This young couple bought a mid-century home in one of the Memorial Villages, phone nook, built-in desk, and all, and they loved the house itself. The kitchen just hadn't been touched since the day it was built, and it needed to catch up with how they actually wanted to live.
Before: Charming House, Kitchen Stuck in the 1970s
The kitchen still had its original phone line and built-in desk, features nobody needs anymore, and the island had the stove built right into it, which meant it never really got to function as an island at all. Dark brown laminate cabinets and a butcher block island top kept the whole space feeling closed in and dated, even with a wall of big windows just steps away.
After: Same Bones, Brand New Light
We relocated the stove off the island and onto a new counter along the back wall, finally letting the island function the way an island should. Beyond that, we kept changes minimal.
This was never about moving walls or adding square footage, it was about making the space feel bigger and brighter through materials, color, and light.
The two-tone cabinetry does a lot of that work: white oak cabinets echo the outdoors, and crisp white painted cabinets amplify all the natural light pouring in through those big windows. A full-height backsplash and a quartz countertop with soft, neutral marbling gave the couple the beautiful, low-drama look they wanted at a price point that made sense for them, along with a lot more storage than they started with.
The kitchen connects to a bright breakfast nook, giving the family plenty of room even though we didn't design it as a dedicated entertaining space. In the adjacent dining room, the couple chose to keep things exactly as they were rather than knock down the wall for full open concept, a decision that let them hang onto the mid-century character and the pretty built-in cabinetry they loved about the house in the first place.
The family lived in the house through the whole remodel, newborn baby included, and made it work by turning the living room's built-in wet bar into a temporary kitchen and keeping the fridge in the garage. They stayed proud of their home the entire time, and just as proud to show off the finished space once it was done.
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