Pink Kitchen Remodel in Ann Arbor | Meadowlark Design+Build

How a Hardworking Kitchen, Welcoming Entry, and Arched Living Room Built-Ins Earned a Silver Master Design Award

She had already made most of her West Ann Arbor home her own. Room by room, the house had become a peaceful, colorful retreat, filled with art, plants, and pieces collected from local boutiques over the years. The kitchen was the last room left on the list, and it was the one holding everything else back.

Cabinets overflowed. The toaster, blender, and rice cooker had no real home. Nearly all of her prep happened on one narrow stretch of counter between the sink and the range. A pony wall cut off the small dining nook from the kitchen, so the table became a landing zone for groceries and mail, rather than a place to sit down. Her dog's food and supplies were tucked wherever they fit, and the side entry door barely got used.

The homeowner knew what she wanted instead: a kitchen that worked as hard as she did, a front entry that felt like a real welcome home, and a space that looked like her. That meant color, texture, and pattern. And it definitely did not mean another white or gray kitchen.

They turned to Meadowlark Design+Build to make it all happen within the home's existing footprint, without losing any of the personality that made the house feel like hers.

Project Snapshot

Location: Ann Arbor, MI

Neighborhood: Mitchell, Southeast Ann Arbor

Project Type: Kitchen Remodel, Mudroom & Entry Built-In, Living Room Built-In Cabinetry

Home Type: Single-family home, built in 1967

Home Challenge:

A compact kitchen with too little storage and prep space, a closed-off dining nook, and an entry with no place to land, all in a home that needed to stay dog-friendly and full of color.

Goals:

Storage That Works: A real pantry, a home for small appliances, and concealed trash and recycling
More Room to Cook: Expanded countertop space along the main work zone between the sink and range
A Morning Ritual Spot: A dedicated coffee and tea station
Dining She'll Actually Use: Casual seating connected to the kitchen, plus a drop zone that doesn't take over the table
A Dog-Friendly Home: Pet feeding, supplies, and containment built into the design rather than added on
A Real Welcome: A mudroom-style entry with a bench, hooks, and closed storage
Color, Not Neutrals: A joyful, cohesive palette that carries from the kitchen into the rest of the home

The Big Win:

Without adding a single square foot, Meadowlark turned an underperforming kitchen, a pony-walled dining nook, an inefficient entry closet, and a blank living room wall into one connected, color-drenched home designed around how the homeowner cooks, hosts, and lives. The kitchen went on to win a Silver Master Design Award in the Kitchen Under $100K category.

Product Selections

KITCHEN

Base Cabinetry — Crystal Cabinets Encore, painted Benjamin Moore Dark Burgundy

A rich, wine-toned base that grounds the room and gives the pink uppers something bold to play against.
Upper Cabinetry — Crystal Cabinets Encore custom frameless, painted Benjamin Moore Honey Hut

The pink that started it all. Paired with reeded glass doors, it keeps the upper half of the room light and airy.
Vent Hood — Custom arched hood, painted Honey Hut

A soft arch cut into the hood echoes the arched doorways throughout the home and turns a utilitarian piece into a focal point.
Countertops — Solid Surfaces Unlimited, Select Quartz in Snowy River

Durable, easy to clean, and bright enough to balance two strong cabinet colors.
Sink — Kohler Whitehaven Self-Trimming Farmhouse Single Basin

A deep, hardworking basin that holds up to real cooking and suits the home's classic-meets-playful feel.
Sink Faucet — Kohler Edalyn by Studio McGee

A warm brass statement that ties into the hardware, lighting, and shelving.
Beverage Faucet — Kohler Metal Glass Rinser with Cover

A dedicated filtered-water tap that keeps the counter clear of pitchers.
Glass Rinser — Delta Metal Glass Rinser with Cover, Matte Black

A small, everyday convenience built right into the sink deck.
Hardware — Top Knobs Charlotte Pulls and Charlotte Appliance Pulls

Soft, curved brass pulls that feel a little bit vintage and look beautiful against the burgundy.
Lighting — Mitzi One Light Pendants

Fluted white pendants mark the peninsula as the gathering spot, while the milk glass flush mount keeps the galley glowing.
Refrigerator — The existing black Smeg

The glossy retro fridge was already a favorite, so it was kept as a design feature. A new palette was built to show it off.
Flooring — The existing black hexagon tile

Kept in place. Its graphic pattern stands up to the bold cabinet colors, and keeping it allowed the budget to go toward storage and cabinetry instead.

LIVING ROOM & ENTRY

Upper Cabinetry & Shelving — Crystal Cabinets Keyline

The same pink as the kitchen, carrying the story into the living room and entry.
Picture Lights — Visual Comfort Studio

One above each arch, washing her art and collected pieces in a warm glow.
Sconces — West Elm Henry Sconce

Soft, layered light that matches the kitchen's milk glass fixtures.
Hardware — Top Knobs Cumberland Knobs

Consistent brass finishes help every room feel like part of the same design.

Our most recent project in 2023 was a primary suite bathroom renovation. While we were onsite, we extended the project to also replace the original, drafty, and inefficient living room windows and repaired some ceiling damage in that room.

Each project offered a unique opportunity for our team to take this family’s home to the next level. From the initial kitchen upgrade to the recent primary suite and living room renovations, we witnessed their home evolve into a space that not only meets their practical needs but also resonates with their style and personality. Let’s dive in!

