When you have a 40-year-old house with a 40-year-old kitchen, everything doesn’t always work the way it used to. 

Appliances fail, cabinets crumble, and you have to run to the bedroom to find a baking sheet. Or so went the story for one Salt Lake homeowner. Functioning appliances, efficient storage and easy-to-clean maintenance all topped her wish list.

After seeing a friend’s new kitchen, designed by Alex Butchart, CKD, of Highline Kitchen Systems, the homeowner chose Butchart for her own remodel. “Function, more than anything else,” is what Butchart says the homeowner was looking for. “She wanted minimal work, low-maintenance and easy-to-clean surfaces with good access to everything,” he says. Admittedly, “I’m not that good of a housekeeper,” the homeowner jokes.

Butchart quickly got to work keeping the same footprint as the original space, with the small laundry area leading to the open kitchen. The Highline team built out the dividing wall between the two spaces to double the previously single-wall construction, adding storage and a high-efficiency washer and dryer to the laundry area. In the kitchen, Butchart replaced all the old appliances with brand-new ones from GE, including a radiant-glass cooktop with a stainless-steel vent hood. One long wall of cabinetry is also home to the counter-depth refrigerator and separate stacked wall oven and microwave. “Now, the homeowner doesn’t have to bend over to move things in and out of the oven,” Butchart says.

For the finishes, Butchart and the homeowner chose mahogany-hue wood cabinetry by DeWils, Corian countertops and vinyl flooring. Butchart maximized storage with plenty of cabinetry built into every usable area of the kitchen. Roll-out shelves, a Lazy Susan, spice pull-outs, deep drawers and more utilize every inch.

“There’s a place for everything now,” the homeowner says. Corian countertops were a must-have item for the homeowner, with one specific request: a coved backsplash. Unlike other backsplashes, which have a grouted joint at a 90-degree angle, the coved solid-surface backsplash is curved and makes up one continuous piece from the countertop up the wall. Without grout, the area where the counter and backsplash meet is completely maintenance-free and simple to clean. Vinyl flooring, another request, is smooth, grout-free, easy to clean and soft on the feet.

Butchart also revamped the breakfast bar at the far end of the kitchen. To further open up the space to the dining room, the team removed the bulky upper cabinets over the bar and replaced them with a simple pair of pendants.

The homeowner couldn’t be happier with the results. Her new kitchen is exactly what she asked for: efficient and easy to maintain. “My family is also happy with the result,” the homeowner says, “so much so that Alex is working on my sister’s kitchen now.”