Living

Opening Up the Kitchen

Kitchen remodel, mudroom addition improve house flow

Mike Grote comes from a family of bakers, known for the Grote Bakery business of the Cincinnati area, so it’s only natural that his family wants plenty of space in their kitchen. When he and wife Brittan Grote bought their Upper Arlington house in 2018, they knew it would take some renovations to get make the kitchen their own.

Mike and Brittan’s favorite things to cook are homemade pizzas, pancakes on weekends and any exciting recipes they

Before

can find online. Like so many families, however, the Grotes are often separated in the house as one cooks and the other cares for their children, Everett, 7, and Peyton, 5. The home was laid out in such a way that the kitchen was entirely isolated from the rest of the home, which meant the chef was isolated from the rest of the family.

Before

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“We don’t want to be stuck in a kitchen by ourselves where it could get lonely,” Brittan says.

In partnership with Dave Fox Design Build Remodelers, the Grotes changed the layout and took down a wall to open the kitchen to the rest of the home.

“It really helps with the overall flow of the house,” Brittan says.

By tearing down a wall, the Grotes not only got a proper kitchen but a connected dining room. Before renovating, the house had no clear dining area. The previous homeowners used a carpeted room located off the main family room that wasn’t connected to the kitchen. Now, the Grotes and their guests don’t have to walk around the house to reach the dining room.

“There really was no great dining room option,” Brittan says.

The renovations allowed for a number of other improvements to the Grote home’s general flow.

With Dave Fox, the family added a mudroom for any sporting equipment and storage they might need as the kids grow up. The washer and dryer got an upgrade from the basement into the mudroom, too – a huge plus for Brittan, who didn’t enjoy doing laundry in the basement. Dave Fox pitched three concepts to the Grotes, and having the laundry on the main floor made the decision easy.

“We gave up a pantry for that,” Brittan says. “But the pantry that we now have has ample amounts of space.”

The remodeled kitchen also features an island where Everett and Peyton can do arts, crafts and other projects while their parents are cooking dinner.

The project was completed in February 2020 just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Brittan says the remodeled kitchen made the time together during the stay-at-home order far more pleasant.

“This project made it bearable to get through the quarantine time,” Brittan says.

Brandon Klein is the senior editor. Feedback welcome at bklein@ cityscenemediagroup.com.

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