“One of my favorite things to work on is older homes with a bit of history. I find it an interesting challenge to marry the historical architectural features of a home with modern design elements that work well for my client’s current lifestyle.”

How to modernize a historic house?

Above is a before shot of the kitchen showing a view from the family room.

See the dropped ceiling?

We were curious, was this just part of the design or was the dropped ceiling there to hide mechanicals?

We soon found out that it was mostly decorative (yay!), and with the exception of a little bit of work to some plumbing from an upstairs bathroom and rerouting of the ventilation system within the original floor joists, we were in the clear, phew!

1. Open up the space

Here is a shot of the completed kitchen from roughly the same vantage point. See how much taller the ceilings are? It makes a huge difference in the feel of the space. Dark and gloomy turned fresh and light!

2. Consider out- of- the- box design solutions

Another serious consideration before we got started was what do we do with the skinny transom window above the refrigerator? After much back and forth, we decided to eliminate it and do some open shelving instead.

3. Ensure convenience & luxury

This ended up being one of the nicest areas in the room. I am calling it the “fun zone” because it houses all the barware, wine cubbies and a bar fridge — the perfect little buffett spot for entertaining. It is flanked on either side by pull out pantries that I’m sure will get a ton of use. Since the neighboring room has literally three walls of almost full height windows, the kitchen gets plenty of light.

4. Use tiles to set the right mood
The tile we used for the backsplash was thassos marble.
Here is a shot of the tilesetter while he was still in a good mood!

More of his beautiful tilework can be seen behind the range.

5. Add some standouts

The gold shelving brackets, large pendant fixtures over the island and the tile mural behind the range all pay subtle homage to the home’s prairie style architecture and bring a bit of sparkle to the room.

Even though the room is quite large, the work triangle is very tight with the large Subzero fridge, sink and range all nearby for easy maneuvering during meal prep. There is seating for four at the island, and work aisles are generous.

A big improvement over the prior space, don’t you think?

Where can I find experienced & customer-oriented interior designers near me? 

Are you looking for a truly collaborative experience to guide you through the upcoming home renovation? The Kitchen Studio is here to provide you with a range of personalized solutions, from opulent bathroom remodels to practical and appealing kitchen upgrades. 

Over the years we have honed and perfected our design-build approach, providing clients with outstanding craftsmanship, quality consistency, and professionalism. Get in touch with us today to schedule an initial consultation, and we promise to make your vision a reality!

Watch the amazing transformation of this kitchen remodel from start to finish in this fun 80 second time lapse video.