In this long-overdue renovation, a 20+-year-old farmhouse garrison gets a total facelift by knocking down the majority of the first-floor walls. Achieving a design mixing old with new is the desired look of the homeowners.

When my sister and brother-in-law came to me to remodel their home. I knew I had to prepare them for a significant undertaking. Rick had just retired, and Kathy had been retired for a while. The interior of their home had not had any renovations for 20 years. Only the exterior had been worked on. Their quaint center entrance farm-style colonial was desperately calling for an interior makeover.

Interior Changes: Removing Walls

Knowing that we were going to remodel the kitchen, we were also going to knock down as many walls as possible on the first floor. That also included the first-floor bathroom renovation. Bringing in the contractor was the first step. We needed to confirm that the wall between the dining room and living room was load-bearing and those between the kitchen and dining room were not.

Once we confirmed which walls were load-bearing, the structural engineer was scheduled to come. He needed to assess what size of steel beam would be necessary to bridge the weight of the dining room and living room before removing walls. This process took a few months of going back and forth between the contractor and the homeowners.

When we had the final design, permits were pulled, and the demolition work began. Work had to be done in the basement footing first, and temporary support walls were built before removing walls to take the load while the beam was being installed.

One important note to remember when renovating is there are often unforeseen issues, such as the leak discovered in the upstairs master directly over the dining room. No better time than the present to take care of the issue by adding the en suite bathroom remodel to the scope of work.

Shopping For The Kitchen’s Elements

After agreeing that the new kitchen's appliances, sink, and mechanicals would remain in the same location, a plan was created, and an appointment was set to meet with the kitchen designer. Kathy had been saving kitchen ideas from Pinterest, which is a perfect way to catalog the selection of home renovation ideas. White shaker-style kitchen cabinets were definitely on Kathy’s list of wants. Next was going over cabinet quality and the bells and whistles that come with a kitchen remodel. Pull-out spice drawers, a sink sponge drawer, and a pull-out trash cabinet were all on Kathy’s list of must-haves, along with a large pantry cabinet.

Kathy knew that incorporating architectural salvage into my designs was my specialty. Kathy had definite ideas about making the new kitchen island look older, and adding an old door to an existing pantry closet was on our radar. My thoughts were to change the cabinet panels in front of the island to raised detailed panels instead of matching the shaker door style on the main kitchen cabinets. The search began for small salvage corbels that we would install on our own after the island was in place to enhance the character and look of the kitchen.

Since all of the carpet in the house was original, pulling it up and laying hardwood for the whole first floor was decided. A white oak, wire-brushed wood was selected to span the entire first floor, except for the tiles bathroom.

Mixing Old & New Materials

Mixing old with new is a specialty I like to incorporate into every one of my designs. Our grandmother's old copper water pitcher, given to Kathy, was our inspiration piece. The range hood would be made of weathered copper. Copper was the mixed material that would contrast with the new white cabinets.

The drawer pulls would also be a mix of copper and white porcelain, still deciding on which style pull. The pendant lights over the island would have a rustic washed textured coppery gold finish 13 1/2 inches in diameter. The copper pendants would be the first thing in sight when walking in from the garage and provide a WOW factor.

All copper finishes would not match, of course. This is the beauty of creating a kitchen space of your own. Finding the charm and character of the homeowner and bringing their style out in their home is a priority for this designer.

The lighting was a critical component of the kitchen. Not having the pendants over the island and the kitchen sink pendant match was purposely planned. The kitchen sink pendant chosen was an antique ivory mini pendant with a bit of copper distressing.

Project Progress

This kitchen design project is currently in the middle of the remodel. Cabinet delivery is scheduled for three weeks, the removal of the walls has begun, the carpet is pulled up, and the new slider door in the dining area has been installed. While we wait for the wood floor and kitchen cabinets to arrive, the first-floor bathroom and master bathroom renovations are beginning.

About Debbe Daley

Debbe Daley is New England’s leading interior design expert in the fields of design, decorating, and styling of interior spaces. She is a professional speaker, educator, influencer, and business coach in the field of interior design. She also educates creative interior design, home decor enthusiasts, and change-of-career-minded individuals at her School of Interiors through courses, mentoring, and hands-on training. Debbe is currently an installed Design Services member for the Boston Design Center.

Contact Debbe at ddaley@daleydesigns.com or (978) 697-0288.