A Mid-Century Kitchen in Ross Township, Reimagined
Most projects in the Shelton Design/Build portfolio are executed by Shelton’s own construction team, but in the case of this mid-century home renovation in the heart of Ross Township, Shelton served as the design firm only, laying out a plan based on daylight, views, and impactful materials. The core of the project included expanding the existing kitchen to open the main level up, while adding a new wet bar and exterior doors and upgrading finishes throughout the home. The house, built in 1968, was designed by architect J. Donald Owens, an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright. Owens’s work is highly influenced by Wright’s hallmark Prairie style and honoring the mid-century character of the home was a priority of the design from the onset. The young homeowners wanted something true to the house but singular, unlike anything they’d seen online.
Existing kitchen and dining room, to be combined into one space
Rethinking the Galley
In order to maximize natural light and views as well as functionality, the design intent was to demolish the existing wall between the kitchen and dining room and combine the rooms into one large eat-in kitchen. Joining the rooms resulted in an elongated space that lent itself most obviously to a galley kitchen. However, the homeowners wanted something unexpected, that would serve all of their cooking, dining, and storage needs and offer them the flexibility to host friends and family.
After several iterations of possible layouts, the Shelton designers came up with the solution of two central islands. The first island serves all of the kitchen’s functional needs, housing the sink, dishwasher, and additional storage, while the second island replaces a traditional dining table. This optimized layout maintained the feeling of the galley - a traditional feature of mid-century homes - but created more utility and circulation. The islands, complete with open shelving and built-in pet bowls for the couple’s two pit bulls, allowed for the exterior walls to be lined with windows, creating a comfortable space for both living and entertaining, and gave the owners a kitchen that is as unique as it is effective.
The kitchen, before and after
The design also added a wet bar to the adjacent room which backs up to the kitchen, efficiently placing it to share the kitchen’s water line. Located right off the kitchen’s dining area, the bar created an additional entertaining space that allows guests to spread out naturally while also acting as a flexible fixture of the household. The space can adapt to various life phases, functioning as a storage space for children’s beverages and dishes as well as a one-stop-shop for hosting needs. The espresso-stained red oak cabinetry framing a cubby finished in glossy, lacquered green with a mirrored back creates a distinctive design moment that feels like a nod to the home’s 1960s origins, and a fun surprise just steps from the kitchen.
The wet bar, before and after
“There is so much opportunity in every house to have more function and efficiency in the kitchen. It’s fun to find creative solutions for the way people live and to blow their minds with fixes to problems that they thought were permanent.” - Kendall Soler, Interior Design Director / Associate
The Details that Invite the Outside In
With the layout in place, the design team focused on materials and details that would honor the home’s mid-century roots. Walnut cabinetry with slab-front doors sets a period-appropriate tone, while the geometric lines, free of offsets or ornamentation, echo the clean, Prairie-inspired architecture of the house. The palette draws heavily on natural materials, pairing warm wood with richly veined natural marble to bring the outdoors in - a feeling reinforced by new sliding doors and taller windows that take full advantage of the home’s hillside perch, placing the space right among the treetops.
The material selections balance boldness with practicality. A statement tile backsplash from Artistic Tile gives the kitchen its personality, while quartz countertops with a soapstone look offer the character of natural stone with easier upkeep. Porcelain floor tile designed to mimic slate is laid in a straight-stack pattern that reinforces the home’s linear geometry, with radiant heating keeping it comfortable year-round.
Material explorations
In the end, the homeowners’ openness to the unexpected, from a double-island layout to a lacquered green wet bar, made room for a design that is both true to the home’s mid-century character and entirely their own. The result is a kitchen unlike anything they’d seen before, just as they’d hoped.
You can view all of the final project photos in our portfolio here.
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