Kitchen remodeling trends come and go. As a designer, homeowners almost always ask me about trends when preparing to update their kitchens.
My advice: If you’re in the market for a kitchen renovation, check out the trends on the up. But then take it one step further, asking yourself a few questions: Do these trends work for my space and suit my personal style? Are they functional for the way I use my kitchen?
How so you arrive at the right design choices and product selections for your new kitchen?
Browse the Trends in Style Now
Here are the on-trend kitchen updates for 2022.
Real Simple shares the 2022 Houzz Kitchen Trends Study, touting white kitchen cabinets and stainless steel appliances as the top choices. Other trends lean toward more functional details like creative storage options and islands for versatility.
Get Personal About Style and Functionality
Just like with your favorite pair of jeans, sometimes it’s best to go with the choices that suit you—the ones that feel good. This kitchen renovation in a Cleveland Westside home checks all the boxes, blending personal style choices with the latest kitchen design trends for a uniquely balanced and well-styled living space.
The Perfect Blend of Personal Style and Modern Trends
Here’s how it all came together, from design plans for the new open-concept kitchen, to before-and-after photos to product and fixture selections.
Creating the Kitchen
The New Kitchen Footprint
To gain space for the new kitchen rebuild, we started by adding structural support in the basement and then removed the wall between the kitchen and dining room and the kitchen soffits. With a blank (and now more open) slate, we reworked the kitchen layout for improved functionality, more storage, and an island for seating.
BEFORE, DURING & AFTER
The Kitchen Before
The homeowners loved their 1936 bungalow. But while their home had the ideal mix of character and charm, the kitchen was cramped and closed off from the rest of the first floor living space. The wall between the kitchen and dining room had to go to create the functional flow they desperately wanted. The homeowners turned to Dover to help them gain more living out of their existing space while creating an updated and upgraded kitchen with modern functionality.
The Kitchen During
Removing the wall was not a simple task. The home has a terracotta wall foundation typical to homes built in the 1930s. The challenge is that these foundation walls are hollow in the center and cannot adequately carry the additional weight or bearing points resulting from opening up the first-floor walls above.
Before moving forward with design, our charge was to ensure that the additional weight would be properly supported after removing the load-bearing wall on the first floor. To determine how the load would be dispersed, we took measurements of the entire home and consulted with our engineer to determine the proper size for LVLs, beams and columns.
Upon further inspection, we found more unique circumstances in the home based on the location of a porch that had no foundation below. To create proper structure, we dug footers in the basement, removed part of the foundation wall, installed a bearing point column (to not only support the weight of the first floor being affected, but also the second floor) and rebuilt a portion of the wall. We also relocated the furnace, plumbing lines and HVAC ductwork. All this work was done prior to remodeling. Now, with all structural and mechanical issues resolved, we could move forward with the remodel.
(NOTE: On these below photos for this section, we recommend including captions on them for readers to understand what they are looking at)
Structural supports added in basement
HVAC ductwork is re-routed as part of proper structure updates
The Kitchen After
At the top of the homeowners’ wish list was a more open kitchen space with an island where their grandchildren could sit and enjoy helping with cooking and baking projects. This new layout delivers with a brighter, airy space that features added storage and workspace areas. The cabinets and millwork seamlessly blend with the home’s historic profile for a classic look and feel.
Northeast Ohio Kitchen Remodeling Inspiration
In the next blog, we’ll detail all the new kitchen features, including product and fixture selections. Thanks for following along!
In the meantime, you can see more of this fabulous kitchen or if you need help with your home remodeling project, reach out to our team at Dover Home Remodeling. We’re here to make your home your dream home.
The best is yet to come,
Patti Saracusa
