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The new kitchen is also a galley layout, but has more room to spread out lengthwise.

The open-plan kitchen-and-dining space features a Douglas fir ceiling and ceiling beams and polished concrete floors.

Glass walls and sliding doors connect the first level to the lush yard and garden.

Steel open shelves allow the couple to create meaningful vignettes. "It has allowed us to curate these precious pieces, whether from a local ceramicist or other handmade items," notes Lauren. A cowboy painting by Mark Maggiori brings a touch of nostalgia to the space and nods to her childhood in rural Montana.

The ceiling’s glued laminated timber, or glulam, beams got treated with Osmo oil to temper the yellowish tone. (The couple’s cat, Zinzan, is named after the captain of the All Blacks, New Zealand’s national rugby team.)

The kitchen now benefits from the great room’s large windows and views.

The Fenix cabinets are constructed out of black Traceless laminate with a plywood substrate and feature cut-out pulls. Caesarstone counters run up the wall to form a backsplash.

Now, the family can hang out at the breakfast bar, on Domino Bar Stools from Industry West or at the nearby dining room table, while the cook works. The gold pendant lights are Nuura’s Anoli 1 pendant, sourced from the Finnish Design Shop.

The view from the kitchen towards the main entrance. Large windows throughout the cabin blur the line between indoors and out.

The kitchen on the first floor features a Garapera hardwood countertop with a Mekal Workstation integrated sink and a Docol faucet.

The tile backsplash matches the wall color, though it differs in texture, and the countertop is made from local granite. The light-colored wood screen set at the back of the darkly stained cabinetry mirrors the dark outside and light inside of the exterior facade.

"If you like the look of higher ceilings, choose a home that already has your preferred ceiling height,” says Eskandari. “Raising the height of ceilings is possible, but extremely labor intensive and costly. Taking down walls to create an open concept space is one of the most common requests from homeowners. Make sure you know which walls are load-bearing, as those are a lot more expensive to take down.”

Tiffany swapped out the dated vinyl for matte white tile from Home Depot on the floor. The backsplash is matte white subway tile from Tilezz, and the plywood cabinets are topped with white quartz counters. The Ready Stacking Barstool from Blu Dot are tucked under the island counter.

The full-height glass doors open the home to its surroundings and provide a strong indoor-outdoor connection.

In the kitchen, the couple found barely used appliances instead of new ones to save money. The cabinetry and butcher block counters are from Ikea.