A Kitchen Renovation for a DeForest Wisconsin Home

Brian and Sarah are parents of middle school-aged kids and active community members. We recently completed a kitchen renovation for their lovely transitional home in the Sunnybrook neighborhood in DeForest, WI. They had been living with their existing kitchen for a while and were ready for a change. The existing kitchen was open to the rest of the home but felt closed off and awkward. They desired a kitchen transformation that fit their lifestyle, from everyday cooking to family get-togethers. Sarah is an avid baker and wanted a wall over to meet her baking needs.

Through careful design, a little problem-solving, and construction, we were able to deliver this family the perfect new kitchen to meet their needs and lifestyle!

A Kitchen Design Straight Out of the 1990s!

Brian and Sarah's existing kitchen was straight out of the 1990s! From a floor plan perspective, the kitchen was large, spacious, and open to the rest of the living area. It was flanked on one side by the dining room with its large bay window and on the other by the living room and its patio doors and large windows.

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However, in reality, the kitchen was only semi-open and awkward. Both ends of the kitchen had a peninsula that stretched ¾ of the way across the room. This created a visual barrier when sitting in either of the flanking rooms. Add dark orange oak cabinets, flooring, and trim, and the kitchen felt like a dark, unappealing corner.

The couple wanted us to create a truly open design that improved the sight lines and flow between the dining room, kitchen, and living room while keeping the appliances mostly where they were. As an avid baker, Sarah wanted to add an additional wall oven since the range wasn't enough to meet her baking needs.

Starting The Design-Build Process From Scratch

Our design solution started with a demo. We removed all of the old cabinetry from the kitchen. As mentioned earlier, there was ample space for a large functional kitchen that needed to be better utilized. Our kitchen renovation solution to visually open the space eliminated the peninsulas and created a double island kitchen design. This created a visual and physical openness to the rest of the living space. Our new design allowed one person to work at the range while another could access the microwave in the island and the refrigerator opposite the range without bumping into each other.

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The Amish-made Sunrise Custom island cabinetry featured shaker-style doors and included space for a built-in microwave in one island, and the other featured a lowered table-height workspace where Sarah could comfortably decorate her baked goods, while still having access to the range on one side and the new wall oven on the other.

Completing the Kitchen Renovation with Exciting Pops of Color

Along with opening the kitchen and improving its functionality and flow, another key element of this kitchen transformation was color. The original oak cabinetry was bland and outdated and made the kitchen feel small and dark. Brian, Sarah, and their family are big Disney fans and love color! They wanted their kitchen to reflect that.

Sarah requested purple accents to match her KitchenAid stand mixer. Our design carefully and tastefully incorporated color. The island accent color, countertop, and backsplash tile all feature the vibrant use of color. The island cabinetry is painted with Sherwin Williams Quixotic Plum for a beautiful and tasteful accent. We chose Linnstone Milford White countertops, which feature a slightly purplish hue in the veining, perfectly tying the island and countertop together. The white background of the countertop ties in visually with the Sherwin Williams Icicle painted Amish-made custom Sunrise perimeter cabinets.

We also introduced color with the Color Splash Ultra Marine stacked pattern tiles behind the range. This beautiful mosaic tile creates a strong visual focal point behind the range creating a playful aesthetic for the space.

To complete the kitchen we used two different types of cabinet hardware. For the island, we chose Hafele Bordeaux pulls in pewter. It's the perfect complement to the plum base cabinets. On the lighter perimeter cabinetry, we added Amerock Renown cabinet pulls in matte black to offer a strong visual contrast and complement the kitchen's color palette. Along with the black kitchen faucet and decorative lighting, our creative use of color is subtle and results in a much brighter and visually appealing kitchen.

The Result of This Remodel Was Happy Clients

From the new open design, the double kitchen island, and the careful incorporation of color our kitchen renovation was a complete success! Brian and Sarah are thrilled and ready to not only live with their new kitchen but to enjoy living in their new kitchen. The improved flow and functionality mean Brian and Sarah are prepared to handle not only the everyday cooking but also the holiday baking and family get-togethers. Sarah gets to enjoy baking with her second oven, and a dedicated spot to decorate her delicious baked goods!

If you're considering a kitchen renovation project and live in the Greater Madison area, call the experts at Degnan Design-Build-Remodel. Let us help you to take your home to the next level of comfort, design, and function! Ready to learn more? We're always happy to answer your questions. Email us at Contact-Us@DegnanDesignBuildRemodel.com or call (608) 846-5963.