After: Moreno stripped the kitchen down to the studs, removing the appliances, backsplash, cabinets, ceiling fan, counters, vinyl flooring, sink window, soffit and closet. She filled in the window above the old sink to make room for a new focal-point range and a reworked appliance layout that better fits the family’s needs.
She also took down the wall between the kitchen and dining room, expanding the kitchen into the former breakfast nook, adding 72 square feet and dramatically improving flow. The extra space allowed for a larger custom island, which is painted a muted, organic green with soft gray undertones. “It’s a really pretty neutral green that’s warm at the same time,” Moreno says. “I like to ground a space so everything isn’t so white. Plus, her favorite color is green. It took time to find the right green, and we went with this neutral one because it’s transitional but also modern.” Soft white custom inset cabinetry along the perimeter brightens the room and contrasts gently with the island. Satin bronze hardware adds a rich, polished touch to both.
Moreno placed the new farmhouse-style sink in the island and placed the new range where the sink used to be. She moved the refrigerator to the cooktop’s former spot, resulting in a smarter, safer layout. “I’m not a big fan of putting the range in the island, especially when you have little kids,” Moreno says. “Removing that sink window allowed us to put the range there with the hood as a focal point. She was afraid of losing the light from that window, but now we’re getting light from the front of the house by removing that wall.”
Paint colors: Alabaster (perimeter cabinets), Drift of Mist (walls), Pure White (ceiling and trim), Shade-Grown (island), Sherwin-Williams
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of five
Location: Norcross, Georgia
Size: 242 square feet (22 square meters)
Designer: Rosa Moreno Kitchens
Builder: Atlanta Renovations and Construction
Before: This photo of the former kitchen was taken from the breakfast area. The dated 170-square-foot space had striped wallpaper, a soffit, mismatched standard appliances, dark brown cabinets, laminate counters, a ceiling fan and vinyl flooring. “There was a lot of wood and it was so heavy,” Moreno says. “The white fridge sticking out was a problem too. I knew we definitely could do a lot better.”
On the left, a drop-in double-bowl sink sat beneath a window that the homeowners were open to removing to improve the layout and storage. The fridge wall separated the kitchen from the dining room, making the kitchen and its small island feel cramped. “But by removing that wall, we were getting rid of storage,” Moreno says. “So that was the big question on how things would work.”
The door seen at the back opened to a hallway leading to the living room. In that hallway was a powder room and door to the basement. A door to a closet is just out of view on the fridge wall. “There were so many doors that we had to deal with,” Moreno says.