Our Mid-Century Modern Kitchen Remodel: 5 Changes That Made A Big Difference

Top: Morning Lavender ‘Casey’ Lemon Top (S) – old (similar, similar, similar)
Bottom: LOFT Paperbag White Shorts (XSP / TTS) – (similar)
Shoes: J.Crew Platform Espadrilles (5.5 / TTS) – (similar)

About 5 years ago, we moved out of our newly-built condo located in a fun walkable area of Dallas (Knox-Henderson, if you’re familiar with the city!) and into an old 1968 home located in an almost suburban neighborhood of North Dallas.  We fell in love with the original mid-century modern aesthetic of the home, and the location was so convenient for the schools that the kids would be attending.

While some part of the home had been remodeled since its original construction, we still had lots of ideas on remodeling projects we wanted to do.  Top of that list was the kitchen and finally at the beginning of last year, we were able to save up enough money to finally check off our mid century modern kitchen remodel todo!  I’m excited to share our kitchen remodel and the 5 updates that really make a big difference.

Our Mid Century Modern Kitchen Remodel

Also, for reference, all remodeling with the exception of the lights (which was DIY! 😊) was completed by Sticks and Stones Home Remodeling.  I interviewed 3 different companies before deciding on Sticks and Stones and while their proposal was on the higher end comparatively, they were hands-down the most thorough, knowledgeable, and professional after meeting them in person.  I’ve had mixed experiences with contractors in the past so I wanted to make sure that the team that would be doing this job would be responsive and accountable.  I didn’t want to be without a kitchen for longer than necessary so I highly recommend Sticks and Stones if you’re looking for an amazing contractor as our entire kitchen remodel took only 1 week (exactly the time that they estimated), and the completed work exceeded our expectations!  Not sponsored at all — we paid for this entire remodel on our own.

KITCHEN UPDATE #1: COUNTERTOPS

Changing out the countertops was top on my list of things that had to go, and really it was the driving force behind my desire for a kitchen remodel in the first place!  The original countertop was made of thick concrete and if I’m being honest, I thought it looked like hardened mud.  The dark concrete color made our kitchen space look smaller, and to make it worse, it also had random bubbles all throughout that made the surface uneven.

going through countertop stone slabs at Levantina Dallas

Deciding on the countertop was a whole process in itself, but we ended up deciding on Taj Mahal Premium Leathered Quartzite and purchased from Levantina in Dallas.  Adrian and I spent almost every weekend for almost a month scouting stone at either Levantina or The Stone Collection — two locations which I actually highly recommend if you’re in the DFW area and looking at stone countertops for your home.  As far as our priorities go when choosing countertop stone, we needed something that was easy to care for, heat resistant (can put a hot pan on the countertop without problems!), easy to clean, and durable.  I wanted a mostly white stone with warm marbling all throughout.  We did pay a pretty penny for the Taj Mahal quartzite stone but it was definitely the right decision for our lifestyle as it’s incredibly low maintenance and still looks like new despite our constant manhandling!

KITCHEN UPDATE #2: BACKSPLASH

Daltile 3″ x 6″ Ceramic Tile in bright white

Since our countertops were such a drastic change from the previous concrete look, our backsplash also needed to be updated.  In a way, I did like the stone backsplash that was done previously, but for our upgrade I knew I wanted a lighter color and something simplistic.  I decided to go with a classic subway tile style and picked out a glossy white finish paired with white grout from The Tile Shop in Dallas.

I also didn’t realize there was so much involved when it came to picking out backsplash components, particularly when it comes to grout.  Looking back, I do wish we would have done a darker contrasting grout just to make the tiles stand out a bit more, but nonetheless, I still really love the way the backsplash completed the overall brightening of our kitchen!

Something I learned in this process is that tile can vary so widely in price.  I honestly didn’t see the benefit of going with more expensive options when it came to the backsplash tile, so our option here is essentially the most basic option available.  Ultimately, mixing pricey items with less expensive ones was key for helping us stay within our budget!

