Townhouse Kitchen - before and after

9 years ago

Finally, after years of lurking here, I get to post my own before/after pics! I took many ideas from this forum over the years and I thank all of you who have posted - you've given me inspiration and you probably didn't even realize it.

This first view is looking directly into the original kitchen. This was a contractor's kitchen built in 1982 and the cabinets are the original oak front with cheap interiors. Note how tiny the kitchen triangle is. The stove, sink and refrigerator are all jammed together. This layout could handle one cook only, and even then it was awkward. Oh, and I was addicted to refrigerator magnets.

Here is the same view now. Note that you can't even see the refrigerator (left) and barely see the sink (right). The kitchen triangle is now huge, the counters are deeper, and the kitchen is now u-shaped.

My townhouse is small and has an open floor plan, so the kitchen was one of the first things people saw when they came in through the front door:

Now this is what they see when they come through the front door:

A "feature" of the orginal kitchen was the island with hanging cabinets above it. The kitchen designer called it "the monolith" and my aunt called it "the hulk". The island itself was not very useful because of the kitchen layout. It was sort of away from where all the cooking actually happened.

Here is what that same view looks like now:

The new kitchen makes my entire townhouse look larger. The best compliment I got was from my daughter, who said, "It looks just the way it should look!" And now when the family visits, we can all cook together. It's a fabulous kitchen to cook in!

Comments (36)

joygreenwald
9 years ago
Congratulations! You must be so happy every time you walk in the door.
DeeV78
9 years ago
What an incredible transformation. Great job on the layout....so much more inviting and functional.
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mgmum
9 years ago
It looks awesome!
suzanne_sl
9 years ago
Wow! This is amazing. Great job!
bicyclegirl1
9 years ago
Great job. It's so nice & open & light. Congratulations.
sjhockeyfan325
9 years ago
It's just beautiful - I'm sure you'll be very happy using it!
sixtyohno
9 years ago
Beautiful and practical and your home is lovely.
bbstx
9 years ago
Very well done! Hardly looks like the same house!
MizLizzie
9 years ago
Wow, what an improvement. Everything just opened up. And I know exactly what you mean about how people here inspire you. Enjoy your lovely new kitchen!
cat_mom
9 years ago
Much better!! :)
crl_
9 years ago
That's great! Thank you for sharing the pictures!
wilson853
9 years ago
Wow - looks so much bigger! Very pretty and great use of the space. Just goes to show that you can use the same footprint and make it so much more functional. The new bar looks like a great place to hang out and talk to the cook. Congrats! Well done!
practigal
9 years ago
Fabulous!
Jillius
9 years ago
What was the reason for angling the base cabinet next to the fridge?
amck2
9 years ago
What a great remodel! It makes your entire home more inviting, in addition to providing a better functioning kitchen. What a lovely space you've created.
mrspete
9 years ago
Great!

The funny thing is that most of us really like glass-front cabinets and consider them an upgrade, but in your original pictures, they were "too busy" for the space. So the basic cabinet doors, which might be -- hypothetically -- considered "lesser" are MUCH better in your space.
Parhelion
Original Author
9 years ago
@jillius - the cabinet was angled because the wall with the refrigerator was not flat, there was an inset because there is an outside storage room on the other side. Here's a "during" photo that shows the bump out in that wall, and why the cabinet next to the fridge was angled:

Thank you everyone for the compliments!
brightm
9 years ago
Looks great! I can imagine several people cooking in there now, which is even better than looking great. :)
onedogedie
9 years ago
What a great transformations. Imagining the Hulk with its doors on, it's amazing that builders/designers could be so clueless.

I like your old fridge's magnet collection!
bpath
9 years ago
So you have a standard-depth refrigerator? That worked out well! Is the cupboard above it deeper than normal?

It's really beautiful kitchen now, and I love how the patio doors seem more open to the living room without the menacing monolith barring the way.
pricklypearcactus
9 years ago
Beautiful! The layout changes look really functional and pleasing to the eye. I am usually all about single level island/peninsulas, but your application is a perfect example of where the raised peninsula is good. It keeps the sink hidden and leaves the space open while not exposing everything to the front door. Nicely done!
LE
9 years ago
it DOES look "just the way it should look"! Great job, I bet it is fun to come home to.
Hydragea
9 years ago
Your layout is soothing. It is SO much better, visually, and I would assume functionally, as well. I like your choices of finishes too!
Mags438
9 years ago
Now it's perfect.
jkliveng
9 years ago
LOVE what you have done.

