A Major Demo Transforms a “Dark and Outdated” Kitchen into an Open-Concept Stunner
ABOUT THIS BEFORE & AFTER
HOME TYPE: Apartment
PROJECT TYPE: Kitchen
STYLE: Minimal, Traditional
SKILL LEVEL: DIY, Professional
RENTAL FRIENDLY: No
Some people prefer a closed-plan kitchen, but open-concept floor plans have their benefits, too: It’s easy to see and hear what everyone else in the house is up to, there’s a free-flow between living and dining (which is especially nice for hosting), and in some cases, knocking down a barrier can make a cramped kitchen feel much larger.
That was certainly true for Karen McNamara (@domestigal), who bought her apartment in Dublin knowing she’d turn the “dark and outdated” kitchen into a bright, open space that connected to the living room.
Knocking down the wall between the living room and kitchen created more layout possibilities.
The apartment went through a major demolition process. “It was in good condition but in need of a lot of modernization to make it feel homey to us,” Karen says. “I loved the potential it had [with] the big windows and large living area once the wall between the living area and the kitchen was taken down.”
Karen says knocking down the wall between the two spaces was surprisingly easy because it was plasterboard — and the decision made the biggest difference. IOt allowed her to create a much longer L-shaped layout where the stove, oven, hood and lots of cabinets stretch along one wall of the apartment. Plus, there’s room for a large island.
Karen’s best kitchen renovation advice is to “Be really clear from the outset … on what you want it to look like; save lots of pictures of exactly what you want to achieve and stick to that. Don’t be swayed by trending styles,” she says. “Otherwise, the end result will be inconsistent and confused!”
The all-white kitchen is bright and airy.
Her vision for the kitchen was white and streamlined. “I kept everything white to maximize the impact of the space we had,” Karen says on Instagram. She did a lot of the painting in the revamped space herself (with the help of family). “It took time but allowed me to do it within budget!” Karen says. The new white color is Dulux’s Pure Brilliant White.
Karen says her favorite parts of the makeover is the modern, fairly minimalist hood. In fact, the whole kitchen skews minimalist. “I decided against a [backsplash] as I loved how refined and paired back everything looked without one,” Karen says on Instagram. “I may change my mind down the line, but for now, I love my bright, simple, white kitchen.”
She also says she chose cool-toned floors and used neutral, wood-toned accessories to make the white stand out even more. “I’m not a fan of ‘pops of color,’” Karen says on Instagram.
“The wall to the left of the cooker hood felt a little bare so I added two frames … with pictures of places we had visited and loved, printed in black and white to avoid too much color,” she adds. She also added large brass pendants— her second-favorite part of the kitchen makeover — but she loves the way the whole thing came together.
“This was the first apartment that I’ve renovated,” Karen says. “I learned a lot about colors and textures, how to make smaller areas feel bigger, the power of white paint to make a place feel big, and layering textures and fabrics to make a place feel homey and cozy.”
Inspired? Submit your own project here.
Further Reading
We Tested (and Rated!) All the Sofas at Ashley — Here Are the Best to Suit Your Style and Space
I Just Discovered the Smartest Way to Store Paper Towels in Your Kitchen (It’s a Game-Changer!)
