Totally Transformed Brooklyn Home Before and Afters

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Aurandt kept the new kitchen on budget by pairing cost-effective decisions with design-driven finishes, such as IKEA shelves coupled with custom cabinet doors and panels.

Light and bright were the keywords when these Brooklyn homeowners first came to mercer INTERIOR‘s founder and designer Elizabeth Aurandt with a desire to open up their downstairs space and gain a new kitchen in the process.

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Working within the restrictive flatiron-like shape of the home, which sits just off of Prospect Park, NY, Aurandt got creative and removed a wall that previously divided the kitchen and living spaces. Noting that designing any kitchen is about space efficiency, she says the decision broadened and illuminated the entire floor, as well as paved the way for a dedicated dining area, another point on the homeowners’ list of desires. To further give the homeowners the lighter atmosphere they desired, white subway tiles were paired with cabinets in a very pale gray, providing an airy, reflective environment.

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“I wanted the tiled wall as uninterrupted as possible, which is why the shelving is all on one side,” Aurandt explains, adding that too much cabinetry can make a space feel heavy. “I also liked the open shelves because I think you need a little mix of materials.”

brooklyn-interior-design-makeoverThe overall spacious feeling also lends the perception that the kitchen picked up extra inches in the remodel, when in truth the new kitchen area is about 2.5 feet shorter. The effect is due to a more efficient use of available space. “You just had a straight run of counter,” Aurandt says of the original kitchen. “You didn’t have the return, and that makes a big difference here. They have more usable counter space now.” That counter space is strategically placed to streamline movement among the refrigerator, sink and range so that the process of kitchen work flows very smoothly. It also allows for a connection to activity in the dining and living areas that better suits the homeowners’ lifestyle. To take that connection a step further, Aurandt matched the existing living room floor and ran it through the entire space.

“The biggest transformation is how you feel in a space before and after,” Aurandt notes. “The new space is organized, light, bright and beautiful.”

Photography by: Emily Gilbert Photography

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