A Classy Transitional Kitchen Remodel in DeForest, Wis.

Annette and Mark are repeat clients living in a 1990s home in the Grasslands neighborhood in DeForest, Wisconsin. Six years ago, we renovated the couple's basement and helped them plan a future bathroom renovation. While they didn’t yet return for the bathrooms, they came to us seeking a kitchen remodel to transform their kitchen. After working with the couple to understand their goals for the project, and after a few different designs, we landed on their ideal kitchen design.

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Opening Up The First Floor

The existing kitchen featured an inefficient layout. A dividing wall cut the kitchen and dinette off from the living room. This made the first floor feel even smaller than it is. Inside the kitchen and dinette, the layout was completely inefficient. The kitchen was stretched across the dividing wall with a single pass-through to provide a visual from the kitchen to the living room. The refrigerator was at the end of the kitchen, the door opening into the wall, and adjacent to the refrigerator was a single pantry cabinet. Because of the dividing wall, there wasn’t much natural light, even though the dinette was placed directly in front of two very nice, tall windows.

A Transformational Kitchen Remodel

The primary design concept was straightforward: remove the dividing wall and expand the kitchen space. From there, it became a question of layout. The new kitchen features a complete appliance relocation. The dinette windows were shortened to allow the sink to be placed in front of the window. Our design removed the dinette and added a large island for seating and storage. When selecting finishes, we chose darker-stained alder cabinetry and off-white countertops. The frosted glass doors on the upper cabinets next to the range add a classy visual element. The tall pull-out pantry cabinet provides all-sided access for convenient storage, and the base cabinets on the island provide plenty of extra storage space.

This Kitchen Remodel Greatly Improved The Home

After removing the dividing wall, the new main floor became so much brighter. As part of the kitchen remodel, we revamped the lighting plan. We added a classy linear chandelier over the island and multiple new recessed LED lighting. We also replaced the old flush-mount fixtures with new coordinated lighting and replaced the living room fan. The final result of this transformational kitchen remodel is a main floor that fits Anne and Matt’s whole family and gives them a kitchen they can work in, with plenty of space to cook!