Cramped Cottage Kitchen Transformed Into Family-Friendly Hub

Their kitchen should have been a family-friendly hub where everyone could relax and enjoy meals together, but the overly floral room just didn't suit their needs--or their style. It had an awkward layout, a cramped feel and an outdated look.

To top it all off, Maeve's relatives were coming to visit from Ireland, and the couple wanted to make the space more of a focal point where people could gather and get caught up over morning coffee. With some good ideas, a new design and perhaps a little luck of the Irish, I knew I could turn this problem space into a practical, yet cozy, family kitchen.

The kitchen was a classic case of form following function, but it desperately needed to function better (the dishwasher wasn't even connected)!

This project required a radical rethinking of the entire space to create several, well-contained areas that would blend seamlessly together. I decided to flip the floor plan by switching the eating and kitchen areas and creating a large island between the two. I also created a small work area with a computer station, a storage area and access to the outside via a new, modern sliding door.

Once the floor plan was outlined, I got started on the kitchen's fresh, new, contemporary look. I scraped the flowery paper off of the walls and the ceiling, yanked out the old-fashioned cabinets and counters, pulled out the dreary lighting, ripped up the unsightly flooring and, finally, we were on our way.

To brighten up the room, I chose creams and blues as the main colors--with a little Irish green thrown in. I painted the walls in an antique cream color, added banks of cream-colored cabinets and installed new baseboards and crown molding. I then created a kitchen backsplash in a dreamy, blue handmade tile, topped the maple finished island in a speckled, denim blue, and replaced the vinyl flooring with a diagonal pattern of large cream and blue tiles.

For the kitchen's main accents, I chose a striped pattern of blue, cream, green and red. This fabric was used to create several throw pillows, as well as a new valance that was created somewhat above the kitchen's window to give the illusion of height.

The lighting in the room was almost non-existent, and what was there was drab and dull. I cheered things up by adding recessed lighting around the space, installing under-cabinet lighting to accentuate the backsplash, suspending stainless-steel lighting pendants over the island, and hanging a contemporary chandelier over the kitchen table.

The finishing touches for the room included a modern, built-in coffee maker, a blackboard-coated cupboard for grocery lists and memos, and several storage baskets and shelves. I even installed the dishwasher, and voila-- the cluttered, clumsy kitchen was no more.

By mixing together a functional layout, a dash of color, a handful of accents, a smattering of lights and a large dollop of comfort, Maeve and Phillip's kitchen is now ready for family gatherings--and entertaining the relatives.

Coffee is served! How divine!

(Interior decorator Candice Olson is host of Home & Garden Television's Divine Design.)