Mediterranean Charm · Phoenix
A kitchen shaped
by the way they live.
A Mediterranean kitchen remodel brings a safer cooking layout and room to gather to a Spanish Colonial-style home, with copper accents, navy cabinetry, and the warmth of Saltillo tile.
Residential Interior · $100,000–$250,000
Spanish Colonial-style home
Open living and patio connection
quartzite, glazed tile, and existing Saltillo floors
Twelve years of ideas came down to a clear brief: a welcoming kitchen where cooking, gathering, and coming home could happen comfortably together.
The homeowners had spent years collecting inspiration for their kitchen renovation. Their existing cooking island sat in the main path from the garage, with limited room around it and no cooktop ventilation. They wanted more space for multiple cooks, organized storage, and island seating where three people could see one another.
Homework Remodels redesigned the kitchen and adjoining spaces around those routines. Mediterranean finishes build on the home’s Spanish Colonial character, while a relocated cooking center and garage entry change how people move through the room.
The kitchen · Before and after
Moving the range out of the traffic path
The original island put a hot cooking surface in the middle of household circulation. The new plan places the freestanding range against a dedicated wall beneath a custom copper hood that vents outdoors. Work surfaces extend along both sides, creating distinct places to prepare food and cook.
The island now holds the sink and offers seating for three. Its shape lets people face one another while leaving routes around the working kitchen. Under-cabinet LED lighting improves visibility at the counters, and a microwave within the wall cabinetry frees preparation space.
Mediterranean materials
Copper and quartzite meet the original Saltillo floor
Cream cabinetry keeps the perimeter light, while navy island cabinets give the center of the kitchen a deeper color. The copper hood, brushed copper hardware, and coordinating fixtures repeat warm tones already present in the terracotta floor.
Quartzite counters and glazed backsplash tile add pattern and texture. The indigo sink relates to the island cabinetry. Where walls and cabinets came out, carefully fitted Saltillo infill carries the existing flooring through the new arrangement.
Storage that works harder
A place for the things used every day
Interior organizers extend the usefulness of the base cabinets. Deep drawers keep cookware accessible near the range, while pull-outs bring items forward from the island cabinets. These details make the storage easier to use without filling the counters.
The cabinet design also considers the room from the living area. Repeated door proportions and decorative end panels give the back of the island a finished appearance from the surrounding spaces.
Spanish Colonial character
Arches give the new layout a familiar language
Changing the plan created opportunities to repeat an architectural detail already present in the home. New arched openings connect the kitchen to the dining room and relocated garage entry, joining the existing arch at the pet area.
Navy walls and a decorative limewash finish add depth around the openings. The result gives the new routes through the house a visual connection to its Spanish Colonial style.
Relocating the garage access also made room for the refrigerator and coffee bar, turning circulation changes into useful kitchen space.
Organization beyond the kitchen
A pet station and a place to land
Near the laundry room, a dedicated pet kitchen gives food, bowls, treats, and other supplies their own space. Floating cabinets keep the floor open, and tile wainscoting repeats the kitchen backsplash while protecting the walls. A window replaces the former exterior door.
At the relocated garage entry, custom cabinets form a family landing zone. Shoes, bags, keys, mail, and electronic devices have designated storage close to the point where they enter the home.
Opening the interior
A wider connection to the patio
Removing the peninsula wall opens the kitchen toward the living room and patio. The new 12-foot sliding glass door brings the outdoor space into view, while the island remains a gathering point within the room.
Natural light, recessed lighting, and task lighting work together across the kitchen. The more open ceiling helps the new plan read as one connected space.
The work above the ceiling
Engineering made the open plan possible
Demolition revealed a change in ceiling framing direction at the wall between the kitchen and living area. Opening that wall required a laminated beam above the ceiling, with engineering approval and an update to the permit. Temporary supports carried the structure during the work.
The flat roof also made the ductwork route important. Rerouting HVAC through the pantry, mechanical room, and laundry area allowed most kitchen soffits to come out while supplying the surrounding rooms. The ceiling and circulation improvements depended on planning these concealed systems together.
The space plan
A new route through the same home
The plans show how the island, cooking wall, and relocated doorways work together. Opening the living area was only part of the change. Adjusting the garage entry and adding storage made the surrounding spaces support the kitchen as well.
Mediterranean Charm
A kitchen for the next chapter at home
The finished interior gives the homeowners room to cook together, entertain, and enjoy the home they had imagined for years. Copper, navy, and cream connect with the original Saltillo tile, while the arches give the new arrangement continuity with the house.
The project received a 2024 NARI Contractor of the Year award in the Residential Interior $100,000–$250,000 category.
Planning a Mediterranean kitchen remodel in Phoenix?
Begin with how you cook and move through your home. Range placement, ventilation, island clearances, and storage needs should shape the plan alongside your preferred materials. In a Spanish Colonial-style house, repeated arches, warm metals, and existing flooring can help connect the new kitchen to the rooms around it.
Explore our kitchen remodeling services and design-build remodeling approach, or visit The Path to Remodeling Clarity™ to begin organizing your ideas.
Award-Winning Home Remodeling Services
Tell us what you want your kitchen to do better and which parts of your home you want it to reflect. We’ll start with a conversation about your ideas and the possibilities for your space.