Before & After: A Condo Kitchen Gets an Era-Appropriate Makeover

Petra and her husband, Patrick, bought their condo in 2012, knowing they had their work cut out for them. The kitchen in particular needed a major update. The couple knew they wanted to stay true to maintain the light in their top-floor condo without disrupting the character of the 1920s home.

Take a look at what their condo kitchen looks like now.

This kitchen might be in the running for our most-improved list of 2015. The couple did a lot of work, from removing the brick veneer (no, those weren’t real bricks!) to getting rid of the bland upper cabinets that made the kitchen feel a lot darker than it actually is.

The subway tile backsplash, while a modern staple, feels right at home in the kitchen. And the butcher block countertops will continue to age and wear as Petra and Patrick use them.

Petra is originally from Hungary, so she brought a lot of her international influence to the space. They wanted to use materials and elements that felt contemporary but that didn’t clash with the history of the space.

While it’s a bit hard to see the whole kitchen from the photo above, you do get a sense of how it fits in the rest of the condo, and just how much they are fitting in a small kitchen.

Here’s a look at the sink area, with a decrepit dishwasher and some terrible linoleum. Bravo to Petra and Patrick for seeing the potential in this kitchen in spite of all the flaws.

And here’s the sink area now. They actually extended the wall that divides the kitchen and dining room so they would have more counter space. But adding the pass-through portion of the wall prevents it from feeling too closed off.

We also love the story behind the overhead shelf. Petra writes:

Many of the repurposed and reused materials, furniture, and objects we used in the condo have their own stories to tell. We found some amazing structural 12-foot floor joists from a local church that we repurposed as overhead shelves in the kitchen.

The final detail we can’t resist is the little breakfast bar installed by the window. Petra reports that it has become one of her favorite spots in the kitchen, and we can’t say we blame her! You can see more of Petra’s kitchen and condo on Houzz.

Thanks for sharing your remodel with us, Petra!

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