---
title: Opening Up and Reimagining the Heart of the Home in West Michigan
description: My client wanted a kitchen that felt like part of the home, not a hidden room. So we reworked the layout so that the kitchen and dining area felt cohesive!
image: https://blog.ksikitchens.com/hubfs/Blog/2026/2609%20Anneke%20Huisman%20-%20Hargarther%20Kitchen/AH-Hargarther-3a.jpg
---

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# Opening Up and Reimagining the Heart of the Home in West Michigan

 Published by [Anneke Huisman](https://blog.ksikitchens.com/author/anneke-huisman) on  Oct 22, 2026, 11:24:00 AM

When my client called me about their West Michigan kitchen, they'd already made some changes that just didn't feel right – they'd opened up the tall wall that once closed the kitchen off from the rest of the house, bringing it down to counter height around what would become the island. It was a smart first step, but once it was done, the space still felt smaller than it actually was. The cooktop had nowhere to vent, and the kitchen and dining room still felt like two separate rooms instead of one connected heart of the home. They asked me to rethink the whole space and give it the open concept they'd been after from the start. So we got to work reimagining their project!

 

- ![Picture of Kitchen Dimensions](https://blog.ksikitchens.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/2026/2609%20Anneke%20Huisman%20-%20Hargarther%20Kitchen/Kitchen-Dimensions.jpg?width=878&height=1152&name=Kitchen-Dimensions.jpg)
- ![customer provided before picture ](https://blog.ksikitchens.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/2026/2609%20Anneke%20Huisman%20-%20Hargarther%20Kitchen/customer%20before%20picture%201.jpeg?width=3024&height=4032&name=customer%20before%20picture%201.jpeg)

 

- ![kitchen and dining area featuring coffee bar](https://blog.ksikitchens.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/2026/2609%20Anneke%20Huisman%20-%20Hargarther%20Kitchen/Added%20Luminance/AH-Hargarther-15.jpg?width=3290&height=3650&name=AH-Hargarther-15.jpg)
- ![kitchen and dining area with a focus on the island](https://blog.ksikitchens.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/2026/2609%20Anneke%20Huisman%20-%20Hargarther%20Kitchen/Added%20Luminance/AH-Hargarther-17.jpg?width=4130&height=2790&name=AH-Hargarther-17.jpg)

## Opening the Kitchen Back Up to the Home

My clients wanted a kitchen that finally felt like part of the house, not a room hiding behind a wall. We took that partial demo the rest of the way, reworking the layout so the kitchen, dining area, and living space all felt cohesive and flowed together. Rather than treating the dining room as an afterthought, we pushed the kitchen's footprint into it, adding a coffee bar with decorative glass-front doors along a shared wall. A tall pantry does double duty on this wall creating both extra storage and a subtle divider that lets you sense you've moved from "kitchen" into "dining" without a single wall in the way. A change in cabinetry height along that run reinforces the same idea, so the two zones feel distinct even though they're wide open to one another.

 

- ![kitchen island photo focused on the faucet](https://blog.ksikitchens.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/2026/2609%20Anneke%20Huisman%20-%20Hargarther%20Kitchen/Added%20Luminance/AH-Hargarther-3.jpg?width=5184&height=3456&name=AH-Hargarther-3.jpg)
- ![kitchen remodel featuring wood cabinetry and countertops](https://blog.ksikitchens.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/2026/2609%20Anneke%20Huisman%20-%20Hargarther%20Kitchen/Added%20Luminance/AH-Hargarther-9.jpg?width=5141&height=2857&name=AH-Hargarther-9.jpg)

## A Smarter Layout for How They Actually Cook

The old cooktop location had no direct ventilation out of the house which we solved by shifting the range to the wall shared with the garage, where we could finally vent it properly – a small move on paper that made a huge difference in how the kitchen actually performs. We tucked the microwave into the island instead of making it part of the sightline, and swapped in a single-bowl sink in a finish that ties directly into the countertop, so the whole work zone reads as one clean, uninterrupted surface.

Because this is very much a two-cook kitchen, I designed the island on an angle rather than squaring it off with the cabinetry. That simple shift opens up the walkway, creates a natural spot for conversational seating, and gave my clients plenty of room to move comfortably around each other at the stove and sink. On the back side of the island, we used touch-latch storage instead of hardware, so the profile stays clean and uncluttered – creating function without visual noise.

 

- ![island countertop featuring pink and white hydrangeas](https://blog.ksikitchens.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/2026/2609%20Anneke%20Huisman%20-%20Hargarther%20Kitchen/AH-Hargarther-40b.jpg?width=5155&height=2871&name=AH-Hargarther-40b.jpg)

## A One-of-a-Kind Quartz Island

The island top might be my favorite detail in this whole project. It's a single slab of quartz in a brand new offering. My clients and I had only ever seen it in small samples so we made a trip to Lakeside Surfaces' fabrication facility to see the actual slab in person before it became their island. There's something special about watching the piece that will anchor your kitchen for years come together right in front of you, rather than just trusting a sample.

