Our recent Southlake clients absolutely love hosting get-togethers with friends and family in their beautiful 1990’s home. Unfortunately, the original floor plan just wasn’t accommodating for their average crowd of 15-20 guests. With the holidays quickly approaching, they diligently searched for a commendable contractor that could assist with both the aesthetic appeal and the functional design of their kitchen, formal dining room, formal living room, and breakfast area. After being referred to us by a few different people and reading many positive reviews, they reached out to Medford Design-Build to set up an in-home consultation.
Our owner, Mike Medford, Sr. and our Interior Designer, Stephanie Milford, met with the clients to discuss their hopes and aspirations for their remodel. The primary focus was to open up the floor plan so that guest could enjoy one large area instead of being sectioned off into smaller groups in separate rooms. After determining what was most important to the clients and what the end goal of this project was, Mike Sr. was able to provide realistic expectations for total cost and timeline for completion. Our sweet clients were immediately comfortable with our design-build process and appreciated the organized, step-by-step fashion that it was presented to them. We cannot stress enough how important it is to work with a contractor you trust and to fully understand their process before you hire! Our team always strives to clearly explain the process and realities of any project before agreeing to move forward. With these clients, Mike Sr. and Stephanie felt our team and services were a perfect fit to meet their needs, and so did the clients; we could not wait to get started!
The initial design phase of this project involved drawing the existing floor plan along with the updated one so our clients could see exactly what would change structurally. Our detailed 3D renderings also helped as a visual communication tool. Some of the biggest changes in the effort to create a more spacious feel were to remove the wall between the formal living room and the kitchen/breakfast area, while also completely remodeling the kitchen and replacing the peninsula with an island. These modifications alone made the central hub of this home feel significantly larger.
The clients also knew they wanted a custom home bar, which was designed in the place of the original formal dining room (stay tuned for a separate blog on the bar!) The new formal dining room was relocated to the existing formal living room, just beside the kitchen, providing a more suitable area to host dinners.
Immediately upon entering the home, guests are now welcomed into this beautiful, spacious formal dining room. The 14-foot ceilings, updated fireplace, and extra-long dining table create a warm and inviting space for friends and family to gather. The textured walls and heavy crown moulding were removed and the walls were coated with fresh Sherwin Williams paint in Modern Gray. The low-hanging ceiling fan was removed and replaced with decorative pendant lightings for an updated look.
Sometimes it’s hard to compare before and after photos when walls have been removed. Here is the view from the previous living room looking toward the kitchen and original formal dining room prior to the wall being removed. You can see the original kitchen peninsula just beyond the walkway into the breakfast nook on the right.
Now that the wall has been removed, the view is completely transformed! The new formal dining room, remodeled kitchen, breakfast area, and living room are now completely open to one another as if they were built in one large room. What a drastic change!
The existing kitchen was a good size with many amenities but was outdated in style and color. Along with opening the walls, the clients sought a much lighter and brighter feel. A large island and custom doggie station were also on their wish list (check and check!) Custom white cabinetry, fresh white paint on the ceiling, LED can lighting, decorative pendant lights, and a light colored granite counter tops all contribute to a much brighter room when compared to the dark red walls of the original kitchen. Removing the peninsula and extending the back wall to the garage hallway provided some additional square footage. Our talented designers were also able to match the engineered hardwood floorings from the original formal living room and extend it into the kitchen, adding to the larger feel and flowing floor plan.
This great shot from the living room demonstrates the clear line of vision all the way through the kitchen to the office beside the front door. You can see how much more accommodating the renovated space is for hosting a large group of people. No one gets left out and no one gets isolated!
Another neat feature we incorporated into this project is a custom face-frame cabinet door installed in the hallway just behind the kitchen corner. You see, in a standard kitchen design that includes lines of cabinetry meeting at a 90-degree angle (a kitchen corner), a 2’x2’ dead space in the corner is created. Unfortunately, that space is typically unusable. To take advantage of this empty space, we installed a cabinet door in the garage hallway on the reverse side, which opens into that empty corner space. Now the clients have an extra storage cabinet and can use every square foot of their new kitchen! Pretty neat, huh?!
