Turning a Depressing Kitchen into the Happenin’ Guest Hangout

From admin on February 18th, 2010 in Minneapolis

Every remodel job has its unique challenges. For one Minneapolis family, they had a challenge that went something like this. They wanted a fully functional kitchen. In fact, it had to be more functional than it was before. Additionally, the kitchen needed to be a lot more fun. Something about the previous design was strangely depressing. Beyond that, their kitchen couldn’t be an inch bigger, but it had to seem more like part of the house.

The personalities behind these remodel dreams? A family that loves to cook, constantly entertain guests and have regular family fun. Here’s how they took this kitchen from ugly to unbelievable.

Gaining Space by Stealing Closets

Wasted space in coat closets was quickly acquisitioned for use in kitchen resizing. That way, the kitchen got bigger without traveling out of bounds.

Opening Up by Clearing Out

One of the major design moves was removing divisions between the kitchen and adjacent rooms. Among the biggest culprits in this regard were soffit assemblies and hanging cabinets. Once those were out of the way, the kitchen enjoyed a presence in the rest of the house.

Keeping it Warm by Keeping it Textured

Another design technique was to add more texture to the kitchen—maple, granite, glass and earthy tones. The purpose behind this was to achieve the “happy” look wish of the owners, and avoid a cold or sterile feel.

Making it Inviting by Adding an Island

Guests gravitate toward kitchen islands. It must be part of human nature. The designers installed a marble-top kitchen island plus glass bar, and dropped a couple of bar chairs in front of it. Presto: guest hangout.

What the couple got was a final kitchen that achieved their dreams, pleased their guests, and most importantly, inspired this family of chefs to keep cooking.