How to remove the wall between the farmhouse kitchen and dining room and have the space look cohesive, beautiful and also meet the needs of a busy family.
Does anyone else binge watch Fixer Upper and then find themselves imagining knocking down walls in their home? I know I do! There are two walls in our house that I’ve thought about accidentally putting a hole through. 😉 But so often when it is time to take out walls and make the changes there can be a lot of uncertainty.
How will the house look after taking out a wall? Do I really want the space to be this open? What will I have to do to make the two rooms flow together?
These are the questions that were tackled in a farmhouse kitchen redesign this year. A busy farming family with young, active children were ready to make changes to their kitchen and dining room. The space needed to not only represent their style, but also function for the cooking, family meals, kid projects, and homework. So we spent time talking about the current space and what the family envisioned for the new open kitchen and dining room.
What are current challenges in the space?
The room is currently divided up into two separate spaces: kitchen and dining. A large unused chimney is built into the wall dividing the rooms. Current kitchen cabinets and appliances will be staying.
What do you want to know when the design plan collaboration is complete?
- How to layout a kitchen island with lower seating for kids.
- If we should or should not keep the chimney.
- What changes should be made to the current kitchen cabinets.
- How to decorate the new space so that it is cohesive and flows well.
The first step was providing the client with a mood board full of inspirational images that will reflect the design style.
From here the next step is to work on creating 3D images that give the client an idea of the overall look and feel of the room. Because they were unsure about leaving the chimney in place they were given comparison 3-D images to help decide them decide.
Pulling the two spaces together.
The decision was made to remove the chimney and open up the space as much as possible. Recognizing that the current kitchen cabinets contain the working space (appliances and sink) the island was created to stand out as a unique piece, with the focus being extra storage, lower level seating for kids, and serving space for hosting. A bold paint color on the island brings interest into the otherwise neutral farmhouse space.
A continuous paint color from the original kitchen, to the dining room, and around to the living room tie the space together. Shiplap wall detail running from the dining to the living room will help join these two spaces as well.
Wrapping up the design service.
After finalizing the 3D images the last step is putting together a design source file. This is a CLICKABLE pdf file that allows you to click and be taken straight to products that are recommended for the room. Because the interior e-design service is all about making things as simple as possible!
In the end the client walks away with an assortment of 3D images showing every angle of the room, 2D blueprint layouts (if requested), and a source list full of 2-3 suggestions for products that need to be purchased. Countertops, paint colors and flooring suggestions are also provided.
The service outlined in this post is an example of the Enhanced Design Service.
If you are looking for help in designing a space for your home that is beautiful and also functional send me a message here! I would love to chat with you about our interior design e-services and how I can best help you achieve your home goals.