Before and After: Kei and Jen’s Amazing Galley Kitchen Transformation

My friends, Kei and Jen, had a galley kitchen that was barely functional before they renovated. It was incredibly hard to maneuver through and it always felt really dark inside. The textured red walls made the space feel like it was enveloped by a giant tongue. When they asked me to help them design a new kitchen, I was thrilled. This kitchen needed a major facelift and I’m always up for a challenge.

The renovation took over 4 months to complete. Sometimes when I look at the before and after of this kitchen, I can’t believe that it’s the same house. I’m not gonna lie, this remodel was expensive but man was it worth it. It was a huge undertaking especially since 2 walls needed to be taken down, pipes and electrical needed to be moved and everything was being built back up from scratch. New cabinets, new flooring, all new appliances, quartz counters and brass fixtures.

Hardwood vs Vinyl

Converting a galley kitchen to an open concept meant that we had to think about the continuity of the flooring. I had a hard time convincing Kei and Jen to lay down hardwood that would match the original in the house. They initially wanted to lay down vinyl that looked like wood and have it stop at the living room. But after a little bit of pushing on my part, they agreed to match the hardwood with the rest of the house and decided to sand and refinish all the floors as well. I am proud to say that they are glad they listened to me. The space feels so much more cohesive now especially with the floors tying everything together.

Moving the kitchen sink helped tremendously in creating a more functional space. While I’m not usually a fan of corner sinks, Kei and Jen had gotten used to it and wanted to continue to use one. We got rid of the worn out metal blinds and updated the windows with new solar shades.

By getting rid of the awkward wall separating the kitchen and the dining room, the space feels much less claustrophobic. We changed the old bannister to a cable railing for a more modern look. The chairs and table from Article were beautiful and surprisingly more affordable than I thought.

A built-in bench adds some practical seating and storage in one.

The original stove was a frustrating place for Jen to cook. She had barely any counter space to work with and the hood did not vent very well. By moving the stove to the outer wall and adding a high quality range hood, cooking is now a much more pleasant and less smoky affair.

Pantry Problems

The pantry was also a hot mess before. The added cabinet space and and more efficient use of it has made the pantry situation much more manageable. We also created a little coffee/breakfast bar to make the morning routine more streamlined.

Final Thoughts

Even though this kitchen was done on a generous budget, Kei and Jen were able to save some money by sourcing all of their appliances at once from the same vendor. As a result, they were able to get a bundled discount. Also, they wanted the look of marble countertops but not the price tag, so we were able to find some quartz countertops that had some subtle marbling in them. In addition, to save on some flooring material costs, they had the new wood flooring come up to the cabinets instead of going all the way underneath.

They made a few mistakes along the way however, and it did cost them a bit of money. Because they didn’t schedule certain things in advance, they had to expedite shipping on a couple of items which cost them a couple hundred dollars. They also ordered one less stool than they needed and had to pay an extra shipping cost to have the last one delivered. Kei mentioned that he wish he had been more on top of the schedule or hired a project manager to make things go more smoothly and efficiently.

Even with all the hiccups, this kitchen is now exponentially more functional for their growing family and it is a pleasure to cook in now as well. They are officially the new party house.

Products used in this project: Bronze Faucet / Cabinet Pulls / Pendant Lights / Counter Stools / Dining Chandelier / Backsplash Tile / Cook Top / Hood / Oven / Sink / Cabinets / Refrigerator / Dishwasher / Countertops / Paint

You may also like…