The kitchen in this East Harriet bungalow had not kept pace with the rest of the house. It was small, closed off, and awkward to move through, with a cramped back entry that collected shoes, coats, and clutter the moment you walked in.
You see this often in South Minneapolis. These 100-plus-year-old bungalows are wonderful houses with real character, but their original kitchens were never built for how families cook and gather today. Our homeowner wanted to open the space up, bring in more light, and gain usable storage without losing the historic feel of the home, so he called us for a kitchen remodel in Minneapolis, MN. We handled the design in-house and wrapped up the work in fall 2026, and you can see more of our Home Remodeling Projects across the Twin Cities.
Key Takeaways
- THE CHALLENGEA tight, century-old bungalow kitchen with a cramped back entry, a small window, and almost no room for modern appliances or storage.
- THE BUILDWe gutted the kitchen to the studs, removed a full wall, doubled the window size, and designed a peninsula plus built-in storage under the stairs.
- THE RESULTA brighter, more functional kitchen with a small mudroom, added counter seating, and a freezer tucked into previously dead space.
Opening the kitchen was the clear priority, but it had to happen without making the house feel like a different house. We designed around the home's original character — a replica back door, historic-style light switches, trim that ties the new built-ins into the existing casing — while rebuilding everything behind the walls. Our Kitchen Remodeling Services start with a layout conversation, because in a space this tight, the plan matters more than the finishes.
Project Summary
| Client Profile: | Homeowner of a 100-plus-year-old bungalow |
| Project Location: | East Harriet neighborhood, Minneapolis, MN |
| Primary Objective: | Open up a tight, outdated kitchen and back entry with a full Interior Remodeling Services gut and redesign. |
| Scope of Work: | Down-to-the-studs rebuild with new plumbing, HVAC, electrical, hardwood floors, cabinets, countertops, tile, and Window Replacement. |
| Key Outcome: | A brighter kitchen with a peninsula, seating for two, a mudroom bench, and a freezer built in beneath the stairs |
Evaluating a Century-Old Bungalow Kitchen
Walking in the back door told us most of what we needed to know. A tiny, cramped landing sat just inside the entry with a curtain and some open shelves doing the work of a closet, and the basement stairs dropped down right from that spot. A full wall separated that entry from the kitchen itself.
The kitchen beyond it was simply too tight for how the homeowner wanted to live. The window over the back wall was undersized, the original back door was more than a century old and worn out, and a small walk-in closet near the dining room door ate up square footage without giving much back. Storage, counter space, and daylight were all in short supply.
Opening the Walls and Adding Storage
We gutted the kitchen down to the studs and went back with all new plumbing, HVAC, and electrical before any finishes went in. The full wall between the entry and the kitchen came down and was replaced with a half wall capped in stone, which keeps the stair opening safe while letting the two spaces read as one. We also enlarged the window on that back wall to roughly double its original size, and the daylight it pulls in changed the whole feel of the room.
Two design solutions carried the rest of the plan. A peninsula jutting into the room created the counter space the kitchen never had, made room for two stools, and added cabinet storage underneath, all while keeping enough clearance to move comfortably. For the back entry, we built a compact mudroom with a bench, space for shoes below, and hooks for coats, then had an exact historical replica of the original back door made in Douglas fir, stained to match, with divided lights. You work directly with Dave and Ryan on details like these, and you can read more about our Home Remodeling Experts or browse our full range of Kitchen and Bathroom Remodeling work.
A Brighter, Harder-Working Kitchen
The refrigerator was the trickiest piece of the puzzle. The homeowner wanted maximum cold storage in a narrow run, so we set a panel-front refrigerator column with no freezer section, then solved the freezer question by claiming the wall beneath the stairs to the second floor. Two freezer drawers now sit built into that wall with a false panel above and built-in storage cabinets continuing toward the dining room, with casing that matches the trim so the whole run reads as one piece of millwork.
The finished kitchen feels considerably larger than its footprint, and the details tie it back to the rest of the house — panel-ready appliances, new tile, hardwood floors, and modern push-button light switches made to look like the historic ones elsewhere in the home. Work like this runs about five to six months from demolition through final inspections, and the result is a space that will serve this bungalow for decades. Space under a staircase is usually a dead spot, and here it became real, everyday storage.
Planning a Minneapolis Kitchen Remodel?
We have spent more than 30 years remodeling older homes across Minneapolis and the Twin Cities, and we know how these bungalows are built. Our team is licensed and EPA Lead-Safe Certified, and you work directly with owners Dave and Ryan from the first design conversation through the final walkthrough.
Thinking about opening up a tight kitchen in Minneapolis? Reach out for a free estimate and a complimentary design rendering — no pressure, just an honest conversation about what is possible in your space.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a kitchen remodel take in Minneapolis?
A full gut remodel like this East Harriet kitchen typically runs five to six months. That window covers demolition to the studs, new plumbing, HVAC and electrical, framing changes, and all of the required city inspections along the way. We give you a clear schedule up front and keep you updated as the work progresses.
Can you add storage to a small bungalow kitchen?
Yes, and it usually comes from space you are already not using. In this project we built freezer drawers and storage cabinets into the wall under the stairs to the second floor, and we added cabinets inside the new peninsula. Older South Minneapolis homes almost always have a pocket of dead space worth claiming.
Will a remodel keep my historic home's character?
That is a priority for us on every older Minneapolis home. On this kitchen we had an exact historical replica of the original back door built in Douglas fir with divided lights and stained to match, and we used modern push-button light switches styled to match the originals in the rest of the house. New millwork was cased to blend with the existing trim so the additions look like they have always been there.