I’m excited to show this transformational before / after! Chris and Jenny live in a 1996 house in Travis Country, and after 15 years, this kitchen had seen some serious wear and tear. As an avid cook and high-heat stir-fryer, Chris longed for a more central location for the cooktop to showcase his skills and socialize with friends and family. Jenny, the sous chef, needed a clear workspace and much better storage to control the clutter.

The original layout had a central island that was really too small for prep work, and the pantry occupied a large amount of space in the corner. Three drywall-sheathed columns framed the kitchen without much order or rationale to their shape. The dining table seemed a bit too large for its space.

Below is a photo of the kitchen before our renovation…

…and after, the same view. The new layout gives some order to the large space, defining the kitchen, vestibule and bar area. A large island features a cooktop and floating hood, so Chris can face out to his family and guests while cooking. We moved the refrigerator to the back wall, with pantry cabinets on either side. A bar area with a wood top separates the ovens from the dining banquette.

The first time I visited the house, I noted all the 45 degree angles in the rooms. Chris and Jenny liked how the angles set up a dynamic relationship between the rooms, and wanted to incorporate some of this in the design of the kitchen. We took the inspiration into the vestibule, which before looked like this:

…and after, has a slight inward bend to its shape. This was a good way to bring some form into the space without compromising the kitchen layout or cabinetry.

The vestibule cabinet served as an overflow for the kitchen, and holds china, decorative items, and some of the books and binders that were formerly cluttering this space. A little niche was built into the side wall by the island for spices and salt.

This before view shows the back wall of the kitchen: the pantry on the left, which dominated the scale of the kitchen, the cramped cooking area for the range and micro-hood, and the narrow island.

This back wall works much better for the ‘big solids’ in the kitchen: refrigerator and pantry cabinets. The door faces were skinned with shiplap to give a modern rustic style to the kitchen, but also to break up the scale of this large storage element. The island surface is a Brazillian Santos mahogany, and we repeated this material in the corner shelves in the upper cabinets to the right. Stainless steel buttons act as a trivet for larger serving dishes, set up right in front of the chef for his presentations.

We kept the sink located under the big window, but Jenny removed the shade so they have a great view of their banana plant outside. The new light fixtures are from Rejuvenation Hardware, and this countertop is Caesarstone Nougat. The sink is a large single-bowl cast iron from Rohl and really helps brighten this work area.

The backsplash is an embossed edge, matte white tile from the Ann Sacks, Barbara Barry line. Our idea for the color scheme was to go softer and in blue /grey tones, a nice change from the bold yellows and reds!

This project was completed in about 11 weeks – Tonianne and her crew did a great job! Thanks to all these providers and skilled people who contributed to the project:

Contractor: Tonianne Soster of TAS Construction – 512.825.3773

Cabinetry: FABShop, Richard Macdonald

Wood Countertops: DeVos Custom Woodworking

Tile: Ann Sacks

Appliances: All KitchenAid, from Kiva Kitchen & Bath

Hardware: Push Pull Open Close

Photography: Allison Cartwright of Twist Tours

photo by Whit Preston

Rich and Christina live in the Hancock neighborhood in a lovely 1930′s Tudor-style cottage. The house has so many unique architectural elements, like arched doorways and niches, a curved chimney detail, old Austin brick, and oak flooring. With a master suite and living area that occupy a renovated attic, and two bedrooms, a shared bath, an office, and a powder bath downstairs, this is the perfect family house in a historic neighborhood.

The kitchen, however, was not original, and was not functioning for their family. The old kitchen occupied the middle of the house as a tiny U-shape, with a hulking refrigerator swinging right into the main pathway. A barely-big-enough dining nook was the first room they entered from the back of the house, and the table tended to accumulate lots of bags and incoming items. The original ‘dining room’ was being used more as a playroom with toys and a couch – it was a beautiful room, but under utilized.

Our new plan was to take down the wall dividing kitchen and original dining room, and create a gracious, eat-in kitchen for the family. The back entry area was transformed into a mudroom / lounge, and the utility was expanded to have a wrap-around counter and more functional powder room.

Here is a view of the kitchen before, as seen from the back entry:

before

Our new kitchen expands into the middle dining room, bringing the kitchen to the heart of the house with a view of the front living area and backyard at the same time. A seating island with a range takes center stage, with a modern vent hood above.

photo by Whit Preston

The old kitchen divided the space with a peninsula, but there still wasn’t quite enough room for the dining table. This also resulted in the space feeling choppy without enough definition.

before

We introduced a large arched opening to define the threshold between the mudroom lounge from the kitchen area. The back entry now has enough space and allows everyone to spread out a little when they get home.

photo by Whit Preston

The old dining room was used more as a kids’ play area, but I saw a space that could be better used.