- ![kitchen and dining room with a focus on the island, flooring, and rug](https://blog.ksikitchens.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/2026/2609%20Anneke%20Huisman%20-%20Hargarther%20Kitchen/Added%20Luminance/AH-Hargarther-8.jpg?width=3393&height=4182&name=AH-Hargarther-8.jpg)

## Finishing Every Detail

A remodel like this involves more than cabinets and countertops, and we treated it that way. The existing floor had been pieced together from carpet and LVT tile, leaving an uneven surface underneath – our team replaced the existing flooring throughout the whole space, creating a continuous, level plane from the kitchen into the dining area. We also updated the overhead lighting to match the new workspace and the way the room actually flows now, and when we noticed a crack in the ceiling while we were already up there, we repaired it as part of the job. It's a small thing, but it was a detail our team was happy to take care of because a finished space should feel finished everywhere you look.

What started as a kitchen boxed away from the rest of the home is now its true center – open, bright, and built around the way this family actually cooks, gathers, and lives together.

 

- ![detail photo of a base cabinet and hardware](https://blog.ksikitchens.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/2026/2609%20Anneke%20Huisman%20-%20Hargarther%20Kitchen/AH-Hargarther-29.jpg?width=3456&height=5184&name=AH-Hargarther-29.jpg)
- ![detailed kitchen photo focused on a range, cookbook, and cabinetry](https://blog.ksikitchens.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/2026/2609%20Anneke%20Huisman%20-%20Hargarther%20Kitchen/AH-Hargarther-27.jpg?width=3456&height=5184&name=AH-Hargarther-27.jpg)
- ![detailed coffee bar photo](https://blog.ksikitchens.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/2026/2609%20Anneke%20Huisman%20-%20Hargarther%20Kitchen/AH-Hargarther-36.jpg?width=5184&height=3456&name=AH-Hargarther-36.jpg)
- ![detailed photo of pots and pans](https://blog.ksikitchens.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/2026/2609%20Anneke%20Huisman%20-%20Hargarther%20Kitchen/AH-Hargarther-31.jpg?width=3456&height=5184&name=AH-Hargarther-31.jpg)
- ![detailed photo of countertop and cookbook](https://blog.ksikitchens.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/2026/2609%20Anneke%20Huisman%20-%20Hargarther%20Kitchen/AH-Hargarther-32.jpg?width=5184&height=3456&name=AH-Hargarther-32.jpg)
- ![detailed photo of the island nook](https://blog.ksikitchens.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/2026/2609%20Anneke%20Huisman%20-%20Hargarther%20Kitchen/AH-Hargarther-24.jpg?width=3456&height=5184&name=AH-Hargarther-24.jpg)

**Materials Used**

- Pioneer Cabinetry in hickory with a Platinum finish
- Venus by PentalQuartz countertop, fabricated as a single slab at Lakeside Surfaces
- New flooring throughout, using Barker Hollow LVP from Mohawk Flooring
- Sink from Kohler
- Delta Emmeline faucet in a stainless finish
- Amerock Blackrock hardware pulls in satin nickel

### Ready to Bring Your Vision to Life?

If you're looking for a change, or your space just doesn't suit the way you live anymore, we'd love to help you reimagine it. Schedule a free design consultation at [ksikitchens.com](https://ksikitchens.com/ksi-make-an-appointment/) and let's start the conversation.

*Anneke Huisman is a Senior Designer at KSI's Grand Rapids Design Center.*

---

![Anneke Huisman](https://blog.ksikitchens.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/2025/Anneke-Huisman.jpg?width=145&name=Anneke-Huisman.jpg)

**Anneke Huisman**  
*Anneke is a Sr. Designer at KSI Kitchen & Bath. She has over 15 years of experience helping people achieve their kitchen dreams by crafting beautiful, functional spaces. She also serves on the board of the West Michigan chapter of the NKBA, where she connects with other industry professionals to create professional growth and educational opportunities for the membership. Anneke was recently recognized by Kitchen & Bath Design News Magazine as part of their Innovators Class of 2024.*

[View Anneke Huisman’s bio](https://ksikitchens.com/designer/anneke-huisman/)

---

Tags: [Flooring](https://blog.ksikitchens.com/topic/flooring), [countertops](https://blog.ksikitchens.com/topic/countertops), [kitchen remodel](https://blog.ksikitchens.com/topic/kitchen-remodel), [Transitional](https://blog.ksikitchens.com/topic/transitional), [Island](https://blog.ksikitchens.com/topic/island), [Wood Cabinetry](https://blog.ksikitchens.com/topic/wood-cabinetry)

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