Before & After
Room Of The Week
Popular Houzz Series
Popular Houzz Series
Appears in
See also
Fun HouzzFrom The ProsHouzz Around The WorldProject Of The WeekStickybeak Of The WeekQuizzesCreatives At HomeAt Home With...Best Of The WeekRoom Of The WeekDesigner Profiles3 Things I Wish My Clients KnewHow Do I...Buyer's GuidesExpert EyeInnovation AlertSo Your Style Is...Spotted!Picture PerfectBefore & AfterBudget BreakdownHome TimeMade Local
Before & After: From Basic to Bright, a USA Kitchen Sparks Joy
Pink, green and yellow create a happy cooking space with more storage, a better layout and an enlarged footprint
This couple wanted a kitchen that sparked joy – and they definitely weren’t getting that with their existing kitchen’s closed-off layout and basic white and grey finishes. In search of a brighter, cheerier look with more storage and an improved layout, they turned to building designer Philip Hide of Wise Design & Remodel.
The kitchen before works.
In the former layout, several walls separated the kitchen from a family room and dining area. This photo also shows a sliver of the basic white-and-grey finishes in the original kitchen. Even the flooring was shades of grey.
In the former layout, several walls separated the kitchen from a family room and dining area. This photo also shows a sliver of the basic white-and-grey finishes in the original kitchen. Even the flooring was shades of grey.
The kitchen after works.
Hide knocked the kitchen back to the studs and removed load-bearing walls that separated it from other areas of the home. A walnut-wrapped steel beam provides structural support, which allowed for the open layout with an island. These decisions helped add two square metres to the kitchen’s footprint.
Shaker-style cabinets crafted from maple aand painted a soft pink (Bella Pink by Sherwin-Williams), green splashback tiles and painted yellow walls (Lily by Sherwin-Williams) gave the couple the joyful style they sought. “Pink isn’t for everyone, but in this case the colour addressed a specific desire from the client,” says Hide. “I think confident tastes from the clients was key. They weren’t afraid to be bold with the colour.”
Red-toned oak flooring, walnut floating shelves, timber stools, brass hardware and other brass details add warmth.
Is your kitchen in need of a makeover? Find a kitchen designer near you on Houzz
Hide knocked the kitchen back to the studs and removed load-bearing walls that separated it from other areas of the home. A walnut-wrapped steel beam provides structural support, which allowed for the open layout with an island. These decisions helped add two square metres to the kitchen’s footprint.
Shaker-style cabinets crafted from maple aand painted a soft pink (Bella Pink by Sherwin-Williams), green splashback tiles and painted yellow walls (Lily by Sherwin-Williams) gave the couple the joyful style they sought. “Pink isn’t for everyone, but in this case the colour addressed a specific desire from the client,” says Hide. “I think confident tastes from the clients was key. They weren’t afraid to be bold with the colour.”
Red-toned oak flooring, walnut floating shelves, timber stools, brass hardware and other brass details add warmth.
Is your kitchen in need of a makeover? Find a kitchen designer near you on Houzz
The kitchen before works.
This look inside the former kitchen shows the tight galley-style layout with the stove and microwave on a wall separating the kitchen from other areas of the home. A bay window took up valuable wall space. The sink, on the right, sat beneath a leaking window looking onto the garden, which the couple decided to close in to gain more cabinet storage.
Timber-look vinyl flooring gave the room an ashen appearance.
This look inside the former kitchen shows the tight galley-style layout with the stove and microwave on a wall separating the kitchen from other areas of the home. A bay window took up valuable wall space. The sink, on the right, sat beneath a leaking window looking onto the garden, which the couple decided to close in to gain more cabinet storage.
Timber-look vinyl flooring gave the room an ashen appearance.
The kitchen after works.
With the wall previously housing the stove removed and the support beam in place, Hide expanded the kitchen and added an island with a cooktop. He replaced the bay window with an awning window and relocated the new apron-front or farmhouse sink beneath it to create more efficient work zones between it, the cooktop and the fridge, which stands to the right of the wall ovens (pictured here).
The cooktop set-up allowed space below for drawer storage. “We have a lot of drawers. It’s a really nice practical use of space there,” says Hide. “We tried to add as many drawers as possible in this kitchen for ease of use and easy access.”
With the wall previously housing the stove removed and the support beam in place, Hide expanded the kitchen and added an island with a cooktop. He replaced the bay window with an awning window and relocated the new apron-front or farmhouse sink beneath it to create more efficient work zones between it, the cooktop and the fridge, which stands to the right of the wall ovens (pictured here).
The cooktop set-up allowed space below for drawer storage. “We have a lot of drawers. It’s a really nice practical use of space there,” says Hide. “We tried to add as many drawers as possible in this kitchen for ease of use and easy access.”
The benchtops are marble-look quartz. A stainless steel dishwasher sits to the right of the fireclay farmhouse sink. A panelled rubbish and recycling centre is to the left.
Browse more gorgeous kitchens in pink
Browse more gorgeous kitchens in pink
To the left of the rubbish and recycling centre are two open shelves with posts spray-painted to match the cabinet hardware.
“They wanted some open shelves and also to make that end of the kitchen decorative,” says Hide. “It’s somewhere she can display cookbooks and plants. It also softens that corner of the kitchen.”
“They wanted some open shelves and also to make that end of the kitchen decorative,” says Hide. “It’s somewhere she can display cookbooks and plants. It also softens that corner of the kitchen.”
Walnut open shelves with a faux live edge hold everyday dishes and decorative items.
The green backsplash is tiled with 10 x 10-centimetre handmade Moroccan terracotta tiles. “We definitely wanted a contrast for the pink cabinets,” says Hide. “There’s not a huge amount of area for the [splashback], so we wanted a statement. The homeowner loves pink and green, so this made sense. The tiles have a unique texture and rawness to them. I think the green tiles also actually ground the kitchen a bit too.”
Here, a powder-pink stand mixer coordinates with the cabinetry colour.
The green backsplash is tiled with 10 x 10-centimetre handmade Moroccan terracotta tiles. “We definitely wanted a contrast for the pink cabinets,” says Hide. “There’s not a huge amount of area for the [splashback], so we wanted a statement. The homeowner loves pink and green, so this made sense. The tiles have a unique texture and rawness to them. I think the green tiles also actually ground the kitchen a bit too.”
Here, a powder-pink stand mixer coordinates with the cabinetry colour.
Eliminating the garden window and relocating the sink made space for the new cabinet-depth French-door stainless steel fridge and wall ovens.
A tall pantry cabinet to the right of the fridge features roll-out shelves. The cabinet above the refrigerator also has dividers for baking pans and equipment.
Your turn
Have you embraced colour in your kitchen? Tell us in the Comments, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the renovation conversation.
More
For another great transformation, check out this luxurious Before & After: A Pool House’s Journey From Plain to Perfection
A tall pantry cabinet to the right of the fridge features roll-out shelves. The cabinet above the refrigerator also has dividers for baking pans and equipment.
Your turn
Have you embraced colour in your kitchen? Tell us in the Comments, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the renovation conversation.
More
For another great transformation, check out this luxurious Before & After: A Pool House’s Journey From Plain to Perfection
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two young children
Location: Minneapolis, USA
Size: 17 square metres
Building designer: Philip Hide of Wise Design & Remodel
Hide replaced load-bearing walls with a timber-wrapped steel beam to open up the layout, expand the footprint and create space for an island with a gas cooktop that helped form efficient work zones. Soft-pink cabinets, dark-green splashback tiles and warm-yellow walls bring a happy feel. “It’s classy but also has a jolly, cheerful vibe to it,” says Hide.