Boulder Kitchen Remodel Before and After: The Pali House

Some kitchens need new cabinets. Others need a whole new feeling. The kitchen at our Pali House project in Boulder was the second kind: solid, but dark, closed in and showing its age. Here's how it changed and what you can take from it for your own kitchen remodel.

Where the kitchen started

Before the remodel, dark wood cabinets wrapped the room and a heavy island sat in the middle of it. The appliances were white, the beams were dark, and the patterned floor added one more busy surface. Nothing was broken. It just felt smaller and dimmer than it needed to.

What changed

Warm timber overhead

The ceiling went from a flat surface crossed by dark beams to warm, natural wood from wall to wall. It's the first thing you notice, and it gives the room a Colorado feel without making it heavy.

A stone wall for the range

The cooking wall is now the focal point, with light stone running behind a stainless range and a clean white hood above it. Small wall sconces give the stone a soft glow in the evening.

Light from the outside in

Tall glass doors and windows bring in the trees and the covered deck, and the bright countertops bounce that daylight around the room. Light is one of the biggest upgrades a kitchen can get, and it doesn't always cost the most.

Finishes that work together

Oak cabinetry, brass hardware and pale floors all sit in the same warm family. Choosing a small palette and repeating it is what makes a remodel feel calm instead of busy.

What you can borrow for your kitchen

• Start with light. Ask what's blocking it before you pick a single finish.
• Pick one star. Here it's the stone range wall. Everything else supports it.
• Look up. The ceiling is often the most overlooked surface in a kitchen.
• Keep the palette short. Two or three materials, repeated, go a long way.

Want to see more of what's possible? Take a look at our kitchen remodeling services.

Planning your own kitchen remodel?

Every home starts somewhere different, and the best place to begin is a conversation about how you actually live in yours. Walk through the Pali House before-and-after gallery, then book a free consultation or call or text us at (720) 730-7174.