Before and After: 3 Kitchens Full of Traditional Charm
See how nods to the style and craftsmanship of earlier eras transformed kitchens as small as 75 square feet
If you’re looking to add charm to a lackluster kitchen, consider harking back to the American and English kitchens of yesteryear. That’s what designers did when upgrading these kitchens, which combine traditional features like corbels, turned legs, crown molding and cabinet vent holes with modern conveniences and functional layouts. Let’s take a closer look at how the pros combined old, new and tried-and-true in these dramatic makeovers.
After: Lead designer Katie Wick first took down the wall in the foreground of the previous photo, which divided the kitchen and living room. That allowed her to add an island and create an efficient work triangle by moving the sink, refrigerator and range locations. She also cut down the booth so it’s now flush with the left wall but still accommodates the family of four, then added a mosaic glass tile floor and a schoolhouse-style pendant lamp.
For a style that fit the home’s architecture, she borrowed design details from older English and American kitchens. For example, in the door fronts of the new kitchen cabinetry (which were custom-designed and built in the Jkath cabinet shop), Wick added diamond-shaped ventilation holes. She painted the perimeter cabinets Woodlawn Blue from Benjamin Moore’s Historical Colors collection.
For a style that fit the home’s architecture, she borrowed design details from older English and American kitchens. For example, in the door fronts of the new kitchen cabinetry (which were custom-designed and built in the Jkath cabinet shop), Wick added diamond-shaped ventilation holes. She painted the perimeter cabinets Woodlawn Blue from Benjamin Moore’s Historical Colors collection.
Before: Where the new apron-front sink now sits, a granite counter from a prior renovation topped an old sink cabinet. Above it was a newer double casement window with no grids.
20 Kitchens Straight Out of the English Countryside
20 Kitchens Straight Out of the English Countryside
After: Now above the sink are new twin double-hung windows with six-over-six sashes that are more consistent with the look of those from the Colonial period.
The walnut island’s turned legs — another nod to tradition — were inspired by the spindles of a nearby staircase.
Less “period” and more practical are the countertop and backsplash, which are HanStone, a low-maintenance natural quartz material.
Read more about this kitchen remodel
The walnut island’s turned legs — another nod to tradition — were inspired by the spindles of a nearby staircase.
Less “period” and more practical are the countertop and backsplash, which are HanStone, a low-maintenance natural quartz material.
Read more about this kitchen remodel
“After” photos by Stephanie Russo
2. The Cotswolds in Cali
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and the youngest two of their four children
Location: Nevada City, California
Size (kitchen area only): About 75 square feet (7 square meters); 9 feet, 10 inches by 7 feet, 11 inches
Designer: Jada Gilbert of Design Shop Interiors
Before: In a small cabin in California’s Gold Country, this kitchen had dark cabinetry and basic appliances and cabinets befitting the home’s former role as a short-term rental.
The new owners planned to live there full time and wanted the kitchen’s function and style to better suit their family. After carefully removing the cabinets and appliances so they could be reused, they worked with designer Jada Gilbert of Design Shop Interiors to create their dream kitchen.
2. The Cotswolds in Cali
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and the youngest two of their four children
Location: Nevada City, California
Size (kitchen area only): About 75 square feet (7 square meters); 9 feet, 10 inches by 7 feet, 11 inches
Designer: Jada Gilbert of Design Shop Interiors
Before: In a small cabin in California’s Gold Country, this kitchen had dark cabinetry and basic appliances and cabinets befitting the home’s former role as a short-term rental.
The new owners planned to live there full time and wanted the kitchen’s function and style to better suit their family. After carefully removing the cabinets and appliances so they could be reused, they worked with designer Jada Gilbert of Design Shop Interiors to create their dream kitchen.
After: This photo captures the new U-shaped layout, which has a 30-inch freestanding stainless steel range where there once was a window. The custom-built cabinets are painted in Farrow & Ball’s Stony Ground, a light taupe, and the countertop and backsplash are Carrara marble.
Taking cues from the owners’ love of deVOL kitchens, Gilbert incorporated signature English cottage kitchen features in the design, including open shelving supported by shapely corbels, Shaker pegs and cabinet vent holes in the full-height cabinetry.
