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Before & After Kitchen: Relocating the Dining Room Wall

This kitchen remodel grabs a few feet from the adjacent dining room to yield major layout improvements.

by Nina Malkin
Full kitchen view
Hard-wearing stainless steel appliances, marble-look quartz countertops, and ceramic hex floor tile contribute to the stylish, family-friendly design. Stained Shaker cabinets and sleek black pulls are softened by the curves of the table and domed light fixtures. Even with two floor-to-ceiling pantry units and a larger island with storage on two sides, there’s more room to circulate. | Rebecca McAlpin

This article appeared in the Fall 2023 issue of This Old House Magazine. Click here to learn how to subscribe.

Before
Before Left: Talk about busy: Speckled brown granite, black appliances, cherry cabinets with raised panels, and an overhead soffit made the kitchen look dark and dated. Wall ovens and a corner cooktop ate up space. Before Right: The built-in bar, located in the hall near the kitchen, had become a clutter magnet for random items, including toys and old water bottles. | Libby Rawes

Having family mealtime is a must, but sometimes parents need their own space, too. That’s one reason Wyncote, PA, homeowners Molly Eigen and Sarah Elder—parents of three, all under age 11—wanted to preserve the formal dining room in their 1950s center-hall Colonial. But their cramped, dark kitchen was crying out for more storage, better traffic flow, and updated finishes. “It wasn’t in sync with our simpler, more modern style,” Molly says.

“Extending just enough into a dining room can add a lot of function to a kitchen without sacrificing a formal space for entertaining.” Libby Rawes, owner and principal designer, Sharp & Grey

Interior designer Libby Rawes was able to deliver on all fronts by making one crucial move: bumping into the adjacent dining room by 37 inches. Those few extra feet allowed her to add a floor-to-ceiling pantry cabinet next to the opening to the dining room and a square island that doubled the storage and prep area of its undersized predecessor. Moving the cooktop out of its awkward corner and scrapping it and double wall ovens in favor of a traditional range allowed for another tall pantry where the stacked ovens had been, as well as better-organized base cabinets.

A built-in banquette and round table fit the family at mealtime, encouraging conversation. “But when we have people over, we pack the kids in there while the adults get the dining room,” says Molly. As for the cook space, she adds, “The quality, easy-clean materials; storage for everything; and warm, inviting look make the kitchen perfect for us.”

With burners freed from their awkward corner, the range is more conducive to multiple cooks—kids included—pitching in during meal prep. The custom plaster range hood was a splurge. “A metal hood would have been a little too cold and industrial for the overall look of the space,” homeowner Molly Eigen says. – Rebecca McAlpin
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Floor Plans

Bumping into the dining room allowed for a larger island and better traffic flow. Rethinking cooking appliances added more storage and prep space.

Floorplans
Ian Worpole
  1. Pushed out the wall shared with the dining room to gain 38 square feet; added a 30-inch- wide floor-to-ceiling pantry in a corner of the new wall.
  2. Shifted the fridge toward a widened opening into the hall and its built-in bar.
  3. Traded a corner cooktop and two wall ovens for a range along the fridge wall.
  4. Replaced a small rectangular island with a square one that measures 3 1⁄3 feet on each side.
  5. Scrapped a wall-to-wall soffit to add a floor-to-ceiling pantry where the wall ovens had been.
  6. Built a new L-shaped banquette for a round table with two chairs to ease circulation.

Get the Look

With strong, simple lines and handsome, durable finishes, these stylish finds have timeless appeal.

Angular cabinet pull | AMEROCK<br>A modern shape and a good price make these matte-black pulls, just over 5 inches long, a nice option for buying in multiples. $5.25; build.com
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