Before & After: A “Claustrophobic” Kitchen’s White Cabinets Get a Dramatic Airy Makeover
When Sophia Boccard’s uncle passed away in 2015, his house, which is located in Mazatlán, Mexico, sat empty for a few years. That is, until she and her husband, Socrates Figueroa, owners of 35 Agave Co., bought it and set out to reimagine the home — including the kitchen. But first, they renamed the house (like they do with all of their properties) to Casa Justinanio in honor of her uncle.
“The kitchen had been updated back in 2010, so it was relatively new when we decided to overhaul not just the kitchen but the entire house,” Sophia shares. “The original layout was a railroad-style — room after room with partial dividers. We wanted to modernize it and turn it into a functional home with real, private spaces.”
One of the spaces that felt boxed-in most was the kitchen. The low ceilings made it feel “closed-in and claustrophobic,” Sophia says. Plus, the room was already small, with a width of only 13 feet. She explains that they wanted it to be spacious and functional, the “exact opposite” of what the room initially looked like.
“We wanted to contrast the bright white walls with bold, colorful cabinetry to inject some pizzazz into the space,” Sophia says. “We were also really excited about incorporating an island with a cascading terrazzo countertop — a focal point with a story behind it.”
The couple chose a bright teal-mint color for the cabinets, which perfectly complements her favorite element: the countertops. Although, at first glance, they look like the wildly popular terrazzo stone, they’re actually not. “In Mexico, artisans are everywhere, and everything can be made by hand,” Sophia shares. “We didn’t want to pay a fortune for terrazzo, so we went to a tombstone maker who adapted his skills to create a functional and stunning countertop for us — talk about thinking outside the box!”
But the renovation wasn’t just opening up the space and adding new countertops and cabinets. Sophia and Socrates worked with professionals to do carpentry, rerouting water, ensuring the electricity worked, and leveling the floors. (They also had to level the house a whole 6.5 feet by hand as the narrow road where it’s located didn’t have space for a backhoe or excavator.) All in all, it took around nine months and $7,500 USD to complete.
The original goal was to make the kitchen feel “open and airy.” Now, with the natural light pouring in through the glass doors, vibrant countertops, and open shelving, it feels exactly like Sophia and Socrates intended. Casa Justiniano is a vacation home, and seeing the kitchen transformation feels like a wonderful trip.