You could add a nice touch to the wall where the stools are also if you wanted some day. I am not good with design, but a bead board or something might look nice there.
texasgal47
9 years ago
Great selection of layout and materials. I love everything you've done and how the space looks so much larger. Often when I see wood cabinets with wood floors it just looks like too much of a good thing. However in your kitchen, all of that wood looks warm and inviting. Also love the red pendants over the sink and how they flow with the entire space. Kudos on a really super job. And thanks for sharing, really enjoyed seeing your remodel.
Marc Johnson
9 years ago
That's AWESOME. Very, very well done! AND .. you also moved the sofa which was also smart. I think we get do focused on the kitchen that we're working on and forget to look at the adjoining space for some minor improvements/rearrangements there!

This post was edited by marcojohnson on Thu, Sep 25, 14 at 13:53
susanlynn2012
9 years ago
Parhelion, I love the changed layout, your beautiful cabinets, your beautiful counters, and how much light you have! Your layout is now the same as my townhouse's layout but in a reverse U-Shape. My kitchen is also open to the family room and I keep telling kitchen designers that In my situation I really do not want pretty glass doors.

Can I see a picture of your dining room as I am doing recessed lights in my home office with is the living room and dining room but I was only going to do them in the living room. My kitchen is open to the family room and not the living room. Some of the electricians want me to continue the recessed lights into the dining room, but others thought I should not.

Can you give us details to your beautiful cabinets and counters and which light bulbs you went with?

I also love your daughter's comment!

Thank you for sharing.
function_first
9 years ago
Huge change! How beautiful, great job! Great bit of luck to have the fridge area recessed like that, full depth capacity at counter depth foot print. Changing the kitchen really updates the whole space, money very well spent!
Parhelion
Original Author
9 years ago
@lynn2006, dining area is to the left of the kitchen; you can see the dining room chairs on the left side of both of the "this is what you see from the front door" photos. However when I'm at my home PC tonight I'll post different angles so you can see the dining area.

Cabinets - Ultracraft, Breckenridge in cherry.
Countertops - Cambria Bradshaw
Pendants - from Bellacor, Essex Satin Nickel Red Blown Case Glass LED
Kitchen recessed lighting was an earlier project - basic Home Depot recessed lighting, and I have CFL bulbs in there now.
Living room recessed lighting was also an earlier project, those are mini LED lights and I got them from Home Depot too.
Bamboo floors - yet another project that was done years earlier before the kitchen.

Hope that is helpful, and like I said, when I get home tonight I'll post a different angle so you can see the dining area better.
romy718
9 years ago
Your cherry cabinets are beautiful. Really impressed with how you redesigned your kitchen & opened up the space. Lovely - enjoy your new kitchen!
susanlynn2012
9 years ago
Parhelion, thank you for sharing the details. I love the cherry cabinets and how they go up to the ceiling with crown molding. The counters really go so nicely with your cabinets and the kitchen is so warm, pretty and functional. My sliding patio door is in my kitchen so I lose a wall and the other wall has the half wall area that you now have open to the family room. I am so happy to see that I am right that an island would not be good for my kitchen as I love your layout which is so similar to mine.

I do love your red pendants so much! I love the red rug in front of your sink. I have a red teapot and a red pot on my stove as well as other red accessories as I love the color red.

My kitchen has a pantry closet next to the refrigerator but I do not have the recessed area which I sure wish I did as my refrigerator sticks out so now I wish I had gotten a counter depth refrigerator.

I can't wait to see pictures of your dining room when you have more time.
westsider40
9 years ago
Beautiful. Looks so easy to work in with all that counter space and storage. Great job.
Parhelion
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you everyone for the kind comments! :)

@lynn2006, finally finally I got around to posting these photos of my "dining room". Apologies for being so late.

You can see it's just an alcove off the kitchen. With the other photos from the front door, hopefully you can see the full layout and it's helpful.
susanlynn2012
9 years ago
Parhelion, thank you for sharing the pictures. They did help me. I love your new renovated space. Your dining room is so nice also.
lisa_a
9 years ago
Oh, wow, how did I miss this reveal the first go-round? It's lovely! What a difference you've made to your home and kitchen. Really well done!