Before and After Images of a New Kitchen Design and Laundry Remodel

A Mid-Century Modern Home Gets a New Kitchen Design and Laundry Room Update

For over 30 years, Degnan Design Build Remodel has been the go-to remodeler for Dave and Ruth.

We’ve completed several different projects on almost all their homes. Dave and Ruth moved back to the area several years ago. They recently called on us to do another project for them – a new kitchen design and a laundry room update.

Dave and Ruth were clear. They didn’t want a complete kitchen remodel; rather, they asked us to create a new kitchen design that addressed some awkward elements in the existing kitchen and honored their personal style.

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Before Kitchen Remodel

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After Kitchen Remodel

See how our approach gave them the functionality they were looking for, along with an aesthetic nod to their home’s mid-century modern roots!

Serviceable, But Awkward…

The couple’s existing kitchen was serviceable, but there were a few key elements that were awkward to use – and look at. The refrigerator was placed in a line of cabinets along the back wall of the kitchen. It was set at an angle that left a corner sticking into the middle of the walkway between it and the island. The refrigerator had open shelving on both sides, and it lacked an enclosed pantry space.

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To add to the awkward flow and visual element, the island was overly wide. It didn’t offer much seating and had a cooktop vent hood that stuck out like a sore thumb, blocking any sight lines. To top it all off, the island was not attached to the floor! Despite it being somewhat serviceable, the space was in desperate need of a new kitchen design!

Creating a New Kitchen Design

We began our kitchen redesign. The goal was to make improvements to the kitchen rather than taking it down to the studs. Dave and Ruth were clear in their goals for the redesign, so our priority was attacking the awkward elements.

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Before Kitchen Remodel

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After Kitchen Remodel

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Before Kitchen Remodel

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After Kitchen Remodel

We began by converting the long wall with the refrigerator and sink into a straight run of cabinets. After removing the awkward point in the walkway, we removed a small sub-wall at the end. This allowed us to extend the cabinetry and give the couple a proper new pantry cabinet.

Next, we removed the base cabinet with the wall oven. We replaced it with a tall wall oven and microwave cabinet to place the appliances at a more usable height.

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Before Kitchen Remodel

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After Kitchen Remodel-7.jpg

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Before Kitchen Remodel

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After Kitchen Remodel

Addressing the Awkward Island

Moving on to the island, the couple liked having the cooktop on the island, but they wanted us to address the eyesore caused by the chimney hood vent, which effectively blocked any sightlines in the kitchen.

Our solution was to create a low-profile cherry soffit to match the kitchen cabinets, moving the vent up and out of sight. We redesigned the island to add an arch at one end, which provided seating on two sides of the island. We also integrated storage into both sides of the island to maximize cabinet space.

Honoring the Home’s Mid-Century Modern Design Aesthetic

Our design style, heavily inspired by the home’s mid-century modern origin, featured naturally finished cherry cabinetry. A beautiful piece of quartz for the island countertop makes it a visual focal point of the kitchen. The Vicostone Amacord quartz’s warm charm encourages people to sit down and relax. The rest of the kitchen’s perimeter countertop is Dalite Golden Gate quartz. It is a subtle color that allows the island's striking visual appeal to stand out.

One of the most striking features of our interior design is the mid-century-inspired floor-to-ceiling cherry slat designs. The slats create semi-transparent partitions that provide separation between the spaces while allowing natural light into the space. We installed can lights between the slats to provide accent lighting and ambiance to the space.

Before Laundry Remodel

After Laundry Remodel

We carried the vertical design into the kitchen backsplash by using 3” x 10” tile, stacking it vertically. Moving through the kitchen into the gathering room, we designed an accent cabinet for the alcove to replace the fireplace. The cabinet also subtly honors our vertical theme by using slatted doors and drawers.

Update an Outdated Laundry Room

Next, we addressed the dated laundry room. Our focus was to redesign the space from its existing form. The old laundry room featured large soffits that only served to close in the space, and it also had outdated linoleum flooring and seriously dated oak cabinetry.

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Our laundry room redesign is very similar to the old one. We updated and added improvements like a small bench with hooks above and shoe storage below. We removed the old sink and replaced it with one that was both larger and deeper. To improve storage, we added drawers and a blind corner cabinet optimizer. To make the space feel more open, we removed the soffits. This allowed us to increase storage by running the upper cabinets all the way to the ceiling.

Our Clients Loved The Kitchen and Laundry Updates

This project maintains our 30-year relationship with Dave and Ruth! We updated the kitchen aesthetics and functionality, bringing the new design into alignment with the home’s mid-century aesthetic. We fixed all the awkward elements from the existing kitchen, including the hood vent and lack of island seating. Our updated kitchen layout maximizes storage and introduces a classic mid-century design element with the floor-to-ceiling cherry wood slats.

By removing the soffits in the laundry room, we visually opened the space, adding much-needed storage by extending the upper cabinets all the way to the ceiling. Our updates to both the kitchen and laundry room added much-needed functionality, honored the home’s mid-century aesthetic, and have been customized to meet the family’s needs now and into the future!

Whether considering a complete home remodel, a kitchen remodel, a bathroom update, or any other project, let us help you create a new look and design for your home! If you live in the Greater Madison area, call the experts at Degnan Design-Build-Remodel at (608) 846-5963. We can take your home to the next level of comfort, design, and function! Are you ready to learn more? We are always happy to answer your questions.