Your home is where you live your life, so why not make it your happy place? Our clients in Arlington came to us with this mindset – to recreate the vibe of their happiest place: the beach! They had recently taken a trip to Florida and absolutely loved the place they stayed right on the shore. The goal was not only to make their dated kitchen more functional, but also to create a bright, coastal aesthetic. They met with our designers to discuss the issues they had with their current kitchen and what they hoped to accomplish with a full-gut remodel.
Along with updating the kitchen, the clients wanted to refresh the small laundry room and also remove the wall between the kitchen and living room for a more open layout. The wall removal required leveling the sunken flooring in the living room, widening the doorways, and removing the wainscotting from the walls. The entire center of the house was getting a much-needed refresh!
The original kitchen included a bar area that the clients never used. Removing it allowed for a longer wall of cabinetry beside the fridge and a custom beverage center. The view from the living room shows how much longer this stretch of wall feels in the spacious new kitchen.
Along with more windows, the clients emphasized how much they wanted a large peninsula with seating for their kids to do their homework on. The original recessed windows were replaced with a massive picture window, providing a stunning view of the backyard, and allowing space for the peninsula.
The new breakfast nook feels so bright and open compared to the original space! The huge window and a new glass door unit allow plenty of natural light in, adding to the “beach vacation” vibe we were aiming for. A trendy dining table plus the peninsula doubles the amount of seating in this area, providing the perfect place to host friends and family on a casual summer evening.
Looking into the new kitchen, the most striking change is the brightness of the room. The corner sink was relocated to the back wall, with a great view of the pool when doing dishes or meal prepping. Not only was this change important for our client to be able to watch her kids in the backyard, but the larger windows really made a difference in the amount of light in the kitchen.
The bright white cabinets, white countertops, and soft gray backsplash tile also contribute to a lighter, softer aesthetic, as opposed to the darker palette before the renovation. Strategically placed LED can lights, undercabinet lights, and decorative sconces above the windows offer a new level of control in the brightness of the room – whether hosting guests, cooking, or just having a relaxing night in eating takeout with the kids.
The opposite side of the peninsula houses the new dishwasher, convenient stacked utensil drawers, and a roll-out trash bin. Each of these features being within reach of the sink is a smart layout that simplifies clean up and put-away of dishes.
Another one of the items on our clients’ wish list was open shelving where they could display decorative accents and memorabilia from the beach. Our designers were able to include two shelves to the right of the sink, balancing the wall with the windows and creating some division between the kitchen and the breakfast nook.
The soffits above the cabinets were removed, allowing the new cabinetry to extend up to the ceiling with a modern crown molding at the top. This creates a streamlined, polished look, provides more storage space, and makes the room feel larger.
Deep pan drawers and a custom vent hood are functional features that helped make this kitchen more chef-friendly. The vent hood specifically was a topic of conversation early on, as the clients were having trouble deciding between a solid wood hood or an exposed chimney-style hood. Our team provided both options in their renderings, and the custom wood hood was the final selection. This is a great example of how our design packages can be a helpful visual tool throughout the process of your remodel!
The laundry room just off the kitchen flows seamlessly with the updated aesthetic. A convenient appliance cabinet is anchored in the corner of the kitchen just beside the laundry door. This is a sleek and beautiful way to store small kitchen appliances that would otherwise clutter the counters.
The wall of cabinetry around the fridge not only looks cohesive and uniform, but also provides an impressive amount of storage! Our designers always do their best to optimize the available space in a kitchen, which includes vertical space up to the ceiling.
The deep drawers, adjustable shelving, and cabinet space on this wall compensate for the original upper cabinets that were removed to allow for the windows and shelves on the reverse side of the kitchen.
The beverage center is one of our client’s favorite features of their new kitchen! Chunky wood shelves with LED accent puck lighting provide the perfect display space for trinkets and dishes. Our client found several inspiration photos of patterned wallpaper and absolutely fell in love with this blue print! The color scheme and style are a perfect match for the coastal aesthetic and showcase a fun pop of personality in the remodeled kitchen.
The completed kitchen is above and beyond what the clients had in mind. They were so happy with the finished project that they left us a heartfelt Google review:
“If you are looking for knowledgeable, professional, reliable, and hardworking remodeling company, look no further than Medford Remodeling! From start to finish, Medford treated us with a level of attention and care that’s nonexistent these days. Everything from start to finish exceeded expectations. They completed a full kitchen, living room, and bathroom remodel including major structural changes. Over the course of the project, there were only minor issues of which they communicated and fixed promptly. We always envisioned our home becoming what it is today, and it’s all because of Medford it became reality. They literally made our vision come true. There is no doubt we will choose Medford to finish out the rest of our house next year. Thank you, Medford!!!
P.S. These pictures don’t even do it justice!!”
We’d like to give credit to our hardworking team members, trade partners, and vendors who assisted with this stunning transformation:
Structural Design: Michael Medford, Jr.
Aesthetic Design: Stephanie Milford
Drafting and Renderings: Brandy Anderson
Production Management: Dave Broadfield
Project Management: Scott Vernon
Trim Carpentry: National Custom Trim
Plumbing: Express Master Plumbing
Electrical: Marc Miller Electric
Drywall: Alex Green Drywall
HVAC: Southern Air Mechanical
Paint: Phillip Painting Company
Plumbing Fixtures: Moore Supply Arlington
Glass: Kindred Glass
Countertops, Flooring, & Tile: Hilton’s Flooring
Countertops Fabrication, Flooring & Tile Installation: HRG Tile & Granite
Staging: Ali Doskocil
Final Photography: Impressia – Todd Ramsey
We’d also like to share the design selection items that were specifically selected for this remodel:
If you are interested in discussing a kitchen remodel, need help removing a wall, or want to level a sunken living room flooring as was done in this project, the Medford Team would be happy to help! Contact us for more information.
Be sure to stay tuned for our next project blog that will feature this same client’s jungle-themed kid’s bathroom!
Warm Regards,
The Medford Team
