Luxurious Lakeside Living: A Transitional Kitchen Renovation

Project Details

After undergoing multiple additions over many years, the lower level of this beautiful lake house was cut up, awkward, and made inefficient use of the square footage available in the home. The kitchen felt like it had been set down awkwardly into the only space left over after a previous renovation. Plus, even though the house was situated right along the shores of a pristine, picturesque lake, there were barely any windows to take advantage of the gorgeous lakeside views.

The homeowners dreamt of a new open-concept layout for the kitchen, dining and living room, with spaces that flowed together, and waterfront views from all rooms. They loved to cook, and wanted a kitchen that would support their cooking and entertaining plans. After years of dreaming, they decided the time was right to take action and begin a total main-floor renovation!

Read Full Project Details

A Transitional Kitchen Renovation: Creating Panoramic Views and a Luxurious Lakeside Kitchen

The lower level of this home was full of awkward spaces and had a clunky layout that didn’t make sense. After many additions to the home, along with several large renovations, the kitchen seemed to have been added into miscellaneous leftover space. It left the homeowner's feeling frazzled and disorganized and was overall not suitable for a couple who liked to cook so much.

This beautiful house is situated right on a gorgeous lake with a gorgeous view. The homeowners loved the house overall, and the location was perfect, but they dreamt of a better kitchen and dining area, a layout that flowed naturally from space to space, and better overall use of the square-footage available on the main floor. Additionally, the couple wanted improved visibility of the lakeside views and natural beauty that was right outside their walls.

The homeowners’ vision was to take the cut-up, choppy living area, dining area and kitchen and make it a cohesive open-concept space - with each area having a clear view of the lake. The couple loved to cook, and also requested a professional-grade kitchen with enough counter space to accommodate large and elaborate meals. They wanted a kitchen that looked great as well, since the new floor plan would be open concept. The new kitchen needed to look great, function great, and blend in seamlessly with the other new areas.

Key Renovation Needs

Better functionality
A better floor plan
Different aesthetic - one that fit in with the rest of the house and matched that classic lakeside aesthetic
New spaces that flowed seamlessly together, with clear lakeside views from all newly renovated areas
Durable, long-lasting professional-grade appliances
More storage options - for food, dishes and cookware
A place for pet food and water dishes - out of the way and not a tripping hazard
More counter space for meal prep and serving

The New Kitchen

After exploring several floor plan options, the couple decided on an option that reflected everything they wanted in their new space. Plus, they would gain not just one, but two new pantries! That would greatly help for storage of food, supplies, pet supplies, and small appliances. The new floor plan fully embodied the open-concept living space the homeowners wanted, with a beautiful spacious kitchen, bright, cozy living space, and elegant open dining area - all with great views of the lake. The new and renovated kitchen contains a large, customized island, elegant, professional appliances, and lots of varying storage options, including in the island.

Due to the landscape of home - it's built into the side of a large hill - and the already existing structure, it took significant engineering work to make the final plan work and our team navigated significant challenges along the way. For example, getting the appliances and island down the steep hill and through the back door - since they couldn’t be carried down the tight staircase - was quite a feat!. But in the end - our team was able to make everything work, and the new layout is exactly what the homeowners dreamed of: Open, efficient, bright and spacious!

New Kitchen Highlights

Cooktop area feature wall, with specialty tile chosen to complement the striking hood and reflect the lake house aesthetic
Fantastic panoramic lake views, created by moving and grouping large elements, such as appliances and pantries, to the perimeter and minimizing wall cabinetry
Bright, red knobs on the cooktop poke through the front of the cabinet below, adding a fun, bright pop of colour
Professional appliances with great function and a great look - complementing the elevated lakeside luxury

