Galley kitchen modernized in DIY remodel

By Alison Stucke

Anarrow, galley-style kitchen became more open, modern, and user-friendly under the artistic eyes and working hands of owners Ken and Sarah Nyberg. The couple purchased and moved into their fixer-upper home in November 2015. They have been remodeling their dwelling room-by-room ever since — doing almost all the work themselves. The kitchen is their most recent success in redesigning and remodeling spaces of their home.

Falling in love with a fixer-upper

Sarah and Ken started on this remodeling journey by looking for a home with a character they loved.

“The house that we owned before this was brand new,” Sarah said. “When we were initially looking for a different house, we knew that we could either spend more money on a brand new house but that house wouldn’t necessarily be our style, or we could buy a house that needed work but we could shape it into our style.”

The second option is just what they did by selecting their home in Duluth’s Piedmont neighborhood.

“We knew we would have to rework everything,” Sarah said. “I think we wanted a project.”

“At that point we looked at over 60 houses, so we knew what the market had to offer,” Ken said.

The home had been built in the 1960s, and not much had been updated or changed from the original build.

“We fell in love with the open concept and the vaulted ceilings with big wood beams that carry throughout the house,” Sarah said. “It had a lot of unique characteristics that fit perfectly with our style.”

Self-taught do-it-yourself renovation

Since moving in, the couple has redone two bedrooms, a bathroom, the home’s entryway, stairs, deck, living room and roof. They have also put in a loft which serves as a play area for their two children, Milo, 7, and Leona, 3, and they have installed new windows throughout the home.

“We have done most of the work ourselves,” Sarah said.

“It’s never-ending,” Ken said. “You learn as you go.”

As they tackle each project, Sarah enjoys researching design elements and products online. As an artist who enjoys painting and photography, she understands the flow of the space of her home.

“Sarah is a detail person,” Ken said of her. “She’s good at that.”

Ken, a graphic designer in his career, is self-taught in construction methods and techniques, using resources including YouTube. Both Ken and Sarah dig in and use their hands, muscles, sweat and creativity to complete projects. Sarah’s dad has also helped and offered support, the couple said.

“We both consider ourselves artists, so we should have an artistic home,” Ken said.

A spacious new kitchen with lots of storage

Ken likes to cook, and the family sits down together every evening for dinner, so preparing the evening meal is an important and busy task. What was once a narrow work space cut off on one side by appliances lined up against a wall, and cut off on the other side by a counter so that only one person could work comfortably in the space — is now an open area that allows Ken and Sarah to move and work together.

“We’re so much more efficient now,” Ken said. “We needed that space.”

Stainless steel “Café” appliances have a mixed-metal twist.

“They’re kind of fun because you can switch out all the handles,” Sarah said. “We chose brushed-bronze handles that look like gold.”

The brushed-bronze look is repeated in the handles of the kitchen’s cabinetry. A stainless steel Kraus single sink with a

Brizo faucet in luxe gold includes handle hardware from Top Knobs in brushed bronze, making it all coordinate well.

“I had to do a lot of research for the color matching,” Sarah explained. “It’s hard to color match when you’re shopping online.”

Help with the countertops and cabinets

Through her online research, Sarah discovered Cambria countertops. She was impressed to learn the company is Minnesota-based and the product has a lifetime warranty. The Nybergs contacted Brian Timm of Maureen’s

LLC in Duluth to order and install countertops in the beautiful St. Giles design with prominent medium gray tones, accented with contrasting slate-gray, faint gray and white veins. They also had a matching backsplash made of the Cambria for behind the stove as an interesting design element.

“This is the first time we had any help,” Sarah said. “We ordered through Maureen’s, and they had a local company install it. Brian Timm made it easy. He also helped with our cabinets. We told him what we wanted, and he gave design input and showed us our options. We chose matte black Eclipse Cabinetry.”

Interestingly, the cabinetry is placed down low rather than higher up in the room, leaving upper areas more open and giving the room a spacious look.

“We didn’t do any cupboards up above,” Ken said. “We kept that space nice and clean. The room has an open feel to it.”

“Loved working with Kenneth and Sarah,” Brian Timm, AKBD (Associate Kitchen and Bath Designer) & Designer at Maureen’s LLC, said. “They both had solid ideas of what materials they wanted but needed help with the layout. In their space the ceilings were a bit lower, in addition to having some exposed beams, so we went with no upper cabinets and just a single shelf on either side of the hood. That, and they painted the ceiling white as well as the beams, which gives some visual space to the height of the room.”

Warm wood touches

The exquisite maple butcher block island — also from

Ken and Sarah Nyberg’s kitchen went from cramped to spacious by changing the layout and rearranging all elements of the room. The peninsula was exchanged for a large butcherblock island, and using only lower cabinets gives the space a more open feel. The beams were exposed and the couple installed real-wood white oak flooring, larger windows, and a maple display shelf made by Ken.

Maureen’s — serves as the family’s dining table. It includes cupboards and cabinetry on one half, which conveniently holds the Nybergs’ silverware and dishes.

Ken installed the real-wood white oak flooring, and a maple shelf — handmade by Ken — displays artwork and cutting boards on the wall above the oven.

“It’s enough wood so the room is not too stark,” Ken explained.

Above the island is a four-light pendant from Joss and Main that features a black matte metal frame with brushed-bronze gold accents to match the rest of the kitchen.

New windows bring additional light

Ken and Sarah selected black metal-trimmed windows from Anderson Windows in Duluth.

“Because we changed our layout of the kitchen, we changed to smaller windows on one side and added a window out back,” Sarah explained.

Ken and his father-in-law sawed in the new window in the back wall themselves. It wasn’t an easy job, but Ken looks on the bright side as he remembers the hard work it took to get the job done.

“We didn’t realize there was a concrete wall behind the brick,” Ken said. “But it worked out. We did it. We can see the back yard now.”

“It has brought a lot of light in,” Sarah agreed.

Ken also had to jackhammer the floor and reroute the drain to move the kitchen sink above another new window that was installed. He said he’s had enough of jackhammers and concrete saws for a while!

Sarah and Ken said Milo and Leona were so excited when they learned that the kitchen was completed and the family could once again eat dinner together at the table, they jumped up and down and clapped their hands.

“The end result is a modern and functional space that has a natural feel with the rich accent tones of the matte brass hardware and the Edison light fixture,” Brian Timm said. “An extremely inviting kitchen.”

A few more rooms to go

Sarah and Ken said they have only a few rooms to go until their home is the stylish and personalized space they always knew it could be.

“All that we really have left is our basement,” Sarah said. “That’s our laundry room, a bedroom and a bathroom. When we moved in, it was technically finished. We completely gutted the basement. We’ll have a clean slate to work from.”

“The only windows we have left to replace are in the living room,” Ken said.

When asked if they will continue using their remodeling talents after their home is completed, Ken and Sarah didn’t say “no.”

“My brother just bought a house that needs a lot of work,” Ken said. “There’s no lack of it! Or maybe we’ll build a new shed in the back.”

“This house has taken us five years,” Sarah said. “I have had fun designing rooms throughout.” D Alison Stucke is a Duluth freelance writer.