When a family trusts you with their home more than once, you learn something about them. You get to know what they deeply care about, how they make decisions, and what kind of space they’re trying to build their life around. We partnered with this sweet Denton couple twice previously for their daughters’ bathroom and a backyard deck. When they decided it was time for the kitchen, they came to us with a clear design vision – Mid-century, vintage, bespoke. Something that looked like it belonged specifically to them.

Together, we built something beautiful that we are all so proud of. Follow along to see how this kitchen transformed into our clients dream space.

The bones of this home were good, however the layout really wasn’t working for this family and how they liked to gather in their home. The kitchen sat behind its own walls, separated from the dining area and completely cut off from the sunroom by a bank of upper cabinets mounted to a bulky soffit. The spaces didn’t connect – they just coexisted.
Inside the kitchen itself, heavy honey oak cabinetry with ornate raised panel doors filled every wall. The countertops were white laminate and the ceilings were popcorn. Large format tiles with dark grout ran throughout the kitchen, dining rooms, and entry – practical, but not a true reflection of our clients’ style.

As our clients explained:

“I think the problems with our space were, it was kind of choppy. We had overhead cabinets that blocked our sunroom and kitchen from each other. The sink was not under the window. There were just a lot of things we wanted to make changes with.”

The kitchen wasn’t inherently broken, it just wasn’t theirs.

For a couple with a clear aesthetic – mid-century lines, vintage character, nothing off the shelf – the existing space felt like it belonged to a different house and a different decade. They knew changes needed to happen. What took time wasn’t finding the right contractor, it was figuring out exactly what they wanted the space to become.

Our clients shared this about working with Irwin Construction:

“We’d used Irwin Construction a few times in the past. They redid our girls’ bathroom when they became teenagers and they did a deck for us in the backyard, so we knew what good work they did, and we trusted them completely.”

The vision extended beyond the kitchen. The guest bathroom was ready for an update, and the sunroom needed new doors and oversized windows to finally bring light and connection to the backyard. With a clear picture of how this home needed to look and feel, we got started on construction.

Two walls came down – one between the kitchen and the dining room, another between the kitchen and the sunroom. What had been three separate rooms became one long, connected space. Standing at the new sink, you can now see straight through the dining area all the way to the sunroom.

From there, nearly everything shifted. Electrical was rerouted for the new layout and plumbing was relocated for the new refrigerator position, the new range location, and finally, a sink under the window.

Custom white oak cabinetry was fabricated specifically for this kitchen:

• Uppers and lowers on the range wall with built-in refrigerator cabinets and a range hood cabinet.
• Uppers and lowers on the sink wall with a floor-to-ceiling pantry.
• An island with cabinets on both sides and a bar overhang for pull-up seating.
• Euro-style slab fronts, UV pre-finished interiors, and a wood tone that matched the dining room buffet the clients had always loved.

The tile throughout the kitchen, both dining rooms, entry, bathroom, and laundry room was removed and replaced. Popcorn ceilings were scraped. Walls and ceilings were floated, textured, and painted. Cabinets, trim, and doors were stained and sealed.

The design decisions throughout were genuinely collaborative. Since our clients came in with a clear aesthetic, our design process honored that – including going tile shopping together, which is exactly how the backsplash came to be what it is.

“Irwin Construction worked with all of what we wanted. We looked at ideas together. We went shopping for tile together. So it all just kind of came together.”

Our clients shared this sweet message about working with our team and our Project Manager, Jason:

“Jason was so great to work with. Every step of the way, he’s a good problem solver. He makes you feel comfortable and holds your hand the whole way through. He explains everything and is here all the time to help with any questions. He always gets back to you quickly. We love Jason. We kind of miss him.”

For many homeowners, the design process is one of the most exciting parts of a renovation – and honestly, we love it just as much as they do! It’s where the vision starts to come to life.

For projects that include design services, it begins with an in-home design consultation with your designer where we get to know how you live, what you’re drawn to, and what you’ve been dreaming about for your space. Then comes the really fun part – visiting our vendor showroom with your designer to start choosing your materials. Your designer is with you every step of the way, helping with selections, verifying quantities, and tracking down anything that needs to be sourced outside the showroom.

Before construction begins, your designer and project manager sit down with you for a pre-construction meeting so every detail is confirmed and everyone is aligned before demo day. As the project progresses, a post-demo meeting brings everyone back together to finalize the last remaining details – grout colors, tile lay, paint – when you can actually see the space taking shape. There’s something really special about standing in a project in progress and being able to picture exactly what it’s going to become.

From the first conversation to the final walkthrough, the process is designed to keep you excited, informed, and confident in every decision you make.

