When Peter and Elizabeth Wood were house hunting on Signal Mountain prior to their move from Memphis, Mrs. Wood knew she wanted an older home in the Old Town neighborhood.

"I like the character and unusualness of homes that have been around awhile," she said.

They found a 70-year-old home that had the personality they wanted and space for the family of four to spread out. It was roomy everywhere except in the kitchen. The couple might have been able to live with that small, dated kitchen except for two drawbacks.

"It had a wall oven that I couldn't reach," Mrs. Wood said, laughing. "I'm 5-foot, 2-inches, and it was so high I couldn't turn it on. Also, it was not an eat-in kitchen, the table was in a separate room."

Knowing a kitchen update was inevitable, Mrs. Wood began researching kitchen designs through magazines and visits to kitchen/bath stores before leaving Memphis.

"It's the first kitchen I've ever had renovated. I knew I only wanted to do this once in my life and I knew I better get it right and make it timeless," Mrs. Wood said.

After moving, she enlisted the help of Juliet Bauer from Classic Cabinetry, at 2525 Broad St., and within three months the Woods had a family-friendly kitchen with double the square-footage, better workflow and increased entertainment space.

Here's a snapshot of their remodeling process.

Increased space: To acquire the eat-in dining space Mrs. Wood desired, a wall was knocked out between the kitchen and former formal dining room. The enlarged kitchen now adjoins a living area, making one large entertainment area.

Flooring: When the Woods ripped out the kitchen's ceramic tile floor, they found heart pine beneath, the same flooring found in the majority of the downstairs rooms.

"Right as you walk into the house, there were a couple of feet of brick pavers, which we think must have been part of the porch at one point," Mrs. Wood said. The Woods were able to thread heart pine they found in Fort Payne, Ala., onto that spot, then they refinished the entire downstairs' wood floors.

Cabinetry: The former cabinets, which were fronted with beadboard a previous owner had applied, were replaced with maple, Dura Supreme cabinets.

"The perimeter cabinetry is antique white finish with inset doors," Ms. Bauer said. "The baked-on finish has a lifetime warranty, which is a good choice for cleaning in a family with boys."

The white cabinets are contrasted by an apple green wall color.

Mrs. Wood chose a mixture of glass-front and solid doors for the cabinets.

"At one point, this house was apartments. There is a lot of 'patchwork' to this house, so I chose the mixture because I didn't want everything to look too matched," she said.

Counters: The former granite tile counters were replaced with soapstone.

Lighting: The addition of pendant lighting suspended over the island, a black iron chandelier over the farmhouse table, recessed lights under cabinets and canned lighting brightened the space.

Appliances: Professional-grade, stainless steel appliances were installed. Classic Cabinetry custom-built a hood for the new range.

"The sink remained in the same location, but all other appliances were rearranged to get a better workflow," Ms. Bauer said.

Increased workspace: The new 15- by 16-foot kitchen is centered with an island that Ms. Bauer said was designed to look like a piece of furniture with turned post legs and an open bookcase on one end. The island's countertop is honed, white Carrera marble.

"It's very open. I can cook or do prep work while the kids are eating or doing their homework. The kitchen is now the center of our home," Mrs. Wood said.

REMODELING TIPS

Elizabeth Wood and Juliet Bauer share tips from this remodeling experience.

* Research. "Look through as many magazines and remodeling publications as possible. That really helped me and the designer keep our focus," Mrs. Wood said.

* Go classic, not trendy. "Decor changes quickly," Ms. Bauer said.

* List priorities. "List in order what the priorities are to fit your budget," Mrs. Wood said, "keeping in mind that the things at the bottom of the list probably will be marked off."

* Hire professionals. "You can research all you want, but bringing all the products together is an art," Ms. Bauer said.

Kitchen Challenge

The Woods identified these problems in their kitchen:

* Not enough space

* No "eat-in" dining area

* Dated decor

* Wall oven too high

* Not enough storage

Staff Photo by Matt Fields-Johnson
Elizabeth and Peter Wood tore out a wall to extend the kitchen space to include a dining area with the help of Juliet Bauer from Classic Cabinetry. The former beadboard cabinets were replaced with maple, Dura Supreme cabinetry with inset doors. The heart-pine floor discovered beneath the old ceramic tile was refinished.