To tie together the disparate types of flooring in the house, the owners covered them all in a heavy-duty white floor paint.
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Taking cues from the owners’ love of deVOL kitchens, Gilbert incorporated signature English cottage kitchen features in the design, including open shelving supported by shapely corbels, Shaker pegs and cabinet vent holes in the full-height cabinetry.
To tie together the disparate types of flooring in the house, the owners covered them all in a heavy-duty white floor paint.
Shop for kitchen storage and organization products
Before: Where there’s now a stainless steel refrigerator and full-height pantry, there used to be a cooktop and a microwave stashed in a cabinet designed for an oven.
New to home remodeling? Click here to learn the basics
New to home remodeling? Click here to learn the basics
After: An appliance garage sits to the right of the new fridge. And on either side of the range backsplash and hood are shelves and pegs that hold cooking necessities and decorative items.
Unlacquered brass fixtures, hardware and electrical plate covers will add to the English country look by developing a patina over time.
Read more about this kitchen remodel
Unlacquered brass fixtures, hardware and electrical plate covers will add to the English country look by developing a patina over time.
Read more about this kitchen remodel
Photos by Matti Gresham
3. A Plum Kitchen (and Color Choice)
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Designer Ginger Curtis, founder of Urbanology Designs, and her family
Location: Weatherford, Texas
Before: When designer Ginger Curtis and her family purchased a 2,000-square-foot (186-square-meter) 1922 cottage in historic Weatherford, Texas, as a second home, she and her husband decided it would also serve as a short-term rental property. She also envisioned the house as a laboratory for her work at Urbanology Designs, the design firm she founded.
The whole house would get an overhaul, including the existing kitchen, seen here. The cabinet-packed space presented a great opportunity for experimentation — especially since they wouldn’t need to preserve all the storage space given that this was a vacation home and rental.
3. A Plum Kitchen (and Color Choice)
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Designer Ginger Curtis, founder of Urbanology Designs, and her family
Location: Weatherford, Texas
Before: When designer Ginger Curtis and her family purchased a 2,000-square-foot (186-square-meter) 1922 cottage in historic Weatherford, Texas, as a second home, she and her husband decided it would also serve as a short-term rental property. She also envisioned the house as a laboratory for her work at Urbanology Designs, the design firm she founded.
The whole house would get an overhaul, including the existing kitchen, seen here. The cabinet-packed space presented a great opportunity for experimentation — especially since they wouldn’t need to preserve all the storage space given that this was a vacation home and rental.
After: Taking down the upper cabinets immediately made the room feel more open and airy. In their place, Curtis installed a long white oak shelf with a brass rail that matches the vintage-look brass faucet. She also added crown molding to the kitchen’s original millwork to amp up the drama.
The designer often sticks to more neutral palettes, but here she used the cottage as an opportunity to experiment with color and painted the millwork and cabinetry a deep purple (Plum Brown by Sherwin-Williams).
The designer often sticks to more neutral palettes, but here she used the cottage as an opportunity to experiment with color and painted the millwork and cabinetry a deep purple (Plum Brown by Sherwin-Williams).
The island looks like an antique, but it was actually designed by Curtis after she couldn’t find a vintage piece in the right scale. She then designed the custom range hood to play off the island.
The stove alcove nods to an English cottage kitchen, as does its black-and-white backsplash. Meanwhile, unexpected lighting fixtures add a fun modern pop.
Read more about this home remodel
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The stove alcove nods to an English cottage kitchen, as does its black-and-white backsplash. Meanwhile, unexpected lighting fixtures add a fun modern pop.
Read more about this home remodel
More on Houzz
Read more kitchen stories
Browse kitchen photos
Hire a kitchen remodeler
Shop for kitchen products
1. Colonial Revival Kitchen, Revived
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A young couple with two small children
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
Size: About 400 square feet (37 square meters)
Designer: Katie Wick of Jkath Design Build + Reinvent
Before: This existing kitchen in a 1922 Minnesota home had been updated but didn’t reflect the architecture’s Colonial Revival style. Plus, a dining booth stuck out into the room a bit, making the poorly laid-out space feel even further cramped.
So the owners hired Jkath Design Build + Reinvent to improve the kitchen’s functionality and look.
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