Transforming a Home Through Sorrow To Joy

 

Last summer, I got a call from a potential client, Samantha, who wanted to revamp her family's home. They'd been through some trying times as a family with the loss of her mom to cancer, but from sorrow had risen some joy. She was pregnant with her second child, so needed to get the renovation completed before his arrival. Here's where we started:

A very cramped kitchen, thanks to the eat in breakfast table and a need for more storage.

And poor lighting from the dropped ceiling and a layout that needed some revision.

Several made the following changes :

• Relocated the refrigerator to the old pantry area so it wouldn't be the first thing you see when you walked through the front door.
• Removed the wall that divided the living and dining room to create a large peninsula with seating for up to six, eliminating the need for an eat-in table
• Removed the drop ceiling and installed recessed lights and under cabinet lights on multiple switches so the family could use lighting as needed.
• This project also included the removal of all existing tile for new porcelain wood-look tile, a very dusty affair which meant the family left for a few days.

The peninsula has cabinets on both sides for additional storage. 

The refrigerator is now tucked away in the former pantry area. 

And the family now has a microwave above the range instead of the previous microwave that sat atop the countertop.

We paid special attention to the sink zone that offered clear proof that a double sink isn't always best!

We traded the double sink for a single, deep farmhouse sink that be better equipped to hide those dishes. We also relocated the dishwasher to the other side of the sink so we could fit a cabinet for garbage and accommodate a corner cabinet with a lazy suzanne.

To tie it all together, we added a simple gray glass tile, to connect with the new grey color used throughout the house.

 We were supposed to only work on the kitchen and guest bathroom so sadly, I never took before photos of the rest of the home. But in true form, and of course once we removed the walls separating the living and dining rooms, the design project expanded to those rooms  as well.

You can see a glimpse of the dining room in this photo.

 

We replaced the large china buffet to create room for a more modern table that seats six with a smaller buffet nearby.

 A new light fixture also defined the area.

Here's a full view of the completely revamped space.

This entryway was once a drop zone for diaper boxes and random bulk purchases. We created a true entryway, with a console for keys and storage on top and below, and words for this family, who'd endured so much, to remember each day. 
Huge thanks to Samantha and her family for allowing us to transform their home. It was quite an ordeal to tackle such a monster renovation with a family of six living through it, but we sprinkled in some design therapy on occasion to restore calm to some often frayed nerves! 
Up next, we'll reveal the nursery. Yes, that was added to our to-do list as well.

Shop the Look

Sink:here or here
Faucet: here or here
Kitchen Stools: here , here or (Sexy Man Cave Version) here
Dinning Chairs: here, here or here
Dining Table: here or here
Dining Rug: here or here
Chandelier: here or here
Art: here or here
Sectional: here or here
Media Console: here or here
End table: here or here
Entry Console: (Mirrored version)here or here
Sideboard: here or here 
Living room rug: here or here