Before and After: 5 Dramatic Kitchen Makeovers
See how remodeling made these kitchens a better fit for their owners’ lifestyles and design preferences
A kitchen can be both visually pleasing and efficiently laid out. The following makeovers of five kitchens — which range from 250 to 335 square feet — show how a remodel can dramatically improve a kitchen for its owners. Which before-and-after transformation do you like most?
After: The remodeled kitchen features a 36-inch apron-front sink and three vertical windows that allow light to flood into the space. The windows are in approximately the same place as the old double window, though they cover a wider span of wall. The cabinets are Shaker-style and painted a custom white.
To the right of the sink, where the ceiling juts forward, is a load-bearing beam. Architect Laura Campbell used the beam as a dividing line between kitchen zones: The working area is to the left and storage space is to the right. The beam also marks where the kitchen used to have a peninsula (see “before” photo). The kitchen consists of two rooms: this 215-square-foot space and a connected island room.
Wall paint: Stonington Gray, Benjamin Moore
To the right of the sink, where the ceiling juts forward, is a load-bearing beam. Architect Laura Campbell used the beam as a dividing line between kitchen zones: The working area is to the left and storage space is to the right. The beam also marks where the kitchen used to have a peninsula (see “before” photo). The kitchen consists of two rooms: this 215-square-foot space and a connected island room.
Wall paint: Stonington Gray, Benjamin Moore
After: Beyond the storage zone of the kitchen is the 120-square-foot island room. The homeowners use the island as a buffet when they have guests, and the wife likes to work from here on her laptop. The island base is painted a custom navy and the countertop is Venatino marble, which was also used for the kitchen backsplash.
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After: The kitchen’s range wall has a custom plastered hood trimmed in reclaimed oak boards, which were also used for the flooring. The countertops are black granite with a honed leather finish.
“After” photos by Courtney Apple
2. Cookie-Cutter to Personality-Filled
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 existing kitchen had a gas cooktop on the island — it took up most of the island’s surface and was a little hazardous to get around. The cabinets were small and the finishes weren’t to the homeowners’ taste.
2. Cookie-Cutter to Personality-Filled
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 existing kitchen had a gas cooktop on the island — it took up most of the island’s surface and was a little hazardous to get around. The cabinets were small and the finishes weren’t to the homeowners’ taste.
After: The homeowners wanted a kitchen that didn’t feel brand-new and that had character. Designer Sean Lewis chose classic materials such as Shaker-style cabinets, slate floors and subway tile. The upper cabinets are a cheery green that the homeowners fell in love with (Talipot Palm by Sherwin-Williams); the lower cabinets are cherry.
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After: The new island has a black granite countertop, and Lewis put a new stainless steel gas range and oven on the kitchen’s back wall. The custom range hood is made from black-painted MDF.
Read more about this kitchen makeover
Read more about this kitchen makeover
“After” photos by Meagan Larsen
3. Crowded Sight to Craftsman Delight
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A married couple
Location: Warren, Oregon
Size: About 250 square feet (23 square meters)
Designer: Amy Pearson of Adapt Design
Before: The existing kitchen had a breakfast bar with built-in cooktop that cut off the room and restricted flow. The homeowners wanted to improve the kitchen’s layout and add details in the Craftsman style they love.
3. Crowded Sight to Craftsman Delight
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A married couple
Location: Warren, Oregon
Size: About 250 square feet (23 square meters)
Designer: Amy Pearson of Adapt Design
Before: The existing kitchen had a breakfast bar with built-in cooktop that cut off the room and restricted flow. The homeowners wanted to improve the kitchen’s layout and add details in the Craftsman style they love.
After: Designer Amy Pearson removed the breakfast bar and small island and replaced them with a larger island with turned legs, a leathered granite countertop, a prep sink and a built-in microwave drawer.
The wood cabinetry is cherry and the floors are multicolored slate.
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The wood cabinetry is cherry and the floors are multicolored slate.
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After: Pearson removed the double oven and replaced the old black refrigerator with a new stainless steel one. The new upper cabinets are painted a custom shade of gray-green.
Read more about this kitchen makeover
Read more about this kitchen makeover
Photos by Collings & Heal Photographic Services
4. Cluttered and Dark to Open and Light
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A young professional couple expecting their first baby
Location: Bangor, Northern Ireland
Size: 315 square feet (29 square meters)
Designer: Simon Lennox of Adornas Kitchens & Interiors
Before: The existing kitchen was dark and had too many wall cabinets. The homeowners wanted a brighter, more open space.
4. Cluttered and Dark to Open and Light
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A young professional couple expecting their first baby
Location: Bangor, Northern Ireland
Size: 315 square feet (29 square meters)
Designer: Simon Lennox of Adornas Kitchens & Interiors
Before: The existing kitchen was dark and had too many wall cabinets. The homeowners wanted a brighter, more open space.
After: Designer Simon Lennox worked with the homeowners to mix traditional and modern styles and create a kitchen with an industrial feel and elements you might see in a professional kitchen. Freeing the walls of upper cabinets helped visually open the space, as did the white wall tile.
The base cabinets feature slab doors in pale gray with a matte finish and black bar handles.
Read more about this kitchen makeover
Read more about this kitchen makeover
5. Tight Space to Room for Grandkids
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A woman and her pets
Location: Township of Langley, outside Vancouver, British Columbia
Size: 300 square feet (28 square meters)
Designer: Jamie Banfield of Jamie Banfield Interior Designs
Before: The homeowner wanted to renovate her kitchen to prepare for hosting future grandchildren, which meant making it larger. Designer Jamie Banfield helped the homeowner combine the space seen here with the adjacent dining room (see next photo).
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A woman and her pets
Location: Township of Langley, outside Vancouver, British Columbia
Size: 300 square feet (28 square meters)
Designer: Jamie Banfield of Jamie Banfield Interior Designs
Before: The homeowner wanted to renovate her kitchen to prepare for hosting future grandchildren, which meant making it larger. Designer Jamie Banfield helped the homeowner combine the space seen here with the adjacent dining room (see next photo).
Before: This is the existing dining room, which became part of the kitchen during the remodel. Notice the bump-out on the wall that houses a hutch. The bump-out is where the 30-inch-deep refrigerator now stands in the remodeled kitchen.
After: Banfield created a modern farmhouse-style kitchen with an L-shaped layout that lets light in through the window and French doors. The window over the sink is in about the same place as it was in the old kitchen; Banfield made it larger and added mullions. The old kitchen stopped where the range now stands.
The cabinets are modified Shaker-style with a bevel in the rails and stiles. The lower cabinets are a dark color (Polo Blue by Benjamin Moore) to help hide the wear and tear from pets and future grandkids. The uppers are a warm, muddy clay (Horizon by Benjamin Moore). The backsplash tile is from Ann Sacks.
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The cabinets are modified Shaker-style with a bevel in the rails and stiles. The lower cabinets are a dark color (Polo Blue by Benjamin Moore) to help hide the wear and tear from pets and future grandkids. The uppers are a warm, muddy clay (Horizon by Benjamin Moore). The backsplash tile is from Ann Sacks.
Read more about this kitchen makeover
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Browse millions of photos for inspiration
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1. Plain and Dark to Inviting and Bright
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with a daughter in elementary school
Size: 335 square feet (31 square meters) including the island room
Location: Rosemont neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia
Designers: Laura Campbell of Convene Architecture and Kristin Try of Gingham & Grosgrain
Before: Prior to the renovation, the kitchen had wood cabinets and only one double window, seen here over the sink.