New and Neutral

By Lisa Arnett
July 2025 View more Home

A kitchen remodel turned into a full first-floor renovation

When Diana Wagenbach of Studio W Interiors in Hinsdale was first contacted by a Naperville couple, they had only a kitchen renovation in mind. But when Wagenbach started looking at the space holistically, it became clear that the whole first floor needed a reboot. “There are huge windows throughout the space, but then kind of a weird original floor plan,” she says. “There was a massive great room, but the rest of the space felt cut off from it. They had a breakfast nook that they loved and a dining room that they never used.”

Wagenbach masterminded a new floor plan that opened up the kitchen to the great room and partnered with general contractor Claudiu Opris of Solid Rock Builders for the construction.

After meeting the homeowner’s large dog—“If you’ve seen The Sandlot, it’s like the Beast,” she says—she knew converting the unused dining room into a mudroom was the right move. “The new layout is much more functional.”

Fresh flooring, paint, furniture, and accessories in neutral tones brought new life to the space. “It has a warm, kind-of cottage vibe,” she says. “Woodsy and a bit masculine, but done in a really refined and beautiful way.”

1. (Above) In the new kitchen, designer Diana Wagenbach went with polished nickel hardware and fixtures. “I think polished nickel is very warm and pretty but still very classic,” she says. “I wanted to give them a kitchen that they will like now and in 10 years and in 20 years.” An island with dark soapstone and deep-brown cabinetry offsets the bright-white cabinetry around the perimeter. “Since we did so much white, I thought we needed to add more drama to the space, so the dark light fixtures with the brass detail [above the island] help warm it up and makes it a little more interesting.”

2. The original floor plan featured a butler’s pantry that connected the dining room to the kitchen. Wagenbach adjusted the layout to one entry from the kitchen through an eye-catching arched doorway. A pocket door conceals a smoothie-making station, and there’s ample storage for snacks and other pantry basics.

3. The homeowners wanted a heated floor in their sunroom-like dining nook, so Wagenbach chose this black-and-white square tile to jive with the soapstone used on the kitchen countertops and fireplace surround. The homeowners selected the table and chairs from Arhaus, and Wagenbach chose this modern chandelier as a finishing touch.

4. With the kitchen wall now eliminated, the homeowners’ guests can move right from the kitchen into the great room. “We created one big entertaining space here, so we did two sofas, chairs that swivel, and a large table so you can easily move from the kitchen into this space to hang out,” Wagenbach says. For the fireplace wall, she designed recessed reveals in the drywall extending up toward the ceiling. “It’s really a delicate architectural detail and it’s still a focal point in a really elegant way,” she says.

This room also features artwork from Christine Gebauer’s Celestial Art Curation in Hinsdale showcased on a custom iron easel by metal craftsman Steven Dale of Iron & Easel. One thing you won’t find in here is a TV; it’s a space meant just for relaxation and conversation.

5. A new soapstone fireplace surround complements the style of the adjacent windows. It was fabricated by Precision Stone Design in Elk Grove Village.

6. “There were these two little wings off the living space that are more narrow, and we thought: What do we do with this?” Wagenbach says. “I liked the idea of creating a bar on one side and them mirroring it on the opposite side with a more casual furniture piece.”

On the left side, Wagenbach chose a freestanding cabinet by Noir in a wood tone. Here, it’s styled with items from her accessory boutique, Curated by Studio W. The homeowners now use it to store glassware as well as wine and spirits.

7. On the opposite side, she created a bar cabinet with pocket doors on top that open up to a soapstone shelving and backsplash that match the fireplace surround and kitchen countertop. “The doors can stay open all the time, or you can also close it off,” she says.

8. The railings in the foyer were originally a dark stained wood; Wagenbach had both the walls and spindles repainted her favorite shade of white, Simply White by Benjamin Moore. Here in the foyer and throughout the first floor, she sourced houseplants from Vagabond Botanical in La Grange.

9. The first-floor powder room got a total overhaul. “Before, this had a little pedestal sink on the right, and there was a closet on the left with this big open space that was super awkward,” Wagenbach says. “It was just wasted space in my opinion, so I thought we needed to have a wall-to-wall vanity here.” She designed this custom stone vanity with marble from MSI, fabricated by Precision Stone, both in Elk Grove Village. Fixtures are Newport Brass by Ferguson, and the lighting is by Visual Comfort.

10. This spacious mudroom is a prime example of custom-designed cabinets. “On this project specifically, we had a two-hour meeting to talk about all the cabinets and what the interior function of each of them is,” she says. “We gave them a nice bench with some hooks and a lot of closed storage with shelves and pullouts. It’s a drop zone for all of their coats, for shoes, and for all the dog accessories, as well as a space for the dog to come in and be cleaned versus going onto the hard wood [floor] right away.”

11. Proof that you don’t have to replace everything to achieve a fresh look, Wagenbach kept the existing built-in cabinetry in this home office, opting to repaint it black. “I wanted it to be a cool, modern vibe and to look professional on a Zoom call,” she says. To give the homeowner the option to sit or stand while at work, she sourced this sleek convertible desk. “I spent quite a bit of time researching this, and my literal search terms were ‘non-ugly standing desk,’ ” she says, laughing.

Photos: Y&B Interiors