Our clients were looking to modernize the small kitchen in their 1937 Spanish style house in South Pasadena, California.  Much of the original layout and features of the house were still intact and added to its charm and character. The goal was to improve the efficiency of the existing spaces and freshen up the finishes while making everything feel compatible and in sync with the rest of the house.   After looking at options to expand the small kitchen, our clients decided to stay within the existing footprint of the kitchen and keep the original walls intact.  They liked the idea of maintaining a small but efficient kitchen as a way of adhering to the original design of the house.  Overflow areas, the dining room on one side that opened to a terrace, and a mud room / pantry area on the other side with access to the back door, would allow the small kitchen to stay in the center of the ebb and flow of the house. The adjacent dining room contained original wainscotting and a charming arched opening into the kitchen, which we wanted to keep.   On the other side of the kitchen, the back door to the house opened onto a large hallway with a utilitarian washing sink.  Following the original intent of the space, this area leant itself to becoming a proper mud room with laundry that could be kept separate from the kitchen activities. We changed the door between the rooms to a pocket door (salvaging the original swing door). Non-original laminate flooring between the kitchen, dining room, and mud room was removed to reveal Douglas Fir planked flooring, which was cleaned, polished, and left uncovered.  A sweet, scalloped detail acting as a window valance over the sink was kept and used as a design detail in the mudroom to help conceal the pull-down drying rack when it is not in use.  Wall mounted plumbing fixtures over the sinks were prioritized to help save counter space.  And while early efforts to reuse the original cabinets were unsuccessful, all the original cabinet pulls were salvaged and reused on the new cabinetry.   The tile selected for the kitchen backsplash is a traditional Talavera design and we paired that with a soapstone countertop at the kitchen and mudroom.  Light fixtures are a mixture of original vintage pieces with a new pendant over the sink by local lighting designer Brendan Ravenhill (Ravenhill Studio).  The owner’s chandelier over the dining room table is also a Ravenhill design. The results were a cheery transformation that stayed true to the style and timelessness of the house. A breath of fresh air for this lovely vintage home!