We love a good before and after, and this Northshore craftsman kitchen renovation is a project we are so excited to share with you!

For this kitchen renovation, we had our work cut out for us. It was a 1920s-era craftsman-style home that had been previously renovated and stripped of a lot of the original detail. Of note, a lot of homeowners renovate to make their homes work better for them, but don’t take the home’s architecture into consideration. In this case, that led to a lot of unused space and too-cramped spaces elsewhere.

To bring back some of the charming elements and maximize the square footage, we first turned our attention to researching renovations of craftsman homes. The work of Reath Design and Jessica Helgerson inspired us here.

See Inside Our Craftsman Kitchen Renovation

As you can see in the before photos, this home had a lot of wasted space and poor flow. It was one of the trickiest floor plans we’ve worked with and simply was not functional for this family of five with three small children. First, the kitchen was small; and two, they didn’t have a closed-off mudroom, an essential for a young family. We didn’t have the space to build an addition, so we got creative with the floor plan to maximize functionality.

Before:

After:

We reconfigured the entire back of this home to configure a larger kitchen, a mudroom, a breakfast room with a built-in wet bar and a central hallway. Together, these elements created much better circulation for the household.

One of the only original details you could see in the home pre-renovation was the coffered ceiling in the dining room, which is a very craftsman-style detail. So, we paid close attention to the trim and molding throughout the renovated spaces, painting a lot of the wood.

Sources for Northshore Craftsman Kitchen Renovation

Paint

Kitchen cabinets: Benjamin Moore Wales Gray

Breakfast room cabinets: Benjamin Moore Simply White

Dining room: Benjamin Moore Chimichurri

Cabinets

Antique Swedish cabinets in dining room from Round Top Antiques Fair

Centered by Design custom cabinetry in breakfast room and kitchen, made locally in Illinois

Counter Pendants

Rejuvenation Ormandy Rod Pendants

Hardware

Rejuvenation Mission collection

Breakfast Table

Ave Charlotte Pedestal Table

Dining Room Lighting

Ralph Lauren Cara Large Sculpted Pendant

Kelly Wearstler Precision Solitaire

Dining Room Wallpaper

Pierre Frey Jolies Fleurs

Want More Kitchen Renovation Resources?

Looking for more ideas to inspire your own kitchen renovation? Check out our revamped and comprehensive Ultimate Guide to Kitchen Design.

We’ve added 10 new pages of content and updated the guide to ensure it includes all our best interior designer tips for creating your dream kitchen. It includes sections on budgeting; working with a contractor; various design elements; technical details on aspects like lighting, hardware and cabinets; and tips for choosing practical elements such as appliances and countertops.

This resource will help you to make informed decisions that truly align with your lifestyle and aesthetic. Download it here.

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