A Tour of My Renovated Kitchen

All this month, I’ve given you a glimpse of my recent home remodel room-by-room. We began this tour with a look at my renovated basement studio and continued with my master bathroom. Next up in our Refresh, Reset, and Renew series is a tour of my renovated kitchen. 

I should say upfront this was only a partial renovation and complete reorganization, as the heart of the remodel was the basement studio and master bath. And there were enough changes here to make it worth sharing. (See for yourself and check out the “before” pictures of my kitchen.) 

So much of this renovation has been about the maximization of space, which means a good percentage of the changes have been simple organizational ones. The home was built in the 70s:  low ceilings, small(er) rooms, and minimal storage. Practical innovations and tweaks go a long way, and everything from paint choice to furniture placement can make a world of difference.

A Tour of My Renovated Kitchen

First stop, the kitchen proper. Main changes, here, include:  

• new floating shelves; 
• fresh paint and coloring; 
• the butcher block island; and 
• the high-top island. 

Like the master bathroom, I went with a neutral white/black base. I ripped out my old shelving and installed these gorgeous floating white ones. I’m a huge fan of the open-shelf aesthetic and have gone with it in multiple homes. The biggest “get” here was the reclamation of space. As with all renovations, big or small, the space was reorganized to solve a problem or two. The first problem was the kitchen cabinets were hung too low to accommodate my kitchen appliances. The Kitchen Aid mixer, blender, food processor, panini press were too big to be used on the kitchen counter. Can you believe it?! Isn’t that the purpose of counters? Problem number two was the placement of the kitchen table. It was awkward and out of the way. No one would sit there and watch me throw together a meal. Instead, they would crowd around my makeshift stainless steel kitchen island (repurposed in the laundry room) then quickly drift out of the kitchen since the space was too tight. It truly was wasted space in a reasonably large kitchen.

Solution #1. The open shelves were moved higher to accommodate the appliances. Solution #2. The table and light fixture were removed. A high-top island was added as well as canned overhead lights. This dramatically opened up the kitchen corner, making it breathable but still completely functional. I hosted Christmas this year with the kiddos. We did a cold-cut buffet, and the island worked out perfectly. Plus, they sit in the barstools drinking a glass of wine while I’m prepping the meal. It’s an interactive experience now. The way a kitchen should be. I’m kicking myself for not thinking of it earlier. 

And I’ve got to say:  loving the John Boos butcher block island. It adds a little old world-class to a sort of “farmhouse modern” I’ve got going on.   

John Boos Butcher Block | Simple Human Wall Mount Paper Towel Holder | Bamboo Drawer Organizer | Bamboo Flatware Organizer | Tall Slim Refrigerator Storage | Short Refrigerator Storage | Ceramic Egg Carton | Similar Kitchen Island  | Windsor Bar Stools | Stainless Steel Kitchen Island | Dough Bowl | Drying Rack | Litter-Robot Self Cleaning Kitty Litter | Comfort Kitchen Mat| Marble Lamp | White Footed Bowl| Pig Lamp

John Boos Butcher Block | Simple Human Wall Mount Paper Towel Holder | Bamboo Drawer Organizer | Bamboo Flatware Organizer | Tall Slim Refrigerator Storage | Short Refrigerator Storage | Ceramic Egg Carton | Similar Kitchen Island  | Windsor Bar Stools | Stainless Steel Kitchen Island | Dough Bowl | Drying Rack | Litter-Robot Self Cleaning Kitty Litter | Comfort Kitchen Mat| Marble Lamp | White Footed Bowl| Pig Lamp

Kitchen organization

The open-shelf system gave this kitchen new life. But given that it is “open,” things have to be, well, neat and tidy. So here’s a view of how I’ve arranged everything:  from shelves to the refrigerator. Minimal for sure. 

John Boos Butcher Block | Simple Human Wall Mount Paper Towel Holder | Bamboo Drawer Organizer | Bamboo Flatware Organizer | Tall Slim Refrigerator Storage | Short Refrigerator Storage | Ceramic Egg Carton | Similar Kitchen Island  | Windsor Bar Stools | Stainless Steel Kitchen Island | Dough Bowl | Drying Rack | Litter-Robot Self Cleaning Kitty Litter | Comfort Kitchen Mat| Marble Lamp | White Footed Bowl| Pig Lamp

John Boos Butcher Block | Simple Human Wall Mount Paper Towel Holder | Bamboo Drawer Organizer | Bamboo Flatware Organizer | Tall Slim Refrigerator Storage | Short Refrigerator Storage | Ceramic Egg Carton | Similar Kitchen Island  | Windsor Bar Stools | Stainless Steel Kitchen Island | Dough Bowl | Drying Rack | Litter-Robot Self Cleaning Kitty Litter | Comfort Kitchen Mat| Marble Lamp | White Footed Bowl| Pig Lamp

Redesigned laundry room

And finally, a look at the laundry room. A fresh coat of paint and a new super-duper, high-tech litter box for Ollie. It’s the Litter-Robot 3 self-cleaning litter box. Honestly, so much better than what we had before—so much less work.   

John Boos Butcher Block | Simple Human Wall Mount Paper Towel Holder | Bamboo Drawer Organizer | Bamboo Flatware Organizer | Tall Slim Refrigerator Storage | Short Refrigerator Storage | Ceramic Egg Carton | Similar Kitchen Island  | Windsor Bar Stools | Stainless Steel Kitchen Island | Dough Bowl | Drying Rack | Litter-Robot Self Cleaning Kitty Litter | Comfort Kitchen Mat| Marble Lamp | White Footed Bowl| Pig Lamp

Webber Coleman Woodworks 

A special shoutout to Webber Coleman Woodworks, who led the renovations in their entirety. My daughter-in-law, who also had her kitchen renovated, introduced me to Webber Coleman. They’re a family-run shop, and I can’t recommend this team highly enough.   The quality of their work is exceptional, and they hit every deadline on time. (And for anyone that has gone through a renovation, that actually might be the most important thing.). Make sure to follow Webber Coleman on Instagram, especially if you’re looking for inspiration for your home projects. 

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In case you missed it.

Every Wednesday on the blog, I focus on health and wellness.   Yesterday we took a look at my anti-aging skincare routine in case you missed it. Stop by my Amazon Storefront. It’s just getting up and running but swing by and take a look at some of my picks! 

Beth Djalali

is the Founder and CEO of Style at a Certain Age. She writes Sundays-Fridays on all topics ranging from fashion, health, wellness, home design and more.

She’s 65, 5’8, and size 8.

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