before

The new kitchen sink moved under these three windows, which were raised to lift above counter height. Otherwise, all the window sizes were preserved. As the exterior of the house is brick, we wanted to bring some of that texture to the interior: this McIntyre Elgin brick tile is 3/8″ thick and glazed a ‘Frappe’ color.

photo by Whit Preston

We chose white oak for the cabinetry to blend with the original red & white oak at the floor. The open shelves bring some color with their decorative objects but also provide an accessible spot for the microwave. I love how the brick tile behind the shelves carries through from the exterior, and mimics the fireplace in the front living room.

photo by Whit Preston

We took cues from the original house to bring some life into the space. The existing doorway to the hall was altered to match the arched door to the living area, a change that was good for opening up the space and bringing light to different areas of the house. The pantry is tucked away under the stairs in a cabinet that sits almost flush with the wall. The crystal chandelier is a family heirloom, and deserved a new focal point in the home.

At the mudroom entry, we installed new hooks, upper cabinets, and shoe drawers below the bench. The floor tile and walls are dark for aesthetic as well as practical purposes – knicks and dirt that gets tracked in aren’t quite as noticeable!

photo by Whit Preston

On the opposite wall, these new shelves frame the window and provide another place for decorative things, photos, books and kids’ toys. I love the fabric Christina picked for the chair, shades and bench seat.

photo by Whit Preston

We worked with a great contractor, Matt Davenport of Home Source Construction, who kept his eye on all the details and peculiarities of the old house. He and his crew did an amazing job and got everything done in 7 weeks – fantastic! I know the family was relieved to get back into their normal routine. From what I’ve heard, it’s much easier now for the cook to keep her eye on everything, and the open space means more quality time together.

Contractor: Matt Davenport of Home Source Construction

Tile: Nicole Black of McIntyre & Elgin Butler

Photography: Whit Preston

photo by Whit Preston

Laura and Blake live in a 1954 house in the Allandale neighborhood, known for its wide lots, mid-century era homes and great city parks. Their compact 1260 sf house was built as part of an experiment to determine the effects of central air conditioning in domestic life; the four streets of the development earned the nickname ‘Air Conditioned Village.’ The Allandale Reporter covers this interesting story in detail: How Allandale Pioneered Central Air Conditioning. Here’s a great excerpt from the 1954 House & Home article:

Laura & Blake’s house looks quite a bit like the one in the photo, with long simple overhangs, an open carport, and big casement windows. Our approach to the kitchen renovation would incorporate some of these features and gain inspiration from the colors and openness of mid-century design.

The original kitchen lacked the character of the times: instead of an open plan, it had a cramped, u-shaped work surface that divided the long room into ‘kitchen’ and ‘breakfast area’, neither of which were really adequate for their purposes. New appliances never quite fit their designated spots; the refrigerator stuck out like a sore thumb, and a freestanding range had too much space on each side.

before

The new kitchen takes on a galley form, with a window ledge and countertop on the outside wall, and an extra deep counter on the range and refrigerator wall. We opened the wall toward the dining room to the ceiling, which allows light to flood the ceiling. New eight-foot long windows give a gracious view to the backyard.

On the opposite wall, we cleaned up the storage closet, pantry and laundry with a new cabinets for a more clean, organized look. The pantry is broken down into upper cabinets, a butcher block work surface, and lower drawers, a configuration that I think works pretty well for the various sizes and weights of dry goods.

photo by Whit Preston

before

Our new range slides in to the new white oak butcher block counters. We deepened this counter to 30″ to wrap around the back of the range, creating a handy spot for spices or bottles of olive oil. The lower cabinets are super deep, with a 28″ long drawer box for an amazing extent of storage. The upper cabinets are also deeper than normal – 16″ instead of 12″ – which just gives that much more room for plates, on-hand cooking items, and glassware.

photo by Whit Preston

before

We used a Kohler undermount stainless sink, Hansgrohe faucet, and a white Caesarstone at the sink side for easy maintenance, since the oak is more susceptible to water damage. I like how the white matches the cabinets for a super clean look.

photo by Whit Preston

The additional open shelves under the window ledge bring a little color into the space and provide easy-to-reach storage for everyday dinnerware, bowls, and decorative items.

photo by Whit Preston

The cork flooring complements the era of the house and gives warmth to the kitchen. We chose a cool, bright white for the cabinets and walls, and used a ‘Falcon Blue’ tile at the backsplash to bring in a great pop of color.

Thanks so much to Laura & Blake for all the great ideas and inspiration along the way! Michael and Matt of RubyAnne did a fabulous job contracting the kitchen and building the custom cabinets, and Dan Vos built the beautiful oak countertops. It’s always a pleasure to work with a talented team!

Contractor: Michael Winningham of RubyAnne Designs

Cabinet maker: Matthew Herndon-Prine and Patrick Sullivan of RubyAnne Designs

Wood countertops: Dan Vos of DeVos Custom Woodworking

Tile: Clayhaus Ceramics by House + Earth

Photography by Whit Preston