Open-Concept Brookside Kitchen and More
Megan Gives This Busy Brookside Family the Space They Need
Christine moved back to Brookside from the southern part of the metro because she wanted to raise her kids in the same area in which she grew up. She also wanted to find a home with charm and character. As is often the case with older homes in Kansas City, the price for “charm and character” was small, chopped up living spaces. Fortunately just a few interior modifications were all that was needed to accommodate this busy family’s modern lifestyle.
The individual spaces were small and closed off from one another. For example, the old kitchen/dining area was too small to allow for this family of five to be together in the same space. There was an island in the kitchen that housed the gas cooktop, but it did not allow for enough room around the cooktop and was a safety hazard for the kids. In addition, a screened in porch just off the dining room was underutilized, but the family recognized its potential as extra living and entertaining space.
Christine chose Schloegel Design Remodel and our designer, Megan Lynch, to transform the home’s tight spaces into a more open concept that gives her family the space they need. We removed the wall between the kitchen & the dining room to allow for a more open space and a new peninsula. The new peninsula features a quartz countertop which looks like marble and custom base cabinetry painted a warm taupe. We painted the existing dark cabinetry with a cream tone to lighten & freshen the space and installed a new marble-look backsplash. The now open dining room was redecorated and finished with wainscoting around the perimeter.
We closed in the old screened porch and connected it to the dining room with two new cased openings. The porch was finished with new trim around the existing windows, a charming bead board ceiling and a custom banquette with lots of functional storage. To keep what was once an outdoor space comfortable, we installed a sleek, single-room heating and cooling unit. A new nine-foot wide sliding French door connects the room to the patio and back yard.
With three children under the age of six, this household is always busy. The changes to their home not only connect the spaces, they connect the family. The children enjoy breakfast at the kitchen peninsula and coloring at the banquette in the sun room. The family loves their new space and are glad that just a few changes have made such a big difference!
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