A single, middle-aged gentleman inherited a home in need of major kitchen repairs. The house had been neglected for years, yet he was excited about moving in and turning this old house into his home.

The homeowner described the 1914 Craftsman-style house as having "great bones." He loved the architectural detail and design elements of his new home and wanted to preserve its original charm. But because the home was neglected for years, much of the beauty was hidden.

In order to restore that charm, we were hired to update and restructure the kitchen. The unattractive and non-functional kitchen housed unsightly white metal cabinets, oddly positioned appliances and lacked storage and electrical outlets. The owner wanted the new kitchen to not only be functional, but also serve as the focal point of the home and a place to comfortably entertain guests.

CHALLENGES

The original kitchen layout required a lot of creative design to meet the needs of the homeowner. Five doors/entryways to the small kitchen limited the available wall space for positioning appliances, affixing cabinets and installing the much-needed counter space.

In addition, the electrical wiring was outdated, unsafe and extremely limited. The original kitchen had but one electrical outlet, which was located behind the stove.

Our client recently changed careers and enrolled in college. His free time was limited, and he requested that we, as designers, make most of the decisions on his behalf.

SOLUTIONS

The homeowner's primary request was design assistance. He wanted to entrust the kitchen remodel project to professionals who could choose colors, establish flow and create a space that kept with the home's unique character.

To help him discover his style we took him on a tour of our showroom. We presented photographs of past projects and magazine articles showcasing kitchens we thought had the color, style and atmosphere he had in mind. We also offered a questionnaire, which provided us insight to how he wanted to operate in the kitchen and his goals for the appearance, storage systems and style.

Once the general design was established, we addressed the awkward layout - beginning with the entryways. We closed off one doorway leading to the master bedroom and added more usable space in both rooms.

The stand-alone stove was located adjacent to the bedroom wall. We relocated the placement for the new stove and installed Showplace Pendleton Lyptus cabinets in Truffle with Ebony glaze along the now galley-style, redesigned kitchen. We also shifted the main entry from the dining area into the kitchen from the middle of the wall to the end of the kitchen creating more breathing room in the kitchen. We kept the original doors and door fixtures to preserve the home's Craftsman character.

The new backsplash was Interceramic Canyon Wall Quartz which showcased the brick and reinstated the house's early twentieth century look. We installed Marazzi slate tile in Imperial Black but kept the original six-inch baseboard trim to maintain the vintage feel of the house.

The homeowner valued function and style and wanted the space orderly with plenty of storage. We installed a built-in trash basket, rollout trays, built-in microwave, wine rack and a large pantry.

The old electrical wiring did not accommodate necessary appliances and was a safety hazard. We rewired the entire home and installed a new sub-panel in the basement. We also installed a four-way switch for ease-of-use and added several electrical outlets. An InSinkErator Badger® air switch was installed to ensure safe, convenient disposer activation.

SUMMARY

The floorplan needed a complete overhaul. The existing kitchen lacked consideration of how a cook would move and work in the kitchen. We focused the new design on functionality and topped it off with good looks. Multiple doors into a small room were common to home of that era, but for today's lifestyle five doors were unnecessary and awkward.

Task lighting illuminated the space with five Mach 120 Xenon under cabinet fixtures and two Bellacor Pro Oil Rubbed Bronze 50" ceiling fans for general lighting. Now the kitchen is cheerful, bright and sunny – a perfect space for entertaining guests with ease. He loves the dual fans in the kitchen and feels it completes the room while keeping it cool and airy in the spring and summer.

The questionnaire revealed that the homeowner wanted a Norman Rockwall look. After driving a Coca-Cola delivery truck for decades, he was happy to find a whimsical way to express his sentiments by accenting the kitchen with Coca-Cola accessories, giving the space a nostalgic Americana feel.