Take Down that Wall- Kitchen Before and After

I have the coolest kitchen remodel to share with you today. It’s the first time we’ve taken down a wall in a kitchen update. I’m feeling very Chip and Joanna on this one. We had to bring in a general contractor to handle the heavy lifting. Here are some before and after photos. 

The wall was load bearing and was anchored right in the middle of the countertop. In addition, the electrical panel for the whole house was located behind that piece of art- IN THE MIDDLE OF THE KITCHEN ISLAND. This just wasn’t going to work for our clients, the new owners of the home. They had a vision of a light and bright wide open kitchen. 

The wall had to come down! 

This kitchen had a few issues that needed to be addressed. Whenever possible, I always want to move a cooktop out of the island and onto the perimeter. It provides a clean prep and entertaining space. I suggested they move the stove to where the current refrigerator was located and add a decorative stove hood above. The clients decided to upgrade the stove and refrigerator. 

We moved the refrigerator over to the end of the cabinets in front of what used to be a small closet. We built cabinetry around it to connect it to the other cabinets. 

With the stove moved out, the island needed a complete re-work. Our client needed some deep drawers for storing pots and pans. Drawers are soooooooooo much more practical for storage. And we gave her lots on this end where the stove used to be. 

We also squared up the island on the ends. We added decorative molding to the back to pull the look together. 

We used MSI Calacatta Laza Quartz for the countertops. I love, love, love this countertop. It is a great less expensive option if you are considering something like Cambria Brittanica Quartz. We had the island fabricated with a 2 1/2 inch mitered edge.

I love doing a thicker edge on islands. It really sets them apart and makes them a focal point in a kitchen.  

Kitchen Lighting

Let’s talk about lighting for a minute.

Most of my clients think they want two pendants on their island. That works great when the longest part of the island is situated at the entrance to the kitchen. But when the shortest end of island is at the kitchen entrance I think it looks best to have one centered fixture. Check out my fancy illustration that I used to help my clients visualize my point. 

They agreed that one central fixture would look best. 

I love statement lighting over an island. Go big or go home, right??? I may have overshot it on this one. My client and I both fell in love with this huge chandelier light from Noir. Isn’t it amazing????????

I measured, and still think it would have worked, but my client thought it was too big for the space. I love this photo of her husband trying it out before install. In the end, they opted for something with less visual weight. They selected this light from Sazerac Stitches and it is perfect!!

Totally perfect. Not to worry though, they are using the Noir Orion light in their family room that has soaring ceilings. Isn’t it perfect???

We wanted to do sconces over the windows of the sink but weren’t able to because of a header beam, so we decided to mount them directly on the cabinets on each side of the sink. I love the way these turned out. 

Find the sconces HERE.

Speaking of lighting, check out this light over the dining table. My client picked this on her own and it is complete perfection. Find it HERE.

We refaced all the cabinet doors and drawers with a shaker style cabinet. We painted all the cabinets to unify all the different woodwork. 

PAINT COLORS

The perimeter cabinets are painted Benjamin Moore White Dove- OC-17

The island is painted Benjamin Moore Fieldstone- 1558

The walls are painted Benjamin Moore Nimbus- OC-17

Here is a summary of what we accomplished in this kitchen:

• We removed the dividing wall and added a new support header.
• We relocated all the wiring for the house to a new box in the main hall.
• New drywall and paint in the kitchen.
• We relocated the stove out of the island onto the back wall.
• We relocated duck work for venting the new stove/hood.
• We moved the refrigerator to the end of the cabinets and added built-in cabinetry.
• We replaced all the doors and drawers with Shaker Style cabinet fronts.
• We added storage in the island and squared it off. 
• We added a decorative stove hood.
• New countertops 
• New back splash – subway tile
• Painted all the cabinets and island
• Installed new lighting over island, sink, and table
• Refinished the hardwood floors
• Installed new hardware. 

Working with a general contractor was a new and challenging experience. There was a ton of work and trades and schedules to coordinate and manage. Our clients were so organized and on top of things and had a clear vision for what they wanted. They made a very challenging project a pleasant and rewarding experience. In the end, it all came together into a beautiful, live-able space that we can all be proud of. 

After photos by Geinger Hill. 

If you have a kitchen that is just not quite right, we’d love to talk to you. We do everything from custom cabinet painting to full kitchen project management and design. Fill out the form below if you’d like more information.