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Maredi Design redesigned a Milwaukee kitchen whose piecemeal layout, limited storage and unreliable stove made cooking and circulation difficult. The renovation used a U-shaped plan with a peninsula, customized storage and a discreet mudroom cabinet without substantially expanding the room’s footprint.
Designer Dijana Savic-Jambert and her team at Maredi Design reworked a poorly functioning Milwaukee kitchen into a cooking and gathering space with a U-shaped layout, a peninsula and built-in storage, according to an Apartment Therapy report. The redesign took inspiration from Julia Child’s pegboard pot-and-pan storage and addressed circulation, work surfaces and the home’s lack of a separate mudroom without substantially increasing the kitchen’s footprint.
Before the renovation, the kitchen had been enlarged by incorporating a screened-in porch, but the additions left it looking and functioning as a patchwork. Savic-Jambert told Apartment Therapy that cabinets partly blocked the exterior sliding door, a makeshift island occupied the center, and the gas stove had burners that did not always work. There was no upper-cabinet storage, and the lighting left the room feeling dark, she said.
The layout also made it difficult to move around or cook with another person. The design team’s response was a U-shaped kitchen with a peninsula, intended to create more continuous counter space, storage and an area for gathering. Removing the need for upper cabinets along every wall left some wall space open, a change Savic-Jambert said helped the room feel larger. The peninsula also contains an integrated coffee station behind two doors.
The renovation included customized shelving around a basement door and the original radiator, painted green to echo colors in a nearby stained-glass window and tiled fireplace surround. Near the exterior entrance, the team added a pantry and mudroom cabinet to handle coats and other entryway needs. The project changed two openings: the sliding exterior door was replaced with an exterior door, and an interior passage next to it was closed. The designer said no other walls or openings were modified.
More Work Space Without an Addition
The project shows how a kitchen’s usability can be shaped by its layout and storage, not just its size. In this home, the former arrangement left little counter space and awkward circulation, while the central makeshift island and blocked door compounded the problem. The redesign concentrated work surfaces and storage around a U-shaped plan rather than relying on a larger footprint.
It also treated the kitchen as more than a cooking room. Because the family used it as the home’s main entrance, a discreet cabinet addressed a daily organizational need that a conventional kitchen-only plan might miss. The coffee niche and open display shelves add places for particular activities, while the peninsula provides a shared surface. These features are design choices for this home, not proof that the same plan will work in every kitchen; room dimensions, doors and household routines affect what can be changed.
The reported material choices offer a practical point for homeowners weighing a renovation. The team selected knotty pine flooring after the original oak had been refinished so often that nails were beginning to show. Savic-Jambert described pine as a more reasonably priced option than white oak, while also saying it suited the older home’s character. The source does not provide project costs, so the savings cannot be quantified.
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From Porch Addition to Unified Plan
The kitchen’s layout problems stemmed in part from an earlier expansion: a screened-in porch had been absorbed into the original kitchen. That added space, but the resulting construction appeared piecemeal and made it harder to create a coherent path through the room. The clients also lacked a separate mudroom despite using the kitchen entrance as their primary way in and out of the house.
Savic-Jambert, Maredi Design’s co-founder and studio principal, said the clients were French enthusiasts and enthusiastic cooks, informing the renovation’s vintage-meets-modern direction. Child’s well-known kitchen organization using a pegboard for pots and pans became a reference point. The reported project details do not say that the renovated kitchen copied Child’s kitchen exactly; the inspiration is described as part of the design concept.
The team focused on reworking the existing space rather than adding substantial square footage. Along with the two opening changes, the work included new cabinetry, counters, shelving, a different exterior door and new flooring. Apartment Therapy’s report identifies Maredi Design and quotes Savic-Jambert, but does not provide a construction timeline or a full itemized account of the renovation.
Costs, Schedule and Performance Details
Apartment Therapy’s report does not state the renovation’s total cost, construction dates or exact dimensions. It describes knotty pine as a more reasonably priced flooring choice than white oak, but gives no prices or project-wide budget comparison. The report also does not identify the contractor or provide independent measurements showing how much storage or counter space the redesign added.
The designer said the former stove’s burners did not always work, but the published account does not specify the replacement appliance or provide details about its installation. It is also not clear from the source how the renovated kitchen performs over time, or whether the clients have reported changes in cooking routines after the project.
No Further Project Milestone Reported
The source report presents the renovation as completed and does not announce a further construction phase, follow-up review or upcoming milestone. Readers seeking a detailed estimate or technical plan would need information beyond the account published by Apartment Therapy.
For homeowners considering a similar reconfiguration, the next step would be to assess the room’s measurements, existing openings, appliance needs and entry route before choosing a layout. The reported design offers one example of reorganizing a kitchen without substantially changing its footprint; it does not establish that the same U-shaped plan or built-ins are suitable for other homes.
Key Questions
What was wrong with the kitchen before the renovation?
According to designer Dijana Savic-Jambert, the kitchen had a patchwork layout, a makeshift central island, cabinets partly blocking the patio door, limited storage and little usable counter space. She also said some gas-stove burners did not always work.
What was the main layout change?
Maredi Design created a U-shaped kitchen with a peninsula. The designer said the plan brought storage, work surfaces and gathering space together while allowing some walls to remain free of upper cabinets.
How did Julia Child inspire the renovation?
Savic-Jambert cited Child’s pegboard system for organizing pots and pans as an inspiration. The report describes a broader vintage-meets-modern concept; it does not say that the kitchen is an exact replica of Child’s kitchen.
Did the renovation add more square footage?
The designer said the team did not substantially expand the kitchen’s footprint. The project changed two openings: it replaced a sliding exterior door with an exterior door and closed an interior passageway next to it. She said no other walls or openings were modified.
How did the design provide mudroom storage?
The kitchen was the household’s primary entrance, but the home had no separate mudroom or reception area. The team added a pantry and mudroom cabinet in a niche near the exterior door, keeping entry storage within the existing space.
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