Refresh and Renew
Welcome to 2024
I just love a new year, getting a chance to have a fresh start, and time to renew yourself and your environment to prepare for the year ahead. If you’re dreaming of a refreshed and renovated home, read on for a beautiful before-and-after!
![View of white kitchen with blue accent color backsplash tiles and silver appliances. The kitchen island's cabinetry is also painted blue with a white marble countertop, and blue glass pendant lights hang above the island. A medium wood door is visible at the left and windows on the right.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KimballStarrInteriorDesign_BelmontKitchenAppliances-580x407.jpg)
Above is how my client’s kitchen looks now, after I shifted a wall and added a door and an island.
![Left photo: Looking into the kitchen at the sink in front of a pair of windows, limited by sheetrock walls as you enter the kitchen. Right photo: Open kitchen entrance showing the sink and windows directly ahead of you, plus a blue kitchen island with white marble countertops on the left, and matching backsplash tiling on the walls to the right. Warm wood-clad walls face you, and blue glass pendant lights hang above the sink and island.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_Blog-Before-and-After-Kitchen-Sink-Comparison-580x273.jpg)
You can see how limiting the sheetrock walls were. After removing the walls, now the kitchen is open and welcoming.
![Left photo: A warm leather recliner sits with its back to the corner entrance to the kitchen. Wooden beams are just visible at the ceiling. Right photo: Standing at the corner of the dining room, clad in warm wood wall planks with a circular tiered glass chandelier above a white and dark wood modern dining table and blue chairs. On the left is the kitchen in blue and white, a wide open space flanked by white cabinetry and the blue painted island in the center.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_Blog-Before-and-After-Kitchen-Corner-580x273.jpg)
We changed the container of the space to improve flow and make it more usable. The sheetrock corner went away, we added a beam overhead, and clad the dining room wall to match the rest of the space.
![Left photo: Two pairs of windows are visible on the wall, while a tile-topped kitchen peninsula sticks out under a row of white cabinets, with many items on the surfaces. Right photo: Kitchen in blue and white, a wide open space flanked by white cabinetry and white countertops, warm wood on the far wall, and the blue painted island in the center. Blue glass pendant lamps hang above the island and kitchen sink.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_Blog-Before-and-After-Kitchen-Island-580x273.jpg)
On the left is how the kitchen previously looked in my client’s San Francisco home. Cramped, dark, and no place to put things down while cooking. On the right, my solution to create a light and airy kitchen with style!
![Standing in the kitchen looking past the white counterop of the kitchen island, with 2 lucite counterheight seats. Across from the island is the aluminum refrigerator and more white cabinetry. A peek of the blue wall tiles is seen on the left as you pass through the kitchen into the living room. You see the fireplace as you enter that area.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_Blog-Before-and-AFTER-Kitchen-LR-1.jpg)
Looking through the kitchen towards the living room and dining room, you can see how interconnected everything is now in my clients’ bright and contemporary home.
Kimball Starr designs beautiful, refreshed homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Contact her today for a socially-distanced in-person or remote consultation!