A Scandi-Style Kitchen with Mid-Century & Italian Cues
A homeowner brings sunlight—and love of traditional and 70’s design—into her Scandi-style kitchen
“After” photos by Kate Glicksberg for Sweeten
- Homeowner: Melissa posted her kitchen renovation project on Sweeten
- Where: Clinton Hill neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York
- Primary renovation: Opening up and bringing light into a mid-century, corner unit, apartment kitchen
- Sweeten general contractor
- Sweeten’s role: Sweeten matches residential renovation projects with vetted general contractors, offering know-how, support, and up to $50,000 in renovation financial protection—for free
Written in partnership with Sweeten homeowner Melissa
A closed-off Brooklyn kitchen with potential
A beautiful neighborhood, an optimal layout, and a lot of natural light led Melissa to purchase her corner apartment in Brooklyn’s Clinton Hill Co-ops. The literary agent planned to renovate the kitchen and remove walls to take advantage of the light from the living area. Melissa also wanted to reflect the building’s mid-century style in her own space. “I wanted mid-century-Scandi-style-kitchen-meets-’70s-Italian-modern with warmer accents in the textiles and color,” she shared. Nearly 14 years after she bought her apartment, Melissa posted her renovation project on Sweeten. She was matched with a general contractor who helped her bring her kitchen dreams to life. The wait was worth it. (Even Apartment Therapy thought so, as they covered the transformation as well!)
Removing walls to create space in the kitchen
Melissa worked with her interior designer, Danielle Herman of Persephone’s Spring, and a Sweeten general contractor to open up the space. The walls blocking the kitchen off from the living area were the first to go. Fortunately, the impact was instant: the room immediately brightened up. To take advantage of the newfound light, she chose a mix of materials, including matte concrete floor and counters, to balance out the stainless steel appliances. “The goal was to reflect and refract the natural light,” Melissa shared. White Ikea cabinets and floating shelves contribute to the airy and spacious look.
A new peninsula offers additional seating while a built-in nook holds mugs, trinkets, and books. The location of the appliances remained as-is, but without the walls, the cook space revealed a better flow.
The team brings a Scandi-style kitchen to life
Melissa’s designer worked hand-in-hand with her Sweeten contractor executing the vision and selecting finishes, paint colors, and other details. Her contractor also had worked on many apartments in the Clinton Hill Co-ops, so he knew what to expect in terms of plumbing and support walls. “He knew ahead of time where the bodies were buried, so to speak,” Melissa said.
Her only regret of the project? Not doing it sooner. Melissa wakes up every day excited “and delighted to return to cook dinner.”
Thank you, Melissa, for sharing your beautiful new mid-century modern kitchen with us!
Renovation materials:
Cabinets: Ikea. Ash 24×24 floor tile: TileBar. Backsplash wall tile: Tile Spark. Custom open shelves: Ethan Abramson. Matte concrete countertops: Caesarstone. Bertazzoni range hood: Appliances Connection. Lighting: Blu Dot. Faucet: Delta Faucet. Lucy stool: Bend Goods.
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Sweeten handpicks the best general contractors to match each project’s location, budget, and scope, helping until project completion. Follow the blogfor renovation ideas and inspiration and when you’re ready to renovate, start your renovation on Sweeten.