MEADOWLARK_REMODEL_KITCHEN_INTO_DINING_22057_IMG_1459_WS

What Changed

Kitchen Storage & Workflow

Before: Overflowing cabinets, no place for small appliances, and nearly all prep squeezed into one narrow stretch of counter.
After: A tall pantry with roll-outs, dedicated appliance storage, concealed trash and recycling, a coffee and tea station, and expanded counter space right where they cook.

Dining Nook & Peninsula

Before: A pony wall separated the kitchen from a small dining area, and the table had become a catch-all for mail and groceries.
After: A semi-peninsula with seating for three that works as a breakfast bar, a spot for friends to gather, and a grocery drop zone right off the entry.

Pet Accommodations

Before: Dog food and supplies had no dedicated spot, and keeping her pup out of the kitchen meant a temporary baby gate.
After: A pet feeding and supply zone built into the cabinetry, plus a custom rolling gate painted to match the burgundy base cabinets that slides out of the peninsula when needed and disappears when it isn't.

Mudroom & Entry

Before: An inefficient closet by a rarely used side door, with nowhere to drop coats, shoes, bags, or leashes.
After: A custom pink built-in with a bench, hooks, and closed storage that gives every day a proper landing spot and takes pressure off the dining table.

Living Room

Before: A large, blank wall with no storage and no real focal point.
After: A wall of custom cabinetry with three pink arches, open shelving for art and books, warm wood storage below, a brass picture light above each arch, and hidden dog beds tucked into the baseboard that open with a push of a foot.

By the Numbers

Before: 1 kitchen that wasn't pulling its weight
After: 3 rooms reimagined, 0 sq. ft. added, and 1 Silver Master Design Award.

The Challenge

This wasn't about starting over. The rest of the home already felt like her, so the new spaces had to fit right in while working a whole lot harder. That meant:

Finding more storage, prep space, and dining in a compact kitchen without expanding the footprint
Rethinking the pony wall between the kitchen, dining nook, and front entry to improve flow and create a more welcoming arrival
Designing for a dog-friendly household (feeding, supplies, containment, and even places to nap) without anything looking like an afterthought
Balancing hardworking storage with room for display, so the kitchen didn't turn into a solid wall of cabinet doors
Pulling off a bold, two-tone kitchen that felt cohesive and intentional, with every brass finish, quartz surface, and light fixture pulling in the same direction
Staying on budget. We explored relocating the kitchen and dining windows for better light and views, but ultimately kept them in place so the money could go toward the features she'd use every day

Together, those decisions turned a kitchen that "just didn't work" into the colorful heart of the home. Proof that a kitchen remodel doesn't need more square footage when it has a smarter plan.

Meadowlark's Approach

From the first conversation, we designed around how she actually uses her home: morning coffee, weeknight cooking, friends over for dinner, and a dog who is always underfoot. Then we built every decision around those routines.

We made every inch of the existing footprint count. A tall pantry, purpose-built appliance storage, and concealed waste pulled clutter off the counters, while expanded counter space along the sink-to-range work zone gave her real room to cook.

We replaced the pony wall with a semi-peninsula that does triple duty as casual dining, a gathering spot, and a grocery drop zone. It connects the kitchen, dining area, and entry in a way the old layout never could.

We treated her dog as part of the design brief. The rolling gate blends into the lower cabinetry, the feeding station has its own home, and the living room built-ins hide dog beds right in the baseboard.

Because design and pricing happen together in our design-build process, we could weigh ideas like moving the windows against the budget in real time. That kept the plan realistic and protected the parts of the vision she cared about most, instead of forcing a redesign later.

The Transformation

Before:

Overflowing cabinets and no home for small appliances
One narrow stretch of counter for all her prep
A pony wall closing off an underused dining nook
A dining table buried under mail and groceries
No dedicated space for her dog's food, supplies, or containment
An inefficient entry closet and a blank living room wall

After:

A pantry, appliance storage, concealed trash, and a coffee and tea station, all within the original footprint
Expanded countertops along the main work zone
A three-seat peninsula that connects the kitchen, dining area, and entry
A dedicated drop zone and a mudroom-style built-in with a bench and hooks
A built-in pet station, a rolling gate that disappears into the cabinetry, and hidden baseboard dog beds
A living room wall of pink arches, brass picture lights, and space for her favorite things

The details are what make it hers: an arched pink hood, reeded glass uppers, glossy handmade-look tile, black hexagon floors, cane-back counter stools, and brass-framed open shelves lined with plants, cookbooks, and bright chartreuse mugs. It's a kitchen that works beautifully every day and makes you happy the second you walk in.

Who Says a Kitchen Can't Spark Joy?

A kitchen can check every functional box and still feel like it belongs to someone else. The best ones do both jobs.

For this homeowner, a smarter plan, a few clever pet-friendly solutions, and a whole lot of pink finally made the last room on her list feel like the rest of her home.

At Meadowlark Design+Build, we help homeowners design spaces that work harder and look like them, whether that means more storage, a better flow for entertaining, or the courage to say yes to color.

Every project is backed by a collaborative, design-forward process, fixed-price contracts, and our 3-year warranty, so you know what to expect from day one.

Start the conversation about your project.

From Overflowing Cabinets to a Pink Kitchen That Sparks Joy