Before and After: An Island and Storage Transform a Kitchen
An original kitchen in New Jersey becomes a functional and stylish space for a family of 5
Before. The existing kitchen included white walls, white cabinets and tan linoleum floors. In lieu of an island, the family had a breakfast table with five chairs. The wall on the left side of the photo did not support any cabinets or appliances.
Before. A standard-size doorway connected the kitchen and the dining room in the original design. The dining room featured original wood floors that remained after the renovation. The dining table also was preserved.
After. To make room for the new kitchen island, Duffy enlarged the doorway between the kitchen and the dining room by nearly 10 feet. “The end of the island almost goes all the way to the opening. If we hadn’t enlarged the opening, it would have been nearly impossible to get into the kitchen,” Duffy says.
Duffy installed new hardwood floors to replace the old linoleum floors in the kitchen. The wood floors in the dining room were refinished to match the new kitchen floors. “The woodworkers did a great job matching the floors,” Duffy says. “If you didn’t know better, you’d think that this is the way the floors had always looked.”
Wallpaper: Phillip Jeffries
Duffy installed new hardwood floors to replace the old linoleum floors in the kitchen. The wood floors in the dining room were refinished to match the new kitchen floors. “The woodworkers did a great job matching the floors,” Duffy says. “If you didn’t know better, you’d think that this is the way the floors had always looked.”
Wallpaper: Phillip Jeffries
Before. The original kitchen cabinets stopped well short of the ceiling. To the right of the gas range was an original built-in butcher block table.
After. The new cabinets now run all the way up to the ceiling, adding storage space and a more finished look. The former cabinet above the gas range was removed in order to add a new stainless steel range hood.
Duffy says the blue-and-white mosaic tile that covers the range wall and the wall above the sink looks like handmade cement tile but is actually porcelain. “I love the look of handmade cement tiles, but they can be very difficult to properly seal, especially above a stove,” Duffy says. “Oil from cooking can splatter against the backsplash and discolor cement tile, so the porcelain is much more user-friendly.”
Tile: Bella Moma, Tilebar
More
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Kitchen
5 Trade-Offs to Consider When Remodeling Your Kitchen
Duffy says the blue-and-white mosaic tile that covers the range wall and the wall above the sink looks like handmade cement tile but is actually porcelain. “I love the look of handmade cement tiles, but they can be very difficult to properly seal, especially above a stove,” Duffy says. “Oil from cooking can splatter against the backsplash and discolor cement tile, so the porcelain is much more user-friendly.”
Tile: Bella Moma, Tilebar
More
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Kitchen
5 Trade-Offs to Consider When Remodeling Your Kitchen
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Parents with three grown children living at home
Location: Maplewood, New Jersey
Size: About 200 square feet (19 square meters)
Designer: Jules Duffy Design
As part of his television series, George to the Rescue on NBC, George Oliphant works with a team of contractors and designers to help deserving families across the nation renovate their homes. For this renovation, Oliphant reached out to designer Jules Duffy to renovate an original kitchen into a light, bright and functional new space for a New Jersey couple who have two sons attending college and a daughter with special needs living at home.
Adding more storage was at the top of the to-do list for the renovation. Duffy says one of the kitchen’s walls was practically “calling out for cabinets.” The wall behind the new island now features floor-to-ceiling pantry-style cabinets that more than doubled the previous kitchen’s storage space. Additionally, Duffy added a cabinet above the new stainless steel refrigerator. “In a smaller kitchen, it’s important to utilize every square inch,” she says.
The new kitchen island is topped with white quartzite that adds a sharp contrast with the Absolute Black granite countertops on the perimeter of the kitchen. “Since the kitchen is not very large, a black countertop on the island would have felt too heavy and dark,” Duffy says. The new cabinets feature polished nickel hardware that adds a contemporary touch.
Find polished nickel hardware