From Tight and Dated to Bright, Scandinavian-Inspired Living

Project Snapshot

Location: Ann Arbor, MI

Neighborhood: West Ann Arbor

Project Type: Kitchen, family room, dining room, laundry room/mudroom, home office, and powder room remodel with new white oak hardwood flooring

Home Type: Single-family home built in 1987

Home Challenge: A kitchen too tight for more than one cook, dated finishes, an everyday entry with no storage, and an office with no privacy

Goals:

• Room to cook together: A kitchen and family room where everyone can move, cook, and gather without bumping into each other
• A real drop zone: A bench for taking off shoes, plus hooks and storage for backpacks, sports gear, and bulk household items
• A home for everything: Built-in pantry storage for food, small appliances, and the serving pieces that never had a spot
• A quiet place to work: An office with walls and a door, without losing the backyard view
• A style that fits: Scandinavian modern, with clean lines, white oak, blues and greens, and painted cabinetry

The Big Win: We didn't add a single square foot. Removing one window and reworking the island turned a kitchen that felt "trapped" into one with room for four at the island and several cooks at once.

Product Selections

Kitchen

• Cabinetry — Crystal Cabinets, flat-slab white oak
  Warm, quiet wood grain sets the Scandinavian tone and carries from the perimeter cabinets to the island.

• Pantry Wall — Crystal Cabinets, painted sage green
  A full wall of tall cabinetry hides pantry goods and small appliances behind one soft, calming color, with roll-out shelves so nothing gets lost in the back.

• Appliances — Thermador
  A built-in oven in the pantry wall, a second oven under the counter, and an induction cooktop give a family that cooks together more than one place to work.

• Vent Hood — Concealed insert, vented to the exterior
  Tucked into the white oak uppers, it replaces the old island downdraft and gives that cabinet space back.

• Countertops — White quartz with a waterfall island and full-height backsplash
  Bright, durable, and easy to wipe down. The waterfall edge gives the island a clean, furniture-like finish.

• Sink — Single-bowl undermount
  One wide basin, just what the family asked for, with room for big pots and sheet pans.

• Beverage Faucet — The family’s existing reverse-osmosis tap
  Kept in place beside the main faucet, so filtered water is always within reach.

• Hardware — Matte black edge pulls
  Slim and nearly invisible, they keep the cabinet faces clean and tie into the black accents throughout the main level.

• Lighting — Clear glass pendants with wood accents
  Three pendants mark the island as the gathering spot without blocking the view to the family room and backyard.

Laundry Room & Mudroom

• Mudroom Bench — Custom white oak with a slatted backer, black hooks, and open cubbies
  A place to sit, kick off shoes, and drop backpacks right inside the garage door.

• Cabinetry — Flat-slab white uppers and lowers
  Closed storage for paper towels, bulk supplies, and the small appliances that don’t need to live in the kitchen.

• Flooring — Gray and white geometric hexagon tile
  The fun pattern the homeowners asked for, and tough enough for a busy everyday entry.

• Sink — Blanco undermount
  A deep, hardworking basin for messy jobs, set into a long white quartz counter.

• Drying Rod — White oak shelf with an integrated hanging rod
  Built-in space for air-drying clothes, with extra storage up top.

Home Office

• Doors — Black steel-framed glass double doors
  They close off noise for calls and focus time while keeping the backyard view in sight.

• Lighting — Linear black pendant
  A simple, graphic fixture that matches the doors and keeps the room feeling crisp.

Family Room, Dining Room & Powder Room

• Flooring — Wide-plank white oak
  One continuous floor replaces the yellow-toned wood and foyer tile and connects every room on the main level.

• Fireplace — Modern insert set into a deep blue accent wall
  The river rock facade and oversized hearth are gone, replaced by a clean, flush surround that gives back floor space.

• Built-In Shelving — White oak floating shelves
  Set into the niche beside the fireplace, they hold books and pottery and repeat the kitchen’s white oak.

• Powder Room Vanity — Navy vanity with a white quartz top and black-framed mirror
  A small room with a bold color that brings the blues from the family room into the refresh.

Every selection was chosen to keep the main level calm and cohesive: warm white oak, soft greens and blues, matte black accents, and as little visible clutter as possible. Let's dive in!

The Transformation

Before

• A tight, L-shaped island that felt closed off for multiple cooks
• A downdraft vent that used up cabinet space
• Deep pantry cabinets where food got lost
• An open office with no privacy
• Yellow-toned floors, oak trim, popcorn ceilings, and a river rock fireplace
• A laundry room with no place for shoes, bags, or bulk supplies

After

• A waterfall island with seating for four and room for several cooks
• A concealed, exterior-vented hood and freed-up cabinet space
• A sage green pantry wall with roll-out shelves and a built-in oven
• A glass-enclosed office that keeps the backyard view
• White oak floors, smooth ceilings, and a modern gas fireplace
• A mudroom entry with a white oak bench, hooks, cubbies, and closed storage

The details make the difference: dovetailed Crystal Cabinet Works drawers with fitted organizers, a second faucet at the sink for filtered water, an open white oak niche for cookbooks and pottery, and an air-drying rod built right into the laundry shelf.

Looking for more ideas? See how to design a modern kitchen.