including the landing! – and straightened the stairs for easier access, a modernized look, and a smaller footprint. Metal balusters with knuckles replace the old white-painted ones. The new newels, posts, and treads are oak, stained to match the new Bella Cera Tuscan Hickory Fortore engineered wood floors. The floor was also installed throughout the home interior, with exception of private spaces and the laundry room.

The monstrous brick bump out was completely demolished, and sheetrock went in its place. Soci Knox Amara tile surrounds the fireplace and is encased with a wood frame and mantle. Those – along with a new stain-grade wooden wrap around the beam – were also stained to match the floors. We placed Cambria Skara Brae on the fireplace hearth, which matches the countertops used in the kitchen.

While we were opening up the kitchen to surrounding rooms, we also ended up redoing all of the ceilings. Below, you can see that the house previously had popcorn ceilings (oh no!) which were all completely scraped and retextured. And as a part of this project, the homeowners decided to also switch out their front door. A new Mahagonny 3-lite door brings a more modernized look, with “rain” glass inserts.

Other Things To Note

We’ve already mentioned the popcorn ceilings, but we forgot to tell you that we literally opened up every room to one another. No more doors or framed/cased openings exist between the kitchen, living room, front entry, or dining room (below). A uniform ceiling through the latter three rooms also helps trick the eye into making each of those spaces feel larger. In the dining room, the homeowners wanted to retain their existing furniture, including a family china cabinet, which we relocated to another wall for the perfect fit. Matching lights in the entry and dining room tie the spaces together.

The kitchen also now features a Blanco Silgranit sink in Cinder, and a Brizo Artesso faucet in stainless. Decorative cabinet hardware is a brushed satin nickel, and are Top Knobs Lily pulls. As a space saver, we eliminated an additional microwave unit in conjunction with a double oven. These appliances were replaced with a Dacor 30″ Microwave Steam Combi Wall Oven unit. The walled-in pantry was replaced with a tall pantry cabinet with roll-out trays.

So, what do you think? A pretty big home interior transformation, right? We absolutely love it and – most importantly – so do the homeowners. Stay tuned for more pictures coming to our Houzz page soon! And in the meantime, check out some of our most recent Friday features: Sophisticated Glam and Historical Torchlight Kitchen.