See How This Cookie-Cutter Kitchen Gets Infused With Personality
Before and after: The Pennsylvania kitchen becomes a handsome space with bold green cabinets
Bryan Anthony
October 20, 2019
While these homeowners loved the neighborhood of their recently purchased home just outside of Philadelphia, they were much less enthusiastic about its early-1990s cookie-cutter kitchen. “The cabinets were too small, the refrigerator was in the wrong location and the island cooktop was a little dangerous,” says designer Sean Lewis. “Updating all the surfaces and changing up the location of the appliances made a dramatic difference.”
“After” photos by Courtney Apple
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with one child living at home and another in college
Location: Wynnewood, Pennsylvania
Size: About 275 square feet (26 square meters)
Designer: Sean Lewis of Airy Kitchens
Before: The previous kitchen included a gas cooktop range on the island and a double oven along a perimeter wall. “The old island was pretty small, so having a cooktop on it felt a little dangerous because it took up the entire surface and was hard to get around,” Lewis says
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with one child living at home and another in college
Location: Wynnewood, Pennsylvania
Size: About 275 square feet (26 square meters)
Designer: Sean Lewis of Airy Kitchens
Before: The previous kitchen included a gas cooktop range on the island and a double oven along a perimeter wall. “The old island was pretty small, so having a cooktop on it felt a little dangerous because it took up the entire surface and was hard to get around,” Lewis says
After: Adding character and a sense of history to the kitchen was one of the top requests from the homeowners. “They didn’t want a kitchen that felt brand new,” Lewis says. Therefore, he added classic features and materials that have stood the test of time, including slate floors, Shaker-style cabinets and subway tiles for the backsplash.
Find a kitchen designer near you
Find a kitchen designer near you
The new island is topped with a solid slab of black granite, freeing up space for family and friends to hang out without fear of burning themselves. A new stainless steel gas range and oven has replaced the old cooktop and double oven. The new custom range hood is made out of painted black MDF.
Shop for gas ranges on Houzz
Shop for gas ranges on Houzz
Before: The previous kitchen included a mix of wood and Formica countertops and cabinets. The ceiling soffit above the upper cabinets was “very common in kitchens built in the late ’80s and early ’90s,” Lewis says.
After: The ceiling soffits from the previous kitchen were removed to allow the new upper cabinets to go all the way to the ceiling. However, to keep the space from feeling too cramped, Lewis added a floating shelf made out of cherrywood along the range wall. “It allows the family to grab everyday plates without having to open the cabinets,” he says.
The new Shaker-style cabinets are painted in a bold green Sherwin-Williams hue called Talipot Palm. “I brought in a paint fan in all different shades of green, and the homeowners were immediately drawn to the boldest shade,” Lewis says. “I even painted a mockup cabinet door to make sure they were OK with the color before moving forward — but they couldn’t be happier with it.”
The new Shaker-style cabinets are painted in a bold green Sherwin-Williams hue called Talipot Palm. “I brought in a paint fan in all different shades of green, and the homeowners were immediately drawn to the boldest shade,” Lewis says. “I even painted a mockup cabinet door to make sure they were OK with the color before moving forward — but they couldn’t be happier with it.”
Before: The countertop to the right of the double oven in the previous kitchen was filled with small appliances, such as a microwave and coffee maker.
After: To conceal the clutter, Lewis designed an appliance garage with folding doors to store small kitchen appliances and accessories.
The inside of the appliance garage is lined with painted beadboard and features two floating shelves made out of cherrywood. “Since I figured the appliance garage would often be open, I wanted to make sure the inside looked just as good as the outside,” Lewis says.
Before: The previous breakfast area included a round dining table, Venetian blinds and linoleum floors.
After: Lewis and his team added a built-in banquette with storage underneath and covered it in the same bold green paint used for the upper cabinets. The floors are now covered in gray-green slate tiles. Roller shades above the windows are hidden behind custom valances made out of reclaimed barn wood.
More on Houzz
Before and After: 13 Dramatic Kitchen Transformations
Cooking Up Color: 8 Kitchens That Bring the Green
Look for a kitchen designer near you
Browse slate floor tiles
More on Houzz
Before and After: 13 Dramatic Kitchen Transformations
Cooking Up Color: 8 Kitchens That Bring the Green
Look for a kitchen designer near you
Browse slate floor tiles
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I had the exact same "before" cabinets in a house we bought 5 years ago. The home was built in 1982. We gutted and re-designed the entire space. I love green, but the shade on the new cabinetry is very strong. We put in a sage green island with shaker-style cabinets. Perimeter cabinets are a nice deeper wood color. Other than the cabinet color it's a very nice remodel for the space they had to work with. Love the windows, sky lights and banquette. So much sunshine!
It’s their kitchen, they can have whatever shade green makes them happy, and it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks of it.
I really like the appliance garage. On the other hand, keeping plates on an open shelf next to the range just doesn't make sense to me. All the steam and oil from cooking will land on the dishes.