Designed for Daily Life: A Family-Friendly Kitchen Renovation
This kitchen renovation proves that thoughtful updates can completely transform the way a space functions (without altering the existing footprint)! If you know me well, you know I often recommend some harebrained schemes, such as relocating a kitchen to the other side of the house… but this project was not that.
Looking back to the initial consultation deck we prepared, the concept was sorted very early on in the design process. I can’t promise this on every project, but these clients were extremely clear on their priorities from the outset. That clarity allowed us to focus early on a family-friendly kitchen layout that prioritized storage, durability, and ease of daily use.
Initial Concept Slide presented at Design Consultation
Maximizing the Kitchen Layout for family life
For this young family of five, storage, durability, and everyday comfort were the top priorities. First, we reimagined the underperforming kitchen by addressing the short comings of the existing cabinetry:
Increasing the storage capacity by taking the uppers all the way to the ceiling. This also eliminated the giant dust collecting shelf from before!
Adding another pantry cabinet with pull out drawers for additional capacity + organization.
Adding new cabinetry to the back of the island to reclaim unused space. With the eat-in kitchen layout, extra seating at the island was just redundant for this family. Storage was the priority, so we did something a little untraditional to help meet their goals.
Maximizing the blind corner with clever storage solutions, including space to store counter top appliances.
Two tone cabinetry creates visual interest - All off-white seemed like not enough of a departure from the original. All wood would have read too heavy due to the amount of cabinetry going into the space.
Putting appliances within the cabinets clear up much of the visual clutter on the counters, maximizing the prep space on either side of the stove. Keeping the proximity close to the fridge also keeps other areas of the kitchen open so 2 cooks can be working in the kitchen at the same time — Super important at meal time with 3 littles.
Family-Friendly kitchen Design
Transforming dine-in portion of the kitchen, done in a way that aligned with the clients priorities:
We designed and installed a cheerful dining nook, which now features a custom built banquette with full-depth drawers below (more storage!)
The bench seat also created more seating capacity, it’s easy to load the kids into the banquette for meals. Parents get the flexibility of dining chairs, ideal for the nonstop up-and-down that happens at mealtime with our tiny tyrants (or is that just at my house??)
We sourced a custom, natural solid maple table, sized perfectly for daily meals. A durable finish to keep it easy to clean up after meals.
Personality infused with a softly patterned wallpaper (in a type II vinyl to keep things super easy to clean) and performance fabric on the banquette is easy to clean with a subtle pattern to keep it looking fresh!
Dreamy morning sunlight dappling in the windows.
With a banquette dining set up, we recommend a surface mount fixture in the ceiling. You know that table is getting shuffled daily to make room for the kiddos to get in and out at meal time. Bringing the lighting up means you are not forever fighting to get the table perfectly centered.
Sustainable Choices and Durable Materials
Sustainability was thoughtfully woven into this kitchen renovation through material choices and planning decisions focused on longevity, efficiency, and reducing unnecessary waste.
We reused the homeowner’s existing appliances since they were relatively new and in excellent condition. This was huge in reducing waste while keeping the renovation cost-conscious. Did you know that appliances can make up to 10%-20% of the investments in a kitchen reno?? The one appliance we DID replace: the over-the-range microwave (replaced with a recirculating vent, which gave us more storage above the range)!
When it came to material selections, we went for natural stone: Andromeda White Granite. Natural stone wears well over time and avoids the resins and binders commonly found in composite countertop materials (i.e. quartz). This kitchen in particular had an extra-large, seam-free island fabricated from the same material.
Semi-Custom cabinetry was a key choice to meet our sustainability goals on this project. The manufacturer focuses on solid wood construction and a made-to-order approach. This meant highly durable (and long lasting!) construction without overproduction or unnecessary waste - all done by a domestic cabinetry partner. For the painted cabinetry, we went with maple wood doors ILO MDF to avoid engineered materials.
Ultimately, sustainability was achieved through a lot of small decisions with longevity being the primary driver. This is our approach in many of the projects we work on. Storage planning, layout decisions, and material selections were made with daily family life in mind, creating a kitchen designed to adapt over time.
For families thinking about how their home needs to work now and in the years ahead, this kind of planning makes all the difference (and it is an integral part of our design process).
Considering transforming your home?
If you’re thinking about a renovation or furnishing project and want to talk through timing or scope, I’d love to connect. Intro calls are a great way to discuss the goals for your home, hear a bit about the process, and see if we’d be a great partner moving forward.