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Happy Friday everyone! I'm thrilled to have the talented Hillary Keech of Modest Designs--a firm whose ethos is based on quality design at affordable prices--here today in a guest blogger capacity. Hillary has been kind enough to share the Before and Afters and her thoughts on a recent kitchen reno project.

{Before}

One thing is obvious in the before pictures of this kitchen,

everything needed to be ripped out and completely redone.

The cabinets were worn and warped, the floor seemed out of place,

and there was a picture frame hiding a hole in the dated tile back splash.

This kitchen was in operation for twenty-five years and it definitely showed.

The client wanted a more open kitchen that fit with

the more modern décor of the rest of their house.

Here is how we went about updating this space:

{After}

The whole area was demolished, including a mud room behind the kitchen that really acted more as a dark and dusty storage space rather than a transition space into the kitchen. We removed the mud room wall to gain an extra six feet or so and added large picture windows that look into the wooded backyard to make the space feel more open.

Changing the floors was also important in order to have a feeling of continuity throughout the house. We used a white oak (to match the rest of the first floor) with a walnut strip around the edge to coordinate with our new cabinets.

The countertops are Pietra Cardosa and are very durable, they coordinate wonderfully with the new stainless steel appliances used throughout.

The dining area is my favorite part because we really stretched a limited budget. The Saarinen style table was an eBay find and it’s complimented by the Danish modern chairs that I found at the antique fair in Brimfield, Mass. The rug was only $150 from CB2 and along with the client’s artwork we were able to create an inviting dining area for just under $2,000.

A really important part of creating modern spaces is injecting some character so that it feels sleek and modern, but not cold. One way we did this was by utilizing a collection of pottery the client had to highlight some of the counter space. Also the client’s own photography was turned into sepia-toned prints and framed by the table.