Neutral Modern Kitchen – Glen Ellyn, IL

The setup

Nestled in the heart of Glen Ellyn, our clients found their dream mid-century abode, yet the kitchen remained a snapshot of the wrong design moment — the Frasurbane style of the late ’90s and early 2000s. Its palette, a relic of dial-up days and Y2K anxieties, clashed with natural light, refracting a dated haze throughout the space. The cooktop and hood, along with a towering backsplash, stifled the island’s convivial essence, while an extraneous perimeter peninsula acted more as a barricade than a bridge — segmenting the kitchen into a limited role.

Our goal: design a transitional kitchen with modern flair — a functional space for present-day living and entertaining that harmonizes with the home’s mid-century essence.

The remodel

The objectives were:

  • Redesign layout for better functionality
  • Remove multiple levels on island and move range out of island
  • Create ample seating at island
  • Bar area for entertaining

Design challenges:

  • Relocating hood ventilation
  • Existing corner sink/peninsula limited design possibilities
  • Existing two-tiered island with rangetop/oven limited design possibilities
  • Incorporating existing wine cooler
  • Improving bar area while allowing it to feel like a separate space
  • Upgrading overall kitchen aesthetic in balance with the rest of the home

The Renewed Space

Design solutions:

  • Engineer a new ventilation pathway for the hood, optimizing airflow and aesthetic integration
  • Eliminate the peninsula, moved sink to island
  • Move cooking function to perimeter, improve island seating and space functionality by eliminating upper tier
  • Move refrigerator to opposite wall, creating cold storage area with wine cooler
  • Run plumbing to create a new wet bar with different style cabinetry and top
  • New design with fresh, modern neutral colors and a few Bauhaus-ish elements (boxy non-ornate cabinets and hood, concrete-looking porcelain backsplash) harmonizes nicely with the mid-century home

Embracing both the home’s mid-century charm and the needs of contemporary living, this kitchen now flourishes as a harmonious space where design and functionality converge gracefully.

Size of Space:

24′ x 20′

Cabinetry:

Island, Cooktop Wall

  • Brand: Grabill
  • Material: Maple
  • Color: Dark green
  • Door style: Madison Square

Hood, Fridge/Pantry, Island Back 

  • Brand: Grabill
  • Material: Rift-cut white oak
  • Color: Light stain
  • Door style: Madison Square

Wet Bar

  • Brand: Grabill
  • Material: Nature Plus
  • Color: Madrid
  • Door style: Nature Plus full flush
Countertops:

Island/Perimeter

  • Brand: Raphael Stone
  • Type: Quartz
  • Color: Organic white

Bar

  • Brand: Euro Marble
  • Type: Quartz
  • Color: Pearl grey

 

Appliances:
  • Wolf 36” Dual fuel range
  • Sub-Zero built-in 30″ refrigerator w/ 2 freezer drawers
  • Sharp microwave drawer
Special Features:
  • Large Island with seating for 5
  • Beautiful quartzite for bar countertop
  • Built-in pantry replicates a refrigerator

Before / After Photos

Request a Designer Consultation

 

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