Before & After: Adios Avocado!
We moved into our house in summer 2011. The house, built in 1944, was in good shape, in a great neighborhood, and priced very competitively. However, aesthetically it was a bit lacking. The previous owners had owned the home for 50+ years, and the most recent updates to the kitchen and main living area had been made in 1974. The kitchen’s closed-off ’40s footprint was left intact, but they swapped in ’70s dark cabinetry, gold-veined laminate countertops, avocado appliances, and fluorescent lighting for good measure. We painted the cabinets to get us through until we could afford to remodel, which ended up being over four years later.
In the interim, we also replaced the avocado range—when one of the burners literally burst into flames. Oops!
It was clear the new layout needed to be more open with more counter and storage space… all while keeping roughly the same footprint. Our budget was not limitless, so we went with IKEA cabinets. While researching customization options, I came across NW Homeworks, a contracting firm run by Tim Hutchinson that specializes in design and installation of IKEA cabinetry. We worked with Tim to design just the right kitchen for our needs. Tim suggested we add a few inches in width and length of the kitchen to really maximize the space. At first we were concerned about how this would affect the “flow” to the small adjoining living area, but we took his advice and love the result! We also had Tim’s team install and finish new hardwood to match our existing original flooring. The result is flawless!
We chose all materials. The cabinetry is IKEA with Veddinge white doors on the walls, Unhinged Custom Doors in Bespoke White Oak on the island, MSI Frost White quartz countertops, Modwalls Brio mosaic tiles in flannel gray as the backsplash, KitchenAid appliances, and Albert Lee range hood. We love the new open and optimized space, and especially love how well it blends into our living area.
Thank you, Sarah!