KITCHEN UPDATE #3: LIGHTING

Lights.com Alton Pendant Lighting Rectangle c/o – code KILEEN10 for 10% off

Something I didn’t realize when I was younger is that lighting makes a huge difference!!  Not only can it really set the mood for a room, but for me it can also really change my own personal mood.  Because our home is older, many of the ceilings are low and as a result the overall space feels more cramped.  The light fixtures were randomly dispersed via recessed can lights throughout the kitchen.  Different areas were spotlighted while other were left pretty dark.

Lights.com Alton Pendant Lighting Rectangle c/o – code KILEEN10 for 10% off

As part of our kitchen remodel, we decided to upgrade the lighting portion ourselves and started out with adding track lighting on top of the sink.  I love the look of pendant lights above a kitchen island and while we don’t have a real island in our kitchen, I figured this sink area was as close as we were gonna get!  The Alton pendant from Lights.com has the perfect mid-century look with it’s rounded shape yet clean lines.

When it came to installation, I was also pleasantly surprised at how quick and easy it was!  I was originally think we’d have to drill new holes in the ceiling, but actually since the light fixture came with a rectangle cover, no additional drilling was needed and I simply just swapped out the wiring from the previous light.  From start to finish, the install took only 15 minutes!

Lights.com Prospect 4-Light Pendant with
Vintage Candelabra Edison Bulb c/o – code KILEEN10 for 10% off

For our breakfast nook, we’ve also been wanting to update our lighting but it’s been tricky finding a good option as the ceiling in this space is actually quite low.  Any hanging pendant that I’ve liked has always run into the problem of hanging too low and getting in the way while people are seated at the table.  I stumbled across the Lights.com Prospect Collection and actually really loved its  modern industrial vibe.  In particular, I am a big fan of Edison bulbs with its visible filaments and really loved how the Prospect Pendant highlights that feature with its crisp linear silhouette.  I chose the matte black as the color paired perfectly with our existing black Sputnik chandelier that’s in our formal dining room but the chandelier does also come in a very glamorous aged brass!

KITCHEN UPDATE #4: SINK

single basin sink – 29″ x 17″ x 11″ w/ sink-top disposal push button

Since we were knocking out our existing counntertops, it actually made sense to consider changing out the sink as well.  I actually hadn’t considered this particular upgrade until Sticks and Stones mentioned it as an option, but I’m so glad they did as it’s something Adrian and I have casually mentioned in the past.  We had a large single sink configuration in our previous new-build condo that we lived in for several years before moving into this home, and personally found that setup to work better for our lifestyle.  We do 90% of our dishes in the dishwasher and go through a large number of dishes in a given day with two little ones, so the divided 2-basin sink setup just didn’t make sense for us and wasted space.

I absolutely love the larger single-basin sink that we have now and even the subtle change to how the garbage disposal is now setup is much more to my liking!  You can see in the photo above on the top left side of the sink is a small push button — that’s our new garbage disposal button!  Previously the setup was via a light switch on a column that we ended up getting rid of and the new setup is just so much cleaner.

KITCHEN UPDATE #5: REMOVE UNNECESSARY COLUMNS

And finally, we wanted to open up the kitchen more and talked with Sticks and Stones about removing the large column that separated the kitchen from the living room.  There was quite a bit of research done to identify whether this column was structurally necessary and thankfully, it was determined that it was cosmetic only!  I can definitely say that if you have extra wall barriers in your home that you can remove, it really makes an enormous difference!  I love that there’s a better flow between our common living spaces now.

I could not be happier with the way our kitchen looks now.  With the amount of time that we’ve been spending at home the last year as a result of Covid, it’s made this portion of the home feel like new.  Hopefully this post was helpful if you’re looking to undergo a kitchen remodel and gave you some ideas on different aspects you can upgrade to get the most bang for your buck!