See how the designer transformed this Boston kitchen by removing a staircase and adding a red refrigerator and range
Having lived in their Victorian house for more than a decade, this married couple of attorneys with two young kids were ready to fix their awkward kitchen layout without losing some of the existing details they loved. Designer Jodi Swartz and her team at KitchenVisions reworked the space by removing a staircase, adding a new island and cabinets and injecting color with bold red appliances.
Who lives here: A family of four
Location: Boston
Size: 267 square feet (25 square meters)
Designer: Jodi Swartz of KitchenVisionsThe stained wood ceiling molding and the stained wood door that leads to the basement remain in the renovated kitchen, but the wood cabinets were replaced with new ones covered in Benjamin Moore’s Apparition. “The color we chose for the cabinets has a bit of a creamy tone that keeps it from looking too stark,” Swartz says.
After: By removing the staircase, Swartz was able to add another row of lower cabinets topped with black granite along the right side of the kitchen. This wall of cabinetry now includes a built-in microwave, a dishwasher and the main sink. To the right of the door, Swartz reused the stained wood stair railings from the old staircase to create a guardrail for the landing.
The designer also removed the built-in cabinets to the left of the stained door to make room for a new red built-in refrigerator. “The husband loves to cook and he was all about adding the bold red range and refrigerator,” Swartz says.