Vancouver Home Remodel
Whether you’re buying an older home, or have lived in one for quite some time, it is common to want to utilize the character from the home in specific spaces and renovate them to become something unique and less outdated. Renovating old spaces can be a great investment down the road if you choose to sell, but also a chance to personalize and enjoy your home even more for the time being. This 1969 home was originally built with a very enclosed kitchen area, that limited not only space, but the opportunity for socialization between the dining and living room areas that remained fairly close in proximity. The homeowners found the idea of creating a more open space appealing, but also desired a pantry and storage space. By opening up the kitchen we were able to create a 5 x 12 pantry, all the while maintaining a more open and inviting space.
While kitchen lighting can serve its purpose in food preparation, it is also important to remember that your kitchen will be a place of conversation, socialization, and often times entertainment. Warm and inviting lighting, that serves an essential function can be dependent on the style, but also the placement. You will see in the before pictures, a very classic 1970’s style box lighting, that not only sticks out, taking up an undesirable amount of space, but also contains highly fluorescent lighting. Removing these lights and inserting a newer and less of an eyesore style was a must! However, this older home contained quite the throwback feature, ceiling heat. Using a FLIR heat camera was required in order to safely secure the new light fixture and design, and avoid placement of nails and screws in the wrong locations. A chic and much more updated lighting set was installed, surrounded by faux box-beam and bead board inserts, creating an appealing, and effective kitchen illumination.
Tying in the remainder of the newly opened space included a change in countertops as well as the installation of new, flooring throughout the now combined spaces. It has become more common to create a sense of flow between rooms, especially ones that share spaces without obvious division. Using the same flooring between the kitchen and dining area not only helps keep the visually appealing, but also increases the sense of expansion. This luxury vinyl flooring is not only waterproof, making it perfect for kitchens, but truly accents the rest of the home with its seasoned wood tone.