IN WITH THE Old

A 1920s kitchen’s outdated design is updated by blending antique statement pieces with functional modern styling.

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Homeowners Celesta and Sean Carter are avid antiques collectors. Even their home is an antique: It was built in the 1920s.

The Spanish Mediterranean estate is in St. Petersburg, Florida's Old Pasadena neighborhood.

The Carters wanted to improve the function of their kitchen, update a previously poorly done remodel and improve the room's lighting. They had owned a vintage market, so it was important to them that the new kitchen design didn't feel as if it were brand-new but built over time.

They hired Brooke Eversoll, CEO and principal designer of Bee Studios, Inc. (beestudios.design), to take their redesign requests and creatively build on them.

Brooke recalls her first impressions of the kitchen: "It was dated, with dark cabinetry and a poor layout that felt very chopped up," she says. "There weren't many openings with natural light, so the physical space was dark. The island was at a weird angle that created an odd space in the corner of the kitchen. The appliances didn't have proper landing space or placement. However, most importantly, there was a post in the center of the kitchen that had to be moved. Two of the biggest components of the design were to create flow between spaces and identify the purpose of each space." FLOW CHART The first things Brooke focused on for the redesign were improving the overall layout and flow between spaces.