This family wanted more of everything – space for cooking, serving, storage, family and friends. But they also wanted to avoid the cost of an addition. The solution: removing the wall and relocating the dining room to create a huge open space that flows from the kitchen, to a casual dining area, to the family room.
Connected to the dining room by an archway, the main area of the kitchen is defined by the triangular central island, white cabinets, and professional grade stainless steel appliances. The center of the space remains open to enhance the grand scale of the room. A built-in credenza is the perfect hospitality zone. Tour the rest of this white kitchen conversion.
Although the family room was connected to the kitchen, this home in Eagan felt dated. The family needed more room for cooking and eating. Defined by blue carpet, the family room is right off the kitchen. Even though there was good flow between the spaces, the homeowners needed to more counters for working, and better storage and seating
Stained and white cabinets are bright and cheerful, reflecting plenty of light into the space. New engineered wood floors run throughout the kitchen, family room, and powder room. Using the same flooring in multiple spaces helps make the space seem larger and more inviting. If you’re happy with your kitchen’s layout, simply replacing the counters, cabinets, and flooring can give your 1990s kitchen a much needed makeover. View the rest of this classic two-story kitchen.
In the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, builders across the Minnesota River Valley were busy erecting two-story homes as far as the eye could see. Usually built with an attached garage and laid out around a central staircase; the kitchen, dining area, and family room would cohabitate in the back of the house.
While there are dozens of variations on the two-story floor plan, many have the same issues: off-balance layouts with formal dining rooms separated from kitchens, semi-open floor plans that suffer from traffic jams, and dated design elements. These three “south of the river” remodels each faced different challenges: from tired looks, to troublesome layouts.
Uncomfortably sandwiched between the dining and family rooms, the U-shaped kitchen caused traffic jams whenever the family entertained or used their backyard swimming pool
New Spaces designers removed the wall and relocated the dining area to create a single, open space with a long central island. With doors on both sides of the space, there are now two pathways to the pool.
Inspired by Mission-style design, the space takes a few cues from modernism to create a timeless look. See the rest of this Mission-inspired kitchen.
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