The 1940s Fixer Upper: New Kitchen, Bedrooms & Bathrooms
We’re back at the 1940s Fixer Upper and ready to take you inside this newly redesigned home, including the kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms. In case you missed it, I shared Part 1 of the 1940s Fixer Upper Reveal here.
Quick Recap, Goals & Challenges
To recap, we bought this 1940s fixer-upper from the original family who built the house. Dad, Mom, and their three boys spent 70+ years making memories in this home, and though they were ready to pass it on, it still holds a special place in their hearts.
Hearing their story made us want to renovate the home for more than a market flip. We wanted to give it some TLC so that a new family could move in, create their own memories, and love the space as much as the original owners did. Well, like all renovations, we ran into some challenges…
In this case, supply chain setbacks and labor shortages were our biggest hurdles, thanks to the pandemic. And of course, discovering that the renovation plans needed to be modified as we moved through each stage — but that’s a bit more normal. Thankfully, we had the chops and many years of experience to handle each of these challenges as quickly and effectively as possible.
Project Goals
Create an open floor plan from the original compartmentalized layout
Expand the size of the primary bedroom
Create a central hall powder room
Preserve the character of the home
Come see how it all turned out…
Floor Layout and Bedroom Updates
We had to reconfigure much of the home’s layout for this fixer-upper to create an open concept with a spacious primary suite and an easy-to-reach powder room. Here’s a Before and After to show you the scope of changes made…
The floor plan before (left) was boxy, compartmentalized, and lacked easy flow. In the final iteration of the floor plan (right), we created an open concept kitchen and living room. We also reallocated space from adjoining rooms to create a more extensive primary suite with a double vanity bathroom layout and a walk-in closet with extra shelving. We also have 4 nice-sized bedrooms and 2 full baths, plus a half bath. Much better!
A Spacious, Open Concept Kitchen
If you compare the two floor plans, you’ll see that we rotated the kitchen 90-degrees and pushed it up against the wall to open up to the living room.
Wow! As you’d expect from any project that Steve has his hand in, we have a fantastic kitchen (it’s his passion and specialty). It’s like a new house, but with the charm of the cottage built in 1949. We chose cottage-style finishes like wood-like LVP floors, shaker-style cabinetry, and large windows to let in lots of natural light.
Here’s a Before & After view so you can see the difference:
Small and dated, this kitchen received a little love and now includes lots of storage, island seating, and access to the family room for socializing.
It also contains all of Steve’s favorite items: trash cans in a pullout cabinet, a full-depth cabinet over the refrigerator with tray dividers, under cabinet lighting for the countertops, a large, ample single bowl sink, and a great range to cook with. Success!
The New Primary Bathroom
Thanks to our reconfigured floor plan, the primary ensuite bathroom boasts two vanities, an oversized tub and shower, and a walk-in closet. The white shaker cabinets and dynamic grey countertops are modern yet natural-looking, while the fixtures and lighting preserve the home’s historic charm.
The walk-in closet is an asset to this space! We added extra shelving to all the bedroom closets in this home, especially in the primary walk-in closet. In addition, the double vanities (opposite each other) allow for additional personal space…which I think any family will be grateful for. ;)
A New Hall Bathroom
We enlarged the hall bathroom to provide room around the tub and accommodate a mother and child. The original bathtub was only 54” long (people were smaller 70 years ago), and the new tub opening is 60”. What’s amazing is that this was the only bathroom in the original floor plan, and the whole family shared it.
In the hallway bathroom, we also added a built-in medicine cabinet. This was Steve’s clever idea. It is installed in what was a window opening to the back of the house. Now, it’s additional storage that every family needs.
The Powder Room
The powder room is a unique upgrade to a house of this size — most homes in this neighborhood have two baths and, in some cases, just one. We believed that if all 4 bedrooms were in use that having that extra powder room would be of great benefit. We spiced it up with a rustic yet timeless mirror and simple finishes that any family could spice up with their selection of hand towels and decor.
A Job Well Done
We are delighted with the results and so honored to have been a part of giving this house new life. We can’t wait for another family to appreciate its history and start their own story inside this special home.
This renovation is also a great reminder that you’ll want to have a long-term perspective when tackling a whole home remodel. Unlike the HGTV shows (that seem to take a mess to a designer-style reveal in weeks), a large-scale renovation takes a lot of heavy lifting, perseverance, and just plain hard work.
We’ve done it before, we did it here, and I know we’ll do it again. But what can I say? We love every minute of it. And making it easy on you? That’s what’s worth it.
Are you ready to take on a renovation project? We’d love to chat with you about your vision and how we can help you. So book a discovery call, and let’s see if we’re a good fit.
Warmly,
Sarah