spring VALLEY remodel   |   mountain brook, AL   |   COMPLETED 2017

2018 Alabama Remodeling Excellence Awards Finalist | Kitchen Remodel $40,000-$80,000 Category

This young couple found their dream home in Mountain Brook – it was just missing their dream kitchen! Desperately in need of some updating, both in looks and functionality, we began to strategize a layout that would give them the open kitchen they desired while sticking to a fairly streamlined budget. All the existing windows were kept in their original location, setting forth the parameters that the new kitchen layout would have to adhere to. Opening up the wall between the kitchen and family room removed the main wall of the kitchen where almost all of the appliances were located. With the remaining walls punctuated with doors and windows, the challenge was to determine a way to nicely incorporate a full-depth fridge, double ovens, wine cooler and pantry cabinets into a new layout. The entry to the dining room from the kitchen was closed in and the wall was moved towards the dining room 2’-6” to accommodate a full-height wall of new cabinetry. The main functions of the kitchen were stacked along this wall with two separate pantry cabinets containing pull-out trays, a built-in fridge cabinet, and built-in double ovens with storage above and below. This move allowed for maximum storage in a very open concept kitchen.

A new downdraft 5-burner gas cooktop was installed in the center of the new 8’-0” long island and an overhang was added for four barstools to pull up on one side. The new shaker style plywood construction cabinets are white on the perimeter to keep the room feeling as bright as possible, while the island is a dark gray color to pick up the contrast in the heavily veined marble countertops. A farmhouse apron front sink was installed in the same position as the original sink in order to keep plumbing costs to a minimum and maintain the view to the backyard.  Oversized lantern pendants were installed over the island as a feature fixture to accentuate the new island. The island is set apart with elevated furniture-like details since it is the main feature of the new kitchen layout. The sides of the island were built out to the end of the overhang and false panels were added to give the island more presence and hide the sides of the barstools from view.  A new refrigerator, dishwasher, cooktop and wine cooler were added to the kitchen while the double ovens were reused from the existing kitchen.

The doorway leading from the family room to the new dining room was widened to highlight the connection from kitchen to dining and help the front rooms of the home feel more connected to the rear rooms. The smaller room behind the new kitchen wall (the former dining room) was converted into a sitting room, and the cased opening was adjusted to center it on the new width of the room. A new beam was added between the kitchen and family room to match the existing beams in the family room and help mark the extents of each room. It also helped transition a 3” difference in ceiling height between these two spaces. A previous owner had covered the paneling in the Family Room with grass cloth wallpaper that the homeowners wanted to remove. New drywall was installed in this room to help it transition well into the kitchen. The beams, brick fireplace, and walls were all painted the same bright white as the Kitchen perimeter cabinets. The doors on the desk cabinet in the Family Room were replaced with custom made doors to match the new Kitchen cabinets. Hardware to match the kitchen also helped tie these two elements together from across the room.

New hardwoods were laced into the existing across the width of the space and the hardwoods were refinished throughout the home. New white subway tile was wrapped around the window over the kitchen sink and a new brass swing arm sconce sheds light down onto the sink.

Ultimately, this project turned what used to be a very dim, closed-off kitchen into a plan that was fluid, functional and fabulous for these homeowners – and they got their dream kitchen after all!