Renovation Challenges

One major obstacle in this renovation was getting the appliances down into the kitchen. The staircase down to the kitchen level was steep and narrow, full of sharp twists and turns.There was no way the appliances would fit!
The solution was to break the appliances down into pieces and carry them one by one down the steep, rickety outside staircase, down towards the lake, and then in through the back door.
The entire design inspiration for this kitchen began with a certain kitchen island slab which the homeowners fell in love with. Unfortunately, the material turned out to be unavailable. But, even if the material had been available, it was supposed to be in one large piece… and that piece also would not fit down the stairwell! Nor could something that size be carried down the narrow, rickety outdoor stairwell.
The solution: A pattern match! The manufacturer perfectly matched the grains of the stone over multiple pieces which were carried down the staircase individually and then joined together in the kitchen, resulting in a seamless final look.
The house had begun as a water-front “shack”, which then had a minimum of four known additions in the years to follow. The additions did not build on one another or work together, leaving the present day home a mish-mash of structural systems.
To accommodate the new floor plan, we had to open up space between two additions to make enough room for the kitchen. Substantial structural changes were required to accommodate this, including a large steel beam and new footings. Additional footings, an elaborate steel structure and a lot of creative engineering solved the problem and enabled the new floor plan, and allowed the new coherent, beautiful flowing floorplan and structure.

After the Home Renovation

Lakeside Luxury: Cooking in Style

In the new layout, the incredible views of the lake are visible from all living areas. In the kitchen, we expanded and reinforced the views by moving large elements, such as appliances and pantries, to the perimeter, and minimizing wall cabinetry to maximize the stunning views right outside our client’s walls.

These homeowner can now cook in a professional-grade kitchen while enjoying panoramic views of the lake from every space. They can dine with the backdrop of the lake out their windows, then retreat to the couch with the dogs by the fireplace to have desert while watching the sun set. They could not be happier with their new home life!

See More Projects
Contact Birch+Oak

A Transitional Kitchen Renovation: Creating Panoramic Views and a Luxurious Lakeside Kitchen

Key Renovation Needs

Better functionality

A better floor plan

Different aesthetic - one that fit in with the rest of the house and matched that classic lakeside aesthetic

New spaces that flowed seamlessly together, with clear lakeside views from all newly renovated areas

Durable, long-lasting professional-grade appliances

More storage options - for food, dishes and cookware

A place for pet food and water dishes - out of the way and not a tripping hazard

More counter space for meal prep and serving

The New Kitchen

New Kitchen Highlights

Cooktop area feature wall, with specialty tile chosen to complement the striking hood and reflect the lake house aesthetic

Fantastic panoramic lake views, created by moving and grouping large elements, such as appliances and pantries, to the perimeter and minimizing wall cabinetry

Bright, red knobs on the cooktop poke through the front of the cabinet below, adding a fun, bright pop of colour

Professional appliances with great function and a great look - complementing the elevated lakeside luxury

Renovation Challenges

One major obstacle in this renovation was getting the appliances down into the kitchen. The staircase down to the kitchen level was steep and narrow, full of sharp twists and turns.There was no way the appliances would fit!
The solution was to break the appliances down into pieces and carry them one by one down the steep, rickety outside staircase, down towards the lake, and then in through the back door.

The entire design inspiration for this kitchen began with a certain kitchen island slab which the homeowners fell in love with. Unfortunately, the material turned out to be unavailable. But, even if the material had been available, it was supposed to be in one large piece… and that piece also would not fit down the stairwell! Nor could something that size be carried down the narrow, rickety outdoor stairwell.
The solution: A pattern match! The manufacturer perfectly matched the grains of the stone over multiple pieces which were carried down the staircase individually and then joined together in the kitchen, resulting in a seamless final look.

The house had begun as a water-front “shack”, which then had a minimum of four known additions in the years to follow. The additions did not build on one another or work together, leaving the present day home a mish-mash of structural systems.
To accommodate the new floor plan, we had to open up space between two additions to make enough room for the kitchen. Substantial structural changes were required to accommodate this, including a large steel beam and new footings. Additional footings, an elaborate steel structure and a lot of creative engineering solved the problem and enabled the new floor plan, and allowed the new coherent, beautiful flowing floorplan and structure.

After the Home Renovation