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A recent Boston.com article, “When kitchen makeovers are the product of stressful holiday hosting,” highlights how crowded gatherings often reveal design challenges—and features Meadowlark’s perspective on creating homes that function better.
The holidays have a way of shining a bright light on how well our homes actually function. When everyday routines are replaced with hosting family dinners, overnight guests, and lively gatherings, the cracks in a home’s layout often become impossible to ignore. A kitchen that feels fine day-to-day suddenly feels cramped. A dining room that looks beautiful doesn’t quite flow. A single half bath struggles to keep up with a full house.
This Boston.com article explores this exact moment of realization—when homeowners emerge from the holiday season knowing their homes no longer support the way they live. Meadowlark Design+Build President Melissa Kennedy was featured in the piece, sharing insight into a renovation trend we see often: homeowners deciding to redesign not for appearances alone, but for real-life functionality.
As Melissa explains in the article, hosting tends to accelerate clarity. When people experience bottlenecks, awkward circulation, or spaces that don’t adapt to a crowd, it becomes clear that the issue isn’t décor—it’s design. The holidays simply bring those challenges to the surface. The Boston.com story highlights homeowners who took that realization seriously, choosing to rethink layouts, improve flow, and create spaces that feel intuitive rather than restrictive. It’s a reminder that successful design supports how a home is actually used—whether that’s cooking together, gathering around a table, or comfortably accommodating guests.
At Meadowlark, we believe great design is about more than how a space looks. It’s about how it works. Thoughtful layouts, intentional transitions between rooms, and spaces designed for both everyday life and extraordinary moments are what allow a home to truly serve its owners. If the holidays left you feeling like your home fell short this year, you’re not alone—and you’re not wrong to pay attention to that feeling. Those moments of friction are often the clearest signals that it’s time to rethink how your space supports your life today.
Explore the full story in the Boston.com article.
Moments of discomfort often bring clarity. When a home no longer supports how you live, that realization can be the first step toward meaningful, lasting change. If you’re considering a remodel in the greater Ann Arbor, Michigan area, we’d love to help guide you through what’s possible.
