Before and After: Clever Kitchen Redesign Draws a Crowd
A Massachusetts kitchen for a family of 11 gets a new configuration that provides more style, function and space
It was a classic case of the cobbler who has no shoes: A building contractor was so busy helping others build and renovate their dream homes that he waited 17 years to finally remodel his family’s own kitchen. During that time, the family grew, and before long it was clear that their cramped kitchen layout needed an overhaul if they were to continue gathering for multigenerational meals. Even their dining table didn’t fit all the kids and grandparents comfortably. So with the help of designer Kristina Crestin, this design-savvy builder took his kitchen and dining room down to the studs and completely reconfigured the style and layout to create a more functional family gathering space.
Before. Notice in the “before” photo taken from the same angle as the previous photo, the former kitchen is in the rear and the former dining area is in the foreground.
After. A view from the other side of the center island shows that the range, sink and refrigerator are located on the same wall. The family often congregates in the kitchen while food is being prepared, so Crestin’s biggest functional goal was to create a large center island. The new one has five stools and plenty of room to spread out with mixing bowls and cutting boards to help the family prep a big meal.
Find industrial kitchen stools
Find industrial kitchen stools
Aesthetically, Crestin and her clients wanted the space to feel fresh and modern but still fit seamlessly with the rest of the home’s early 1900s architecture. Bringing in some color through the cabinetry was a fun way to inject character and personality. Crestin showed her clients a few palettes and found they gravitated toward the darker hues, especially blue. So she had the cabinetmaker mock up some sample doors. They landed on Benjamin Moore’s Labrador Blue for the cabinets because it felt bright and happy but not too cutesy for a farmhouse.
They didn’t stop there: The window sashes are another Benjamin Moore blue called In the Midnight Hour and the window trim is Benjamin Moore’s Vermont Slate, a slightly darker shade than the cabinets.
How to Keep Your Light Fixtures Shining Bright
They didn’t stop there: The window sashes are another Benjamin Moore blue called In the Midnight Hour and the window trim is Benjamin Moore’s Vermont Slate, a slightly darker shade than the cabinets.
How to Keep Your Light Fixtures Shining Bright
Crestin partnered with her builder-client to figure out how best to balance the custom and creative with the commercial and store-bought. The light fixtures over the island are from Pottery Barn and the bar stools are from Restoration Hardware, but the fir surrounding the Sub-Zero fridge and enlarged island received the full custom touch. Some of the homeowner’s sons work for him, and they pitched in to help with the construction tasks, like sanding and planing the boards that would become part of their new home.
In the dining area, new windows bring in ample daylight during the day, but an alternative to insufficient light fixtures was required at night. Before stuffing the ceiling with new recessed lights, though, Crestin and her clients took a beat and asked how much light they really needed, where and for what purposes. “People are tempted to overlight spaces just because they worry they might one day want a light there,” Crestin says.
Instead, they took a more mindful approach, adding sconces over the windows to light the countertop zone, pendants over the island and a long fixture composed of multiple Edison bulbs above the dining table. They totaled up the wattage to make sure the lighting would be adequate and were rewarded with a honeyed “glow” at night. The designer, who lives in the neighborhood, smiles to herself whenever she drives by and sees the room lit up.
How to Choose a Dining Table Light
Instead, they took a more mindful approach, adding sconces over the windows to light the countertop zone, pendants over the island and a long fixture composed of multiple Edison bulbs above the dining table. They totaled up the wattage to make sure the lighting would be adequate and were rewarded with a honeyed “glow” at night. The designer, who lives in the neighborhood, smiles to herself whenever she drives by and sees the room lit up.
How to Choose a Dining Table Light
Before. They removed this open pantry to create more space for what is now the dining area. The wall of kitchen cabinets and appliances on the left wall is where the built-in dining banquette is now located. In the rear of the photo, the old sliding doors have been replaced with a single door that leads to the backyard.
After. This shows the dining room and back door from roughly the same angle as in the previous photo. The dining room is now a comfortable place for the family to dine together. The table is made of reclaimed boards from Longleaf Lumber for the top and recycled legs from Rockford Lathe. The space is complete with overhead built-in speakers and a handsome paneled ceiling. The team also built out the ceiling beam between the kitchen and dining area to give each space some definition.
More
From the Pros: 8 Reasons Kitchen Renovations Go Over Budget
Remodeling Your Kitchen in Stages: Planning and Design
How Much Space Do You Need, and What Do You Do If You Don’t Have It?
More
From the Pros: 8 Reasons Kitchen Renovations Go Over Budget
Remodeling Your Kitchen in Stages: Planning and Design
How Much Space Do You Need, and What Do You Do If You Don’t Have It?
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A family with nine children from the ages of 10 to 28
Location: Essex, Massachusetts
Size: 400 square feet (37.2 square meters)
Designer: Kristina Crestin Design
Builder: Covenant
Crestin felt lucky to have as her client a builder who “gets” design, so the process moved quickly. They were walking around with tape measures trying to figure out how to make the awkward L-shaped kitchen and dining room work when Crestin pitched the idea of flip-flopping the two. With the kitchen moved into the dining room, suddenly they had the opportunity to bring more natural light into the dining area by adding windows where kitchen cabinets and a refrigerator used to be. Above, the kitchen area now features one wall of cabinets and appliances to the right and a center island to the left.