A 1960s Ranch Gets A Contemporary Kitchen Design with a Mid-Century Aesthetic

Our clients Kirsten and Jason moved their young family to Madison, WI, from Texas in 2022. They purchased their home in the Golf Green subdivision online, sight unseen! The house was a traditional-style ranch built in the 1960s and renovated in the early 80s. They approached us for a complete home remodel, which included a major kitchen upgrade. They were seeking to create a truly open living space with the primary goal of improving the flow between the spaces. They love mid-century modern style. Unfortunately, their home was closed off, dark, and lacked mid-century charm. One of their major goals was to create a contemporary kitchen design that would fit the needs of their family and become the couple's forever home when their girls grow up.

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Opening Up The Kitchen

When you first entered the house, there was a small hallway with a closet for coat storage. To the right front of the entry was the living room with a fireplace, a large connected dining space, and the kitchen, which was closed off from the living room and featured a small doorway with a view of the dining area. It was underwhelming at best. It featured an outdated backsplash and border paper and was carpeted. Our clients wanted to open the space to create a better flow. It also needed an updated design to meet the needs of their family. We began the redesign by removing all of the interior walls of the kitchen, leaving only the portion that defined the entryway and its new custom cubbies.

 

Creating a Functional Contemporary Kitchen Design

Once we removed the walls, the space felt much more open and modern. This also created more than enough space to incorporate a large island into the space. The new island features Sunrise Amish Custom Cabinetry, a Linnstone quartz countertop, and Amerrock matte black Edge Pull hardware to give it a modern look. The island features seating for the entire family, plenty of space for food preparation, and a built-in LG ThinQ modern combination range/oven.

Adding Functionality and Mid-Century Modern Details

Where the kitchen was outdated and underwhelming, our contemporary kitchen design features custom cherry Amish cabinetry in a clear finish with shaker doors and understated matte black edge pull hardware. To keep the mid-century aesthetic, we created a custom-designed feature for the range hood that is totally classic mid-century modern design. The hood pattern is carried throughout the house, including the exterior details and the decorative element on the redone fireplace. The design is completed with a slick, slim profile suite of LG appliances.

The Result of the Remodeled Kitchen

We designed the contemporary kitchen Kirsten and Jason were looking for, completely open to the living areas and updated to reflect the best elements of the mid-century aesthetic. With new cabinetry offering plenty of storage, a large island, lots of food prep space, and seating for the whole family, this new contemporary kitchen design meets the family's needs now and into the future!

 
 

Project Design

Dave Duewel
Senior Designer

Interior Design

Morgan
McMahon

Lead Carpenter

PJ Ender
CLC, CRPM

We already have recommended them, and will do it again.
— Kirsten & Jason, Madison WI