Case Study · Birmingham, AL · 2022

A craftsman kitchen, rebuilt from the floor joists up.

We honored the home's architectural language while creating an open kitchen and dining layout made for the ultimate entertainer's space.

Scope: Full kitchen gut · layout · finishes
Role: Design lead · floor-plan studies · cabinetry direction
Status: Completed, 2022

Birmingham kitchen — finished view to island, beam, glass-front uppers, and stainless range

After

Light, airy, and historically cohesive.

Birmingham kitchen — galley view with farmhouse sink, stainless range, and tiffany pendant — The galley run holds the sink and the range, so the island never becomes a work surface.

Birmingham kitchen — view from round wood dining table through to the renovated kitchen — From the dining table the kitchen reads as one room with it — the original brick chimney beyond.

The Move

The single biggest decision was leaning into the home's existing language instead of fighting it.

We stripped back years of layered white paint over trim and doors to reveal the original dark wood beneath, uncovered a brick chimney, and leveled ceiling heights so the focus was on the quality of the materials.

The end result was a space that felt light, airy and functional while also reading as historically cohesive.

Birmingham kitchen — styled open wood shelving with candlesticks, stoneware, and framed art — Reclaimed shelving in place of upper cabinets on the window wall — storage that keeps the light.

Concept

Three layouts on paper before anything came down.

The plan that won moved the fridge wall, found a real prep counter, and let the dining room read as one space with the kitchen.

Birmingham kitchen — hand-drawn floor plan study with annotated dimensions, zones, and circulation — Hand-drawn plan — peninsula seating, floor-to-ceiling pantry, and a 36-inch range on the stair wall.

Birmingham kitchen — perspective concept drawing of cabinetry layout, island, and pantry wall — Cabinetry drawn at the same weight as the photography — the proof the practice is systematic.

Before

Good bones, and a stove inside a closet.

Birmingham kitchen — alternate before angle showing the original counter run and slate floor

Uneven flooring from layers of tile and old laminate, a cramped layout starring a stove inside a closet that vented into the basement, and a refrigerator stranded against a wall it didn't belong on.

What was specified

The document the cabinet maker built from.

Cabinetry — inset Shaker, warm white, satin finish
Counters — quartz, 3cm, eased edge, full-height backsplash
Hardware — matte black pulls, glass knobs on the original doors
Trim and doors — stripped to the original wood, oiled not painted
Floors — existing oak, refinished natural, ceilings leveled
Lighting — antique tiffany pendant over the sink, recessed elsewhere

Work With Me

Starting a remodel? Let's talk early.

The best decisions happen before the first hammer swings — before tile is ordered, before walls are framed, before a single trade is on site.

Book an Initial Consultation

$150

Credited in full toward whatever you book next

30-minute video call
Honest read on scope and budget range

Next project

A lake house with good bones

All four projects