This “So Tired” 1950s Kitchen Gets the Most Dramatic Airy Makeover (You Won’t Recognize It)

When interior designer Kyra Vargas, who founded Handled Interior Design in 2020, moved into her 800-square-foot New York apartment just three months ago, she knew she wanted to modernize the space as quickly as possible—particularly the 1950s kitchen. years.

“I firmly believe that the kitchen has never been renovated since the building was built in 1952,” says Kyra. Updating the kitchen was important for several reasons, but the decision was primarily influenced by her desire to create a space that would evoke family memories similar to the ones she had as a child.

“The kitchen will always be the heart of the home; I spent so much time watching my father prepare Michelin-worthy meals and my mother cooking traditional Dominican dishes,” says Kyra. “There was always something going on in the kitchen. I wanted to continue that tradition by creating an open kitchen with plenty of space for great meals and even better entertaining.”

Additionally, she viewed the kitchen renovation as a way to expand her interior design portfolio while gaining some practical skills. The first step was figuring out how to make the 1,000-square-foot kitchen feel super functional without running the gas or plumbing lines (which, fortunately, were in good condition). But once the new layout was finalized, Kyra said she tore down the original kitchen within hours and began painting the room with Behr's Dead Flat paint.

The very next day, Kyra began installing laminate flooring from The Home Depot. Next was installing the new kitchen cabinets, stone countertops, energy efficient appliances (one of Kyra's favorite details!), and new white and green tiles. It took two to three weeks to completely remodel the kitchen and cost a total of around $5,850. (Her boyfriend is a contractor and helped her for free and taught her how to do much of the installation herself.)

Kyra's kitchen renovation transformed a mid-century space into a modern, energy-efficient oasis that is sure to evoke future culinary memories. She particularly likes how much more storage space the remodel gave her, and the “beautiful green hand-crafted style wall tiles,” which add a stunning pop of color.