Tempe · Whole-Home Interior
Back to a familiar place.
Ready for what comes next.
An open kitchen, a raised living-room floor, and a primary suite planned for aging in place give this Tempe home a more comfortable next chapter.
Residential Interior · $250,000–$500,000
Whole-home interior remodel
and aging-in-place planning
Arizona room, and curbless shower
The homeowners wanted to return to the community where they had raised their children. This time, their home needed to support the years ahead.
This Tempe whole-home remodel brought that goal into the floor plan, finishes, and systems. The homeowners wanted room to cook and entertain, comfortable gathering spaces, and changes that would make daily movement easier as they aged.
The renovation addressed those needs together. Walls and soffits were removed around the kitchen. A sunken living room was raised to create a level transition. The primary bathroom gained a spacious curbless shower, and the Arizona room became a more flexible retreat. Behind the finished surfaces, a slab leak required plumbing to be rerouted through the walls and roof framing.
The kitchen · Before and after
Open to company, organized for cooking
The original kitchen’s walls and overhead features limited its connection with the surrounding rooms. Removing walls and soffits brought the vaulted ceiling into view and opened the kitchen toward the gathering areas.
The new work triangle keeps preparation and cooking on the working side of the island. Seating on the far side gives guests a place to gather without occupying that route. A microwave outside the main work zone provides access without drawing people through the cooking area.
Storage planned from the inside out
A place for the things used every day
The cabinetry plan extends beyond the visible doors and drawer fronts. Interior organizers bring utensils, cookware, and pantry items within easier reach, supporting the homeowners’ wish for a kitchen that remains practical over time.
A Sub-Zero refrigerator fits beneath the existing soffit, framed by full-height columns. The dark navy island anchors the pale perimeter cabinets, while custom end panels give its outer faces a finished appearance. Large pendant lights at varied heights add a different rhythm above the seating.
A beverage station between rooms
The wet bar becomes part of the open plan
Restructuring the end of the fireplace created a place for the new wet bar. Navy cabinetry relates to the island, while floating shelves use a coordinating stain finish. The backsplash repeats the kitchen tile, connecting the two areas through material and texture.
Under-cabinet, recessed, and decorative lighting serve different tasks throughout the plan. At the bar, light reveals the backsplash and shelves; across the kitchen, it supports preparation as well as the broader gathering space.
Living spaces that connect
A level floor and a simpler path through the home
Raising the sunken living room removed a change in floor level between gathering areas. The work supported the homeowners’ longer-term plans and helped the open interior read as a more continuous space.
Luxury vinyl plank flooring was selected for the wear of pets and water brought in from poolside access. Its medium tone adds warmth while helping disguise everyday dust and dog hair. New windows and doors, including openings with shades between the glass, improve privacy and ease of maintenance.
The fireplace · Before and after
A gathering room gets a different focal point
The original CMU block hearth and mantel were removed. The recessed opening was framed and finished with smooth drywall, and a new electric fireplace was installed with a custom box-beam mantel.
Tile around the fireplace echoes finishes used in the primary bathroom. The built-out fireplace face uses the ceiling color, giving it a quieter presence within the open room. An electric unit provides the option of enjoying the fireplace’s ambiance throughout the year.
A room for reading
The former living room becomes a library
Another gathering room found a new purpose as a library. Here, the original hearth and mantel were also removed, and the arched recessed opening was infilled with smooth drywall.
A custom box-beam mantel with corbels sits above the electric fireplace. The tile border connects with the home’s shared palette, while bookcases and comfortable seating establish this room’s more intimate use.
The Arizona room · Before and after
A retreat that can open or close
The underused Arizona room became a place for reading or casual dining. A sliding glass door replaced the former window-seat arrangement, bringing access and light to that side of the room. Blinds between the glass provide privacy.
A custom barn door allows the room to be closed off. Its stain relates to the fireplace mantel, while patterned tile gives the floor its own identity within the wider color scheme. The result is a room that can participate in the home’s daily activity or provide a quieter place apart.
The primary suite · Before and after
Privacy and storage begin with the doorway
The bathroom’s large arched entry was enclosed and replaced by a standard-height, 36-inch-wide barn door. The stained door coordinates with the vanity cabinetry and the Arizona room doors, carrying a familiar material through different parts of the house.
Removing the soffit and plant shelf also allowed ductwork to bring needed air supply into the closet. Extending drywall along the vaulted framing raised the closet ceiling and created additional storage space. These changes addressed privacy, comfort, and storage within the same suite.
Planning for aging in place
A generous curbless shower replaces the tub
The homeowners chose to replace the former tub and shower with a larger shower designed for two. The curbless entry and widened water closet respond to their wish for easier access, including the possibility of assisted transfers in the future.
The Moroccan-inspired shower has an arched glass opening, a bench spanning its width, hand showers at both ends, and a recessed storage niche. Accent tile connects with the fireplace finishes and is framed with marble ogee trim. The design gives practical features a place within the room’s architectural character.
A challenge beneath the finishes
The slab leak changed the plumbing plan
During demolition around the wet bar, the team discovered a slab leak. Plumbing in the shared closet wall needed a revised route. New lines were run through walls and the scissor-truss roof space, with drops positioned near the fireplace.
The team also evaluated HVAC routing so an intrusive soffit could be removed and air supplied to the Arizona room from the kitchen side. Framing, duct locations, and drywall were coordinated as the wet bar and fireplace area took shape.
The finished home
A familiar community, a home planned for the future
The renewed interior offers an open kitchen for cooking and company, gathering rooms with distinct purposes, and an Arizona room that can open to the household or close for quiet. A raised living-room floor and a primary suite planned for easier access support the homeowners’ longer-term goals.
Custom storage, repeated wood finishes, coordinated tile, and layered lighting connect those changes. The renovation gives the homeowners a way to return to a place they value with a home shaped around their next chapter.
Planning a whole-home remodel in Tempe?
Consider how the home supports movement, cooking, privacy, and storage today—and how those needs may change. Our whole-home remodeling services explain the coordinated planning behind changes that affect several rooms and systems.
For a starting point, explore The Path to Remodeling Clarity™. You can also see a different approach to connected rooms in our Paradise Valley whole-home interior remodel.
Award-Winning Home Remodeling Services
Tell us how you want your home to work now and in the years ahead. We’ll begin with a conversation about your routines, your priorities, and the changes worth planning together.