MOORHEAD — Location is everything, not just in business and real estate but also in home layout.
Billie Joe and Mark Zielinski loved the South Moorhead home they bought in 2012. Although they didn't love their small kitchen, they felt there was room for improvement.
After five years of equipping the space, they took the plunge and undertook a kitchen redesign that transformed the space from functional to glamorous.
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Built in 1972, the ranch-style home had a wall that covered most of the center of the house, with the kitchen and dining space on one side and a large living room on the other.
They asked their old friend, David Serrano, a North Dakota State University architecture graduate who now lives and works in Minneapolis, for advice on how to create the new space. His suggestion was to remove part of the center wall and reposition the kitchen to run the full width of the house, creating a smooth flow from the dining room through the kitchen and into the living room.
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Removing a wall dramatically opened up the home and allowed more natural light in through the front and back of the home, where sliding doors open onto a beautiful deck and backyard. This project also provided additional work and storage space in a stylish way.
“We love it,” says Billie Joe. “It's the best renovation we've ever done.”
Knowing the couple liked to be social, Serrano came up with the idea of connecting the front and back of the home, breaking away from the original “compartmentalized” design.
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“It seamlessly blends functionality with an inviting space for entertaining,” says Billie Jo, “and allows Mark to be part of the conversation rather than being confined to the kitchen.”
In addition to hiring Serrano for the design, the couple enlisted a friend, carpenter James LaChance of Northfield, Minnesota, to build the cabinetry, and he was not only pleased to work with a friend but also to be involved in such a thoughtful project.
“It's a really incredible design,” Lachance said of Serrano's concept.
Initially, they wanted all-white cabinetry, but LaChance convinced them to use riffed white oak, whose linear pattern stands out against the crisp, clean quartz and Corian countertops.
“It's a nice, clean look that works well with contemporary styles,” Lachance said.
The biggest accomplishment was creating a 15-foot island that runs almost the entire length of the kitchen, housing a utility sink, stove, and seating for a family of four.
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“I love that the island is as big as an airplane – big enough for a plane to land on it,” Lachance says. “It's one of the longest countertops I've ever made.”
In addition to behind-the-door storage, the island also offers space for cookbooks and china.
Rows of open shelves along the walls house a growing collection of ceramics and glass by artists with local ties, including LaChance, John Offutt, Thomas Maras and Richard Bresnahan.
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The Zielinskis acknowledge there were some things they might have thought about back then: Mark regrets spending more on an induction stove or installing a vent above the stove.
Still, they have no regrets and are happy to invite people over. They hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for more than 20 people and plan to host two dinner parties for 10 guests each later this summer. The dinners were sold at auction by Make-A-Wish North Dakota, where Billie Jo is president and CEO. The dinners are organized by wish moms whose children have been granted wishes by the organization.
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“It's great for entertaining, whether it's a small breakfast gathering or a large party, I'm happy to be a part of it,” Lachance says. “It's great to see friends taking full advantage of the table.”
“It's absolutely amazing,” Billie Jo said of the finished product. “It's become the focal point of the home.”
