Designer Lookbook: Visible Proof’s Chic Richmond Renovation

A couple with two young kids tapped Richmond, VA interior designer and architect Kristi Lane of Visible Proof to transform their small, segmented kitchen, breakfast nook, and dining room into functional and flowing spaces for their daily family gatherings.
“The part of the home they were spending most of their time in needed renovating,” says Lane. “They had the space and square footage, but it just wasn’t functional.”
The stately 1930s Georgian home in Richmond’s Southside neighborhood possessed great curb appeal and bones, but the kitchen and dining areas weren’t cutting it for the homeowners. The original kitchen had nice finishes and appliances, but the space was dark and dysfunctional.
“Only one person could be in the kitchen,” says Lane, “People don’t live like that.” The kitchen was also the main entry point for the home, which didn’t bode well for traffic flow.
The homeowners requested bright, happy, and fun spaces that were also simple and streamlined. They were prepared to knock down walls, and enlarge doorways and windows.
“Opening up the walls allows you to see through the entire house, which added more light in the middle of their home,” says Lane. The dining room, kitchen, and breakfast nook/mudroom transformed into three distinct spaces, and a reconfigured layout and larger doorways allowed easy flow from room to room.
A kitchen for the whole family
The busy homeowners didn’t need a high-end gourmet kitchen, because they don’t cook often, but they wanted a practical space to make school lunches for the kids, and for the entire family to hang out together.
“The kitchen was a tight space, so getting everything they wanted in there was a concern,” says Lane. “You have to think about every single little inch. It has to work like a cockpit, and it must be efficient.”
In the kitchen, worn ceramic tile was torn …read more