Bright, Open Kitchen Remodel in Northeast Portland

This kitchen remodel in Northeast Portland turned a closed-off kitchen into part of an open, connected main floor. The home is a minimal traditional home with bungalow influences, and the original kitchen was walled off from the dining and living areas, which left the whole floor feeling chopped up. The homeowners wanted that to change without taking on the cost of a full structural overhaul.

This Concordia Neighborhood Home

Portland, OR

Neighborhood	Concordia
Square Footage	2562 sqft
Year Built	1940
Estimated Home Value	$489,900
Bedrooms	5 bd
Baths	3 ba
Lot Size	4791 sqft
Architectural Style	Minimal Traditional
Stories	1 Story
Garage	1 car Garage
Estimated Home Value After Remodel	$562,517

Project Goals

The comprehensive Portland kitchen remodel features:

Crystal Current frameless cabinets for a modern, clean aesthetic
Elegant Silestone quartz countertops
Eye-catching picket tile backsplash
New flooring throughout

The result is a bright, flowing space that enhances both functionality and style, perfectly balancing the homeowner’s desire for openness with smart budget considerations.

Unique Features

The biggest change was opening up the wall between the kitchen and the living areas. We widened the doorway from 36 inches to 72 inches and removed the old pocket door, which connected the two spaces and let light move through the main floor. To keep the budget in check, we designed the new opening around the existing support beam instead of relocating it, which avoided a much more expensive structural change while still getting the open feel the homeowners wanted.

From there, the finishes carried the rest of the design. The selections the homeowners chose include:

Crystal Current frameless cabinets in a two-tone layout, with Simply White upper cabinets and a Nautical navy on the base and pantry cabinets.
Open shelving in tan oak from Sustainable Northwest Wood, a Portland supplier, finished with a natural oil.
Client-supplied Rejuvenation drawer pulls in an aged brass finish.
Pental quartz countertops in Misterio.
A Bedrosians Reine picket tile backsplash in white gloss, trimmed with a brass Schluter edge.
A GE 30-inch slide-in gas range and a ZLINE stainless range hood, with the existing refrigerator and dishwasher reinstalled.
A Kraus 32-inch undermount stainless double-bowl sink paired with an InSinkErator Evolution disposal.
A George Kovacs Alluria sconce in a weathered black and autumn gold finish.
Oak hardwood flooring milled to match the home's existing floors.

The finished kitchen is brighter and far more open than the room it replaced. It flows into the dining and living areas the way the homeowners pictured, and it gives them a modern, connected main floor without the cost of moving structural elements.