The existing home’s footprint was tight, and she needed to create a brighter, more connected space for a family of four without an expansion. The starting point? Their dated, original kitchen. Instead of being the beating heart of the space, it was dark and felt isolated from the rest of the house with only a large corridor connecting it to the formal living room.

“This corridor had very shallow shelving and was not functional in a meaningful way,” Kersten notes.

Her redesigned space provides additional cabinetry and countertops throughout the kitchen, and utilizes the former corridor to create a generous pantry space with room for an appliance garage, enlarged refrigerator, and a coffee bar. 

Opening up walls became necessary, so Kersten tapped long-time collaborator Henry Specht of Specht Construction. While the kitchen was definitely the main focus of the project, the design team touched nearly every space on the main level. Major renovations were made to the den, powder room, laundry room, mudroom, and pantry, with minor renovations to the formal living and dining rooms.

“Each space was generous enough that we could talk through many different design ideas, and we were able to refine those to best fit the client’s goals for their project,” Kersten says.

Now a custom-built, white-oak slat wall seamlessly integrates the living spaces, its vertical visuals echoed in the cabinetry throughout. The reimagined mini-bar in the formal living room was originally hidden behind concealed doors.