By this point, you know we truly believe a house must mature along with its inhabitants. And although we’re always tweaking, I’d guess that this kitchen and the sit-down area adjacent to it are as close to « done » as they’ve ever come. The past two years have changed it little—beyond putting in my heart’s aching chandelier (bubbles at beach sunset–ish color) in the kitchen and finding at last the perfect seating arrangement for the sitting area. And then? It’s blissfully set—beyond a teeny-tiny handful of tweaks, like a new toaster I got on Christmas. (The photos in this post were snapped before that—yes, occasionally it takes us six months to release major updates!)
Since our older kitchen posts don’t reflect these newer considerations, this updated walkthrough appeared way past due.
We also sort of wanted to share what has been working for us, especially for anyone with a similar configuration. It’s really amazingly effective for our family and holds a great deal of functions: school breakfast, everyday meals, cooking and storage, adult entertaining when the kids are upstairs working on crafts or watching movies-you name it.
And because video can show you more than words or photographs ever could, we included a tour of the room so you really get flow. Placing two loveseats was the make-or-break that finally came after years of trial and error with the sitting area. It took us long enough to figure it out—pretty much because the bedroom door and the front entrance are directly in the center of that space, making layout tricky.
A Real Multi-Purpose Space
They say the kitchen is the heart of the house—and in our case, they’re right. It’s right in the center of the floor plan and probably the room we use most—starting and ending the day here, whether crashing on the sofas or playing board games at the table. It’s where we dine, prepare meals, and host parties.
This room is also our entry way. There isn’t a foyer, mudroom, or laundry room. Backpacks, coats, laundry, and even our grill gear all live in or just off the kitchen. Luckily, the porch that comes with this property gives us extra storage and houses our shoes, cooking utensils, and the grill in a shut cabinet configuration. You can see the whole tour of that porch [here].
Kitchen Before & After
Let’s begin with something we can enjoy: before-and-afters.
Here’s the original photo of the back window—before we transformed it into a door leading out onto the kitchen porch.
And here’s the same view after the switch:
If you go back to our first weeks or so here, this is how we first did things. It wasn’t ideal, but it got us through the early days as we figured out what we needed.
Here’s the current view from the same place:
Here’s another early photo from February 2020, when we first saw the house:
And here’s the after, from the same place:
One more (because we can’t resist!). This one’s a bit more compact—apologies, stairs!—but still, you can really see the progress:
We especially like the fact that the dining area is fully open to the kitchen. It makes everyday moments more communal. Individuals gather, chat, and recline while a meal is prepared by someone. It also benefits us more to have a dining table rather than an island. We have had seating at an island in the past, but we prefer to sit facing one another in chairs rather than sitting in a line.
Of course, that is totally personal! We want to show you that not to compare and contrast with one another but to make you think about the way you live in your home—how you cook, eat, hang, and live. Even if it goes against trends or « resale logic. » (Two-island craze, anyone.) Trends tend to pass on. Designing for the way you live is what really makes a home functional and joyful.
A New Chandelier
Let’s take a moment to admire the chandelier Pinterest led me to. The algorithm certainly did its part.
These photos were shot more than a year ago. The flowers? We found them scattered along a path in the rear of a neighborhood wedding venue—and texted friends right away to rush over and save some too. Naturally, we couldn’t help but snap a few photographs and take a video of the kitchen looking particularly elegant with all these flowers.
Patience Pays Off
I can remember it to this day, with neighbors coming over the moment we bought the house and saying, « We went through this house but couldn’t figure out how to make the floor plan work. » I’m glad that we were able to catch on so quickly. Despite all of the dirty « before » pictures, we just knew that the house had good bones and tons of potential.
This is the same angle today. It’s amazing how smaller houses can make you feel like they’re so much larger with some reconfiguring, a bit of creativity, and some time. We didn’t have it all figured out immediately (such as the awkward initial phase of the sitting area), and our kitchen renovation didn’t even start until year two. But now, in year five, we’re in the groove. It really does feel like we’re riding this one out.
So don’t be afraid to take your time. Live in the room. Try out various things. And for goodness’ sake, don’t go ripping out a kitchen because it doesn’t resemble the current issue of Architectural Digest. Time spent figuring out how you need a space to function—what you actually require and utilize—can lead to decisions that are far more satisfying than any trend list could ever propose.
Seeing Beyond the Kitchen
One last peculiarity I must note: our kitchen window looks out at our bedroom. To avoid the unbecoming views of a bed or closet, we put in floating shelves and some tasteful storage so that wall feels like the living area just keeps going.
