Open to High Function

f you have been reading my column for some time you know that I love mirrors in many forms. I use mirrors to collect light and brighten spaces. I like mirrors to make a space look larger and I don’t believe there is such a thing as a mirror that is too big! I rarely take mirrors down and I rarely get rid of mirrors but on a rare occasion, we must take the mirrors down. I am very excited to show this villa because the transformation creates so much function in this space. This villa is a two-bedroom two-bath villa, and the owner did not know the name of the model. This villa was built when “open concept” living was just getting started, so the dining room and the living room were open, but the kitchen was enclosed. The main body of the villa is quite big, and we wanted to take advantage of the space, but we would have to take the mirrored walls down. Let’s take a peek into the kitchen that we open up for storage and high function somewhere in the heart of The Villages.

  •  Remove the walls with mirrors
The former owner of the villa must have been feeling like the space was tight because they applied mirrors to the exterior walls of the kitchen. This gave the illusion of lightness, and it lessened the divide between the dining room and kitchen. To recreate a high functioning kitchen and dining room we took down the walls of the kitchen and opened up the space.
The refrigerator looked really big in the space because looking into the kitchen you saw the large side of the refrigerator.

  •  No more popcorn
Since we were taking down walls this was a great opportunity to get rid of the popcorn ceilings. I don’t usually have an issue with popcorn ceilings but since this ceiling was only eight feet high getting rid of the popcorn really made a difference. It was not that expensive to add to the project when the walls were coming down anyway so if you are considering removing the popcorn try to combine it with moving a wall or taking down columns.

  •  Move refrigerator
In the before picture there is a small built-in pantry at the back of the kitchen. That space was opened up and there was room in the garage to widen and deepen the space. The new space would accommodate the new larger refrigerator, and that bulk would not take up so much space physically and visually. Moving the refrigerator took up very little space in the garage.
With the refrigerator gone we could then move the stove and microwave in the place of the refrigerator. Moving those two items allowed the homeowners to have a large uninterrupted counter space to use as a coffee bar and more prep space for cooking.

  •  New cabinets all the way to the ceiling
All the cabinets were replaced with new white cabinets that reached all the way to the ceiling. This adds more storage, draws the eye up, and the space looks bigger.

  •  Replace the pantry
The small pantry that was widened for the refrigerator was replaced with a large pantry on the right side of the dishwasher. This area was where the wall stood to enclose the kitchen. With the wall gone, the kitchen now extended to the sliding glass door.

  •  Large island
The new large island was added to create storage, a dining space and a large work area. The island added so much cabinetry the homeowner was in heaven! They can sit around this island, and it has become the heartbeat of the home. There is a phenomenon that happens when there is a big island in a space, and it draws people like a magnet.

  •  New quartz countertops
The countertops are new quartz that is white with espresso veins. The countertops marry the white cabinetry in the kitchen to the dark island base. The backsplash is a full backsplash of the same quartz.

  •  Wood treatment
To keep the kitchen looking big we did not want any wall color breaking up the white cabinetry. The finish carpenter added a board and batten wall treatment to the back wall so that all the white cabinets would look cohesive with the wall.

  •  New tile
New large tile was installed throughout the villa. The tile looks like stone and has a rectified edge so the grout line can be very thin. A rectified edge is a very straight edge and to have a thin grout line you need a rectified edge. If you are buying tile with a rectified edge, make sure your installer has experience with this type of tile because it does take experience to get the installation right.

  •  New lighting
New lighting was installed in the ceiling of the kitchen area. They are integrated lights on a dimmer. These lights are flat in the ceiling and the temperature of the light can be set the way you like it. If you like bright daylight all the way down to warm golden light, you get to choose the color. The homeowner chose a light over the island with Edison bulbs and one single pendant over the sink.

  •  New mirrors
Of course we had to add mirrors back into the space! We added two arched mirrors to reflect the light from the slider back into the space. They look amazing!
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Before and After Images Below