The original kitchen had a microwave and recirculating vent above the cooktop. This is a common feature seen in many older homes. Unfortunately, it’s not very effective for circulating air, especially in a large room. For that reason, we always try to address this when remodeling a kitchen. The best option is to install a vent fan that vents directly to the outside through the roof. Doing so provides a much better way of removing fumes, smoke, and steam from the kitchen when cooking. The remodeled kitchen now includes a modern 36” induction cooktop and a stainless-steel vent hood along a beautiful glass subway tile backdrop, reaching up to the ceiling. Extending this wall further out toward the living room provided space for more cabinetry, a large end-pantry, deep lower drawers, and stacked utensil drawers just beside the cooktop for easy access.
The microwave that was removed was replaced with a convenient microwave drawer installed below the counter in the island. This large island also includes a large undermount sink, a stainless-steel dishwasher, and a pull-out trash bin on the corner.
On the opposite side of the island is a bar with stools for seating and storage cabinets below the counter.
Glass-front cabinets were installed above the upper cabinets and accented with LED backlights to draw the eyes upward and make the room feel larger. Our clients found these great decorative pendant lights that they absolutely fell in love with and chose to hang over the island. Strategically placed LED can lights and undercabinet lighting also help brighten the room and contribute to a shadow-less environment.
Just across from the island is a large appliance garage, a stainless-steel double oven, and a sleek 48” zero-clearance fridge. We love the clean lines created by this streamlined style!
Another item on the client’s wish list was a built-in doggie station for their two large dogs. This custom unit was designed with convenience in mind: a handy pot-filler was hard piped in for easy water bowl refills. The same glass backsplash tile and granite counter top were used to match the rest of the kitchen, and LED lights brighten the space the same way the undercabinet lights do. Rubber-bottomed dog bowls prevent any accidental spills, which are easy to clean up should they occur. Now the dogs have their own place to eat and drink, and the clients won’t be tripping over dog bowls in the floor!
One of the last changes that we made to update this home was to remodel the staircase in the garage hallway behind the kitchen. The carpet was removed and replaced with the same beautiful engineered hardwood that was used throughout the kitchen, living, and dining room for a cohesive feel.
New decorative iron spindles are an example of elegant, modern details that really do make all the difference in the world. It’s these minor changes coming together with the major ones that make this finished remodel feel like a whole new house.
All in all, this project turned out beautifully and was a great experience for everyone on our team, as well as for the clients. Now they have the perfect home for entertaining, just in time for the holidays!
We’d like to recognize everyone that worked on this project and helped to bring our client’s dreams to life:
Structural Design: Mike Medford, Sr.
Aesthetic Design: Stephanie Milford
Drafting and Renderings: Kourtney Davis
Production Management: Michael Medford, Jr.
Project Manager: Dave Broadfield
Carpentry: Dave Broadfield, Neil Norris, Andy Weger
Cabinets: Bailey Cabinets
Plumbing: Express Plumbing
Electrical: Marc Miller Electric
Engineering: FWN&A
Drywall: Alex Green Drywall
HVAC: Southern Air
Framing & Trim: Dave Broadfield
Paint: Phillip Painting Company
Tile & Counters: HRG Granite
Plumbing Fixtures: Ferguson
Flooring: Hilton’s Flooring
Final Photography: Impressia– Todd Ramsey
If you are interested in remodeling your kitchen or another part of your home to better meet your needs, our team would be happy to help! We can assist with both aesthetic and functional design concepts. Contact us today for more information.
Here is a sneak peek of the home bar we also completed for these clients, in place of the original formal dining room. Come back next month to see the detailed blog and transformation photos for that project!
Warm Regards,
The Medford Design-Build Team
