Still a Galley Kitchen—With a Bright Pass-through
An agave-and-white galley kitchen renovation in Sunnyside brings the outdoors, in
- Homeowners: New York homeowners Gina and Andrew posted pre-war kitchen renovation on Sweeten
- Where: Sunnyside, Queens, New York
- Primary renovation: Opening up their kitchen so It is more accessible and bright
- Sweeten general contractor
- Sweeten’s role: Sweeten matches home renovation projects with vetted general contractors, offering advice, support, and secure payments—for free.
A new kitchen layout
Gina and Andrew, who met while working on the Broadway production of Billy Elliot, purchased a pre-war two-bedroom apartment in Sunnyside, Queens, the year they married. The kitchen did not inspire them to cook at all, with its drab stock cabinets and awkward layout, completely sectioned off from the living area. After 2.5 years of ownership, they decided they were ready to tackle the renovation.
Inspired to cook
What was a dim and cramped space is now an oasis. Andrew says, “I never used to cook and after our renovation, I’m cooking up a storm!” The homeowners worked with their Sweeten general contractor to bring the color from their co-op courtyard into the home. They wanted to extend the natural green and chose a beautiful agave for the lower cabinets, while going with white for uppers to better reflect the light.
Warm brass hardware pops against the cooler tones of the cabinetry and white sink. A new stacked washer and dryer replaced the refrigerator, which relocated to a space closer to the kitchen window. Opposite the new fridge, a floor-to-ceiling pantry with pull-out drawers provides plenty of space for dry goods storage. Sweeten brings homeowners an exceptional renovation experience by personally matching trusted general contractors to your project, while offering expert guidance and support—at no cost to you. Renovate to live, Sweeten to thrive!
Living at home during a renovation
As first-time renovators, Gina and Andrew learned a lot during the experience. They report that their biggest challenge was living at home during the renovation, with their dog, Brewster. However, Andrew also found it useful to be on-site during the renovation since he was able to check in regularly with the contractor and was able to follow along on the progress. While the removal of a load-bearing wall required architectural drawings to be submitted for approval, it was well worth it to have a kitchen more connected to the living and dining spaces. They also gained a breakfast bar by opening up a pass-through.
Bonus: Fifty feet of unusable hallway space was repurposed into a dining area thanks to borrowing square footage from an adjacent second bedroom. Pocket doors were installed so that the interior space could remain “open and light could flow into the dining room.” They doubled their entertaining space by doing this!
Renovation materials
Floor in engineered ½ x5 select maple: Bellawood. Sektion cabinet bases and Vaskad dishwasher, #50422663: Ikea. Supermatte shaker doors in agave (bottom) and white (upper): Semihandmade. Knob Deals CKP Brand Origins collection cabinet hardware in amber gold, #3489A4480AG: Knob Deals. Countertops in Striking, #QM3205L: Spectrum Quartz. Backsplash in Carrara marble 3×6 tile: Floor and Decor. Moen Align series one-handle faucet in brushed gold, #S72308BG: Amazon. Samsung oven, #NX58H9500WS/AA and refrigerator, #RF18HFENBSR/US: Samsung. Eastmoreland pendant light: Rejuvenation. Sede barstool in walnut and Thunder Gray fabric: Article. Frigidaire Affinity washer and dryer: Frigidaire.
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