a before-and-after kitchen makeover

An open-concept kitchen and dining area gets a bright and airy upgrade.

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My husband and I bought our first home last year, and after a year of perpetual remodeling, I’m excited to share the before and after of our favorite spot in the house – the kitchen and dining room! We focused the majority of the remodel on the main living spaces, opening up the kitchen and living room to create that highly coveted open-concept look and feel.

First, we opened up the kitchen by removing a wall that separated the kitchen from the dining. We also removed a load bearing wall that closed off the entire living room from the rest of the house. Removing these two walls was the key to creating an open-concept living space.

Our house is relatively small, just over 1,100-sq-ft, and just the right size for a California starter home. This means we have to make every space count! Our dining space is located just off the kitchen and next to the patio doors that lead to our sunroom. We spend the majority of our evenings eating at our kitchen island. My husband and I prefer cool and casual dinners over formal affairs, a transitional dining space is all we needed. We chose a small, round mid-century style dining table, which sits four, with eclectic brass dining chairs, which I reupholstered myself. An IKEA hack cabinet functions both as a bar as well as extra cabinet storage. It was the perfect solution for the awkward corner between the window and the patio doors.

The finishing touch in this space was the addition of this incredible chandelier by Lucent Lightshop. It’s classic yet quirky, unique yet modern. It screams California cool. It’s pieces like this that define your style, and take your decor to the next level.