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Kitchen remodeling is surging in popularity, and the Home Staging Resource’s January “Best of the Best” winners are showcasing plenty of amazing kitchen transformations. The staging examples from our recent winners demonstrate the scale of projects they’re taking on, from simple decluttering to full kitchen remodels. View their kitchen makeovers.
Dated Tuscan to Total Transformation
Lindsey Machado of Designed with Grace & Joy in Temecula and Murrieta, Calif., gave new life to her clients’ now-outdated Tuscan-style kitchen. “When I was first contacted for this kitchen remodel, my client was thinking about ripping out the whole thing and starting over,” Machado recalls. “But I saw the potential of what this space could be because it was already an ideal layout.” They discussed painting the walls and cabinets and replacing the countertops, backsplash, and flooring. However, it became apparent that replacing all the cabinets and drawer fronts was inevitable.
The kitchen update included quartzite countertops. They also brightened up the walls and made the island a focal point by painting it a moody blue, which was a color chosen to match the decorative backsplash tile. They topped off the island with a rustic linear chandelier. Also, they updated the backsplash. “We felt the bold colors and pattern of the tile could prove to be a little too busy if used on this entire backsplash, so we kept to just under the open hood and instead opted for a simple textured subway tile on the rest of the perimeter,” Machado says. “We also added a white plaster on the hood surround. It’s subtle, but if you look closely, it adds a nice final touch to the design.”
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Decluttering Magic
Addie Ashworth of Ashworth Home in the Columbus, Ohio, area gave this kitchen an overhaul with only a week before the home was to be listed for sale. Ashworth and her team decluttered and removed personal items from the kitchen. They also updated the cabinets. “A very busy family of four lived in this occupied stage,” Ashworth says. “Like many, they had accumulated so many things throughout the years. When they said they wanted to list in a week, I said, ‘OK, challenge accepted!’” After the staging consultation, Ashworth provided a detailed to-do list for the family to tackle before staging day. Ashworth and her team then finished the rest on the checklist when they arrived.
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Seeing Past the Blue
Madison Nelems of JKN Design Services in Bluffton, S.C., renovated this kitchen in a vacant home on Hilton Head Island that had become a stale listing. “This vacant renovation was listed and shown multiple times, with no offers,” Nelems says. “Buyers felt the layout was awkward and the blue cabinetry was distracting. Can you even imagine? How could that gorgeous cabinetry be considered a negative?! The house just needed a plan. The cabinetry and reclaimed wood hood were simply stunning; they needed to be celebrated.” Nelems added staging to bring out the color vibes without overpowering the space.
Trendy Kitchen Redo
Kelly Sharp with KD Designs in Tulsa, Okla., did a kitchen remodel of her own home that follows some of the latest trends. “Our kitchen needed a lot of help, so we just decided to start over,” Sharp says. They decided on green cabinets. “The green felt super risky, but we went for it,” she says. “We absolutely love how it turned out. Remodeling my own home has given me a whole new respect for my clients and the decisions I’m asking them to make.”
Freshening Up a Builder Grade Prefab Look
Sara Meisel, owner of Room Sense Staging and Design in Pittsburgh, took on a redesign project for a client who desperately wanted to take their new home from builder grade to custom made. The existing kitchen was in good shape, but the prefab white cabinets, laminate countertop, nickel hardware, and lighting felt cookie-cutter. The homeowner wanted the kitchen to better reflect her personality and design taste.
Meisel’s vision for the kitchen centered around removing all the upper cabinets, building a custom hood, and reconfiguring the island so that the homeowners didn't lose storage or functionality. Along with the custom hood, Meisel added floating wood shelves and installed a simple white subway tile on the entire back wall. The kitchen island also was extended to accommodate the microwave, garbage, spice rack, and deep pot drawers.
Laminate countertops were replaced with quartz, a large front apron sink, and black geometric lantern pendants. New hardware finished off this modern farmhouse makeover. Overall, the new kitchen had a classic black and white palette that was warmed up with natural wood accents and soft neutrals that gave the kitchen more character—just like the homeowner wanted.
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Color Pops and Wood Tones
Laura Jones, owner of Home Harmony in the Denver area, wanted to make the kitchen the centerpiece in this entire home remodel. “The home was completely flipped, and we loved staging to highlight the light, bright, and Mediterranean style finishes they brought into the home,” Jones says.
A Kitchen Remodel a Century in the Making
Jackie Low, owner of Stage The Vibe in Waco, Texas, worked her magic on this 100-year-old kitchen in Hamilton, Texas. “We wanted to highlight the home’s original features while bringing in a few modern pieces as well,” Low says. “Part of the kitchen was already redone, so we played off that blue and used different shades of it throughout the home. This was a little bit of old, a little bit of new, a little bit of green, and a little bit of blue.”
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