A Warm, Inviting Reimagining of an Older Home’s Kitchen

Location: Maitland, FL Project Type: Full Kitchen Remodel Designed by: KBF Design Gallery

The Vision

When our clients came to us, they loved everything about their Maitland home — its quiet street, its lived-in charm, its older-home soul. What they did not love was their kitchen. It worked, but it did not belong to the rest of the house. It felt heavier and more closed off than the warm, gracious spaces around it.

Our charge was clear: design a kitchen that feels like it has always been here. Something that honors the architecture and character of the original home, opens up the heart of the house to family and gathering, and quietly delivers the function a busy household actually needs.

The Before

The original kitchen was a thoughtful 2000s-era remodel that had simply run its course. Cream raised-panel cabinets and a dark espresso center island sat on warm hardwood floors, topped by a heavy speckled brown-and-black granite that absorbed every bit of light in the room. A bulky peninsula breakfast bar — finished in white drywall with a dark granite cap — separated the kitchen from the adjoining family space, and a standard over-the-range microwave anchored the cooking wall in place of a proper hood. A built-in desk niche in the corner had become a catch-all for keys, cookbooks, and the family’s collection of memories.

Storage was abundant but visually busy. The textured popcorn ceiling, beige walls, and brushed nickel hardware all worked together to make the room feel darker, smaller, and more dated than it needed to be. The bones, though, were good — and that was where we started.

The Transformation

Every design decision in this remodel was made with one question in mind: Would this feel at home in an older Florida house with character to spare?

A Furniture-Style Island in Moody Green. The new centerpiece is a custom freestanding island painted in a deep, vintage sage. Turned legs, a brass foot rail, classic inset drawers, and a soft white stone top give it the presence of an antique work table that has been collected, not installed. Open shelving on the lower stretcher is the perfect place for a favorite Dutch oven or a basket of linens.

Warm Perimeter Cabinetry. We replaced the cream raised-panel cabinetry with all-new inset shaker cabinets in a soft, warm white. Brass cup pulls and matching round knobs nod to the home’s vintage architecture without feeling fussy. A custom paneled range hood with a polished brass utensil rail replaced the old over-the-range microwave, giving the cooking wall the focal point it always deserved.

A Stone Slab Backsplash That Glows. The dark, busy granite gave way to creamy quartz counters and a continuous quartz slab backsplash that catches the afternoon light. The veining is soft and feels timeless — modern in cleanliness, classic in spirit. 

A Dedicated Coffee Bar. The forgotten desk corner became one of our favorite moments in the project: a custom coffee bar tucked between tall cabinets, with open walnut floating shelves trimmed in slim brass gallery railing, a glossy white handmade-look subway tile backsplash, and a brass pendant sconce overhead. A Nespresso station and a built-in microwave drawer below kept the function practical, while the styling makes the morning ritual feel intentional.

A Deep Apron-Front Sink + Bridge Faucet. The undermount stainless double bowl was swapped for a single, deep dark soapstone-look apron-front sink, paired with an antique brass bridge faucet over the windows. The view to the pool deck is now framed, not blocked.

Better Sight Lines, Same Footprint. Rather than reconfigure walls, we cleaned up the existing layout — softening the heavy peninsula treatment, simplifying the ceiling line, and letting the new island sit as a true freestanding piece in the middle of the room. The result feels open and gracious without losing the cozy older-home proportions.

Project Highlights

A quick look at the key design moves:

• Custom furniture-style center island in a moody sage green with brass foot rail and turned legs
• Inset white shaker perimeter cabinetry with brass cup pulls and round knobs
• Custom paneled wood range hood with polished brass utensil bar
• Continuous quartz slab backsplash and counters
• Dedicated coffee bar niche with handmade-look white subway tile, open walnut shelving, and brass pendant sconce
• Built-in microwave drawer
• Deep dark soapstone-look apron-front sink with antique brass bridge faucet
• True divided-light glass-front upper display cabinets
• Original hardwood floors preserved and refreshed
• Same overall footprint — no walls moved, no square footage added

Designed for the Way You Actually Live

This Maitland project is one of our favorite examples of what a thoughtful remodel can do without resorting to a full gut renovation or an addition. By honoring the home, refining the layout, and committing to a single, warm material story — soft stone, brass, walnut, vintage green, crisp white — we gave our clients a kitchen that finally feels like it has always belonged here.

Ready to start your own transformation? Book a consultation with one of our designers. We would love to help you reimagine your space.