A “Dated” ’80s Dark Wood Kitchen Gets a Light, Bright, Timeless Refresh
When Meredith Bradford and her husband, Andrew, bought their Colorado home 16 years ago, they knew it was a fixer-upper — think old wood paneling, outdated fixtures, and enclosed rooms. “The house was built in the ’70s, and it showed,” Bradford says. “It was called ‘mountain modern,’ but there was nothing cool and modern about it. The main level had four different types of flooring, a strange half wall right when you walked in, and rocks on the living room walls (the kids used to climb up them).”
Still, the house had potential. Its energy and flow felt right for their family of four. “I liked the layout — with the family bedrooms upstairs and the guest bedroom and bathroom in the basement,” Bradford says. “I like keeping those spaces separate.”
So the Bradfords moved into the home and then the three-phase major renovations began — but not before they lived in the space for a while, just to get a sense of what really needed to be done. Chief on that list? Opening up the main level and building an entirely new kitchen there because the current one wasn’t going to cut it. “The kitchen was tiny and had been updated in the late ’80s,” Bradford says. So the dated room, clad in brown wooden cabinets that melded with the flooring and funky lighting, was more than ready for a refresh.
An avid cook and baker, Bradford dreamed of a functional space built for entertaining, a showstopping gathering spot for the main floor that’d be open to its surrounding areas. They’d update all the appliances, fixtures, and finishes to bring the kitchen into the 21st century. But they’d go timeless with the new design direction — a light and airy, classic black, white, and soft warm gray color palette — so the space wouldn’t seem of any particular era for longevity sake.
They’d enlarge the footprint of the kitchen to about 300 square feet, stealing space from the nearby dining room to create a long U-shape with a peninsula on one side (an idea Bradford says she may not have had without taking the time to live in the house first). And walls would come down so they could take advantage of the pretty views, since the house is built on a mountainside overlooking a meadow.
Construction began by shortening a long wall, which would become the refrigerator wall of the new kitchen (and leave space for a generously sized peninsula for preparing and eating meals), and taking another wall down. Several of the windows were enlarged so they’d run all the way down to the counters, which would maximize natural light. Darker wood flooring went in to unite the entire main floor underfoot. And the new cook space would center on a statement stove set off by subway tiled walls. “My husband, who usually doesn’t get too involved in design, said since the stove area was a pretty big focal point on the main level, we needed a nice looking stove,” Bradford says. “I couldn’t have agreed more.”
They settled on a gorgeous Viking brass and black stove (complete with a griddle!) and range hood, which Bradford tracked down on eBay. “I love a good find,” Bradford says. The stove and hood match her extensive Staub black and brass cookware collection perfectly (Bradford heads up public relations and marketing at ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS, Staub’s parent company). To put the stove in its new place of prominence, the gas line was relocated, and the plumbing was shifted as well to make way for the sink’s new location.
Bradford hunted for other just-right finishes and fixtures. She sourced neutral quartz countertops from Cambria and (now-discontinued) mushroom-colored Shaker-style cabinets from Kraftmaid at The Home Depot. “I didn’t need anything too custom,” she says. When it came to the cabinetry, though, she did work the kitchen’s vertical space to eke out as much storage as possible. “We are tall so we took cabinets all the way to the ceiling,” Bradford says. “I love storing my cookie sheets, trays, muffin tins, etc. vertically above the refrigerator. We have cereals and grains up high, too.”
The couple problem-solved for a quirky feature or two as well. “We had a funny drain coming down from upstairs,” Bradford says. “But we hid it with a glass door cabinet for our dishes, which is a great place to store them — easy to grab, and it’s right next to the dishwasher so easy to put away.”
The appliance suite, which includes double ovens, comes from KitchenAid (minus the stove and hood), and the sconces and pendants used throughout are by Visual Comfort. All of the cookware is from Staub.
The reno took a bit longer and cost a bit more than they initially expected, but the family couldn’t be happier with the results. “The light and the views are lovely,” Bradford says. “I think the previous owners might not even recognize the house — it’s so different, inside and out — from when we bought it.”
Further Reading
I Tried the 90/90 Rule and My Closet Is Now Fully Decluttered
Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About Article’s DTC Furniture
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