To learn more about how we work, visit our Process page.

The Tile That Started It All

The backsplash was the design decision that shaped everything else. Elit Tile Hammer Decor Glossy 2×6 in Topaz, installed in a vertical straight lay with Custom Charcoal grout, mixing field and decorative tiles 50/50 so every other tile has a different surface texture. In natural light it reads as a rich, saturated topaz. In the evening it deepens toward deep blue. The hammered glaze catches light differently depending on where you’re standing, which means the backsplash looks a little different at 8am than it does at 8pm.

What does it mean to mix field tile and decorative tile 50/50?

Field tile is the base tile, consistent in color and surface. Decorative tile adds texture or pattern to the same shape. Alternating them throughout the installation creates a backsplash with depth and movement that a single tile type can’t achieve on its own.

White Oak Cabinetry Built For How They Cook

The cabinet choice started with a piece of furniture the clients already owned – the beautiful buffet in their dining room. They wanted the new cabinetry to feel related to it, not match exactly, just in the same family. White oak with a warm stain was the answer. The slab-front, euro-style doors have an understated mid-century quality: clean lines, no visible frame, simple recessed pulls.

The layout was designed around how this kitchen actually gets used – a floor-to-ceiling pantry on the sink wall for storage that used to end up scattered around the house, built-in cabinetry that integrates the refrigerator rather than letting it stand out on its own, and an island long enough to work at and comfortable enough to sit around.

Cambria Ironsbridge: One Stone, Two Spaces

Cambria Ironsbridge quartz runs across the kitchen countertops and the island, with the remnant cut and fabricated into the guest bathroom countertop and 4-inch backsplash. That’s a small detail that makes a real difference. The same stone in the kitchen and the bathroom means both spaces feel like they flow together, even though they’re on opposite ends of the house.

The Guest Bathroom

The guest bathroom could have been an afterthought. Instead it became one of the most talked-about spaces in the house. A custom 48-inch white oak vanity – slab front with a beaded trim detail that nods to the mid-century thread running through the project – sits under Cambria Ironsbridge countertops in a room painted SW Isle of Pines, a deep forest green. Brass hardware throughout: faucet, round mirror frame, towel bar, toilet paper holder. The art on the walls is the clients’ own, bold, collected, and completely personal.

Flooring That Ties the Whole Home Together

Florida Tile Aura Earth Beige porcelain was installed across the kitchen, both dining rooms, entry, bathroom, and laundry room in a brick lay pattern. Mapei Ivory grout keeps the joints warm. This consistent flooring makes the newly opened floor plan read as one connected space rather than several rooms that share a hallway.

Walking into this kitchen now feels completely different than it did before. The walls are gone, the soffit is gone, and the whole main floor opens up in a way that finally makes sense for how this family lives. The kitchen flows into the dining area, the dining area flows into the sunroom, and the space that once felt choppy and closed off now feels like it was always meant to be this way.

The details they spent time choosing – the topaz hammered tile, the warm white oak, the Cambria countertops carrying through from the kitchen all the way to the guest bathroom – come together in a way that feels collected and completely personal.
This was the third project we’ve had the privilege of doing in this home. That kind of continued trust means a great deal to us, and we don’t take it lightly.

Our clients shared this about their finished space:

“This is better than we could have dreamed of. We love the space. I wasn’t good at picturing it in my mind – so when it was done, it was really spectacular.”

For a couple who knew the vision they were after and trusted us to help them get there, hearing that never gets old. We are so grateful for this amazing family that has welcomed us back into their home to help transform their house into a home that truly reflects who they are.

If your kitchen isn’t working the way it should – or it simply doesn’t feel like you anymore – we’d love to hear about it. Whether you have a fully formed vision or you’re still figuring out where to start, we’re here to help you get there. We work with families across Denton, Argyle, Flower Mound, Southlake, and the surrounding DFW area, and we’d love to guide you through the process from the very first conversation.

Project Materials & References :

D E T A I L S :

Countertop – Cambria Ironsbridge Quartz
Backsplash Tile – Elit Tile Hammer Decor Glossy 2×6 in Topaz, 50/50 field and decor mix, vertical straight lay, Custom Charcoal grout
Floor Tile – Florida Tile Aura Earth Beige, brick lay 1/3 offset, Mapei Ivory grout
Cabinetry – Custom white oak, euro-style slab front, UV pre-finished interiors

P A I N T :

Kitchen Walls – Sherwin Williams Oyster White
Ceilings, Trim & Doors – Sherwin Williams Greek Villa
Guest Bathroom Walls, Ceiling, Trim & Doors – Sherwin Williams Isle of Pines