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Designer Dijana Savic-Jambert and her Maredi Design team reworked a poorly functioning Milwaukee kitchen without substantially changing its footprint. A U-shaped layout with a peninsula, custom storage and a pantry cabinet that doubles as a mudroom addressed circulation, cooking space and the home’s main entrance.
A Milwaukee kitchen renovation replaced a cramped, piecemeal layout with a U-shaped kitchen and peninsula, custom storage and a concealed mudroom cabinet, according to Apartment Therapy. Designer Dijana Savic-Jambert of Maredi Design said the project drew on Julia Child’s well-known cookware pegboard system while addressing circulation and storage problems without significantly expanding the room.
Before the renovation, the kitchen combined its original space with an annexed screened-in porch. The resulting patchwork layout had cabinets obstructing part of the exterior sliding door, a freestanding makeshift island and no upper cabinets, Savic-Jambert told Apartment Therapy. The gas stove had burners that did not always work, and the lighting made the room feel dark, she said.
The arrangement also left little counter space for work areas and made it difficult for more than one person to cook. The design team chose a U-shaped plan with a peninsula to provide work surfaces, storage and a central gathering point. The peninsula includes an integrated coffee station concealed behind two doors, designed for a client who enjoys making coffee.
The renovation added custom shelving along the back wall, framing a basement door and an existing radiator. The team painted the shelving green, drawing inspiration from a nearby stained-glass window and tiled fireplace surround. A pantry cabinet near the exterior entrance incorporates mudroom-style storage, addressing the fact that the kitchen serves as the household’s main entry and exit.
How the New Layout Changes Daily Use
The reported changes target the way the household uses the room, rather than simply updating its appearance. More continuous counter space and a peninsula give cooking and serving activities defined surfaces, while the U-shaped arrangement is intended to make movement through the kitchen easier. Those changes could help when multiple people are using the room, though the report does not include post-renovation measurements or residents’ accounts of how it performs.
The design also treats the kitchen as an everyday passage into the home. Adding a pantry cabinet with mudroom functions makes room for entry-related storage without creating a separate mudroom or taking over an adjacent room. The project is a case study in how a kitchen renovation can respond to several overlapping uses—cooking, coffee preparation, gathering and coming home—within an existing footprint.
That distinction matters for readers planning renovations in older homes: the account describes a reorganization, not a major addition. It does not establish that the same plan would suit every kitchen, since circulation depends on the dimensions, doors and household routines of each space.
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The Porch Addition Behind the Problem
The kitchen had previously absorbed a screened-in porch, adding area but leaving a visibly fragmented connection between the spaces, according to Savic-Jambert. Cabinets partly blocked the patio door, while the makeshift island and lack of upper storage left the room short on both usable work surface and organized storage. The designer characterized the layout as difficult to move through and challenging for shared cooking.
Despite gutting and rearranging the kitchen, the project changed only two openings, Savic-Jambert said: the sliding exterior door was replaced with an exterior door, and an interior passage beside it leading to the dining room was closed. The team did not modify other walls or openings, according to the report. The floor was also replaced after repeated refinishing had worn the original oak to the point that nails were beginning to show. The designers selected knotty pine, which Savic-Jambert described as a less expensive choice than white oak.
Julia Child’s influence was specific to the storage concept. Savic-Jambert cited Child’s system for organizing cookware on pegboards as an inspiration; the report does not say that the renovated kitchen reproduces Child’s own kitchen or uses an identical pegboard system throughout.
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Costs and Results Not Reported
Apartment Therapy’s report does not state the renovation’s total cost, duration or completion date, nor does it provide before-and-after measurements of counter space or storage. It also does not quantify how much the knotty pine flooring saved compared with other materials. Savic-Jambert called it a more reasonably priced option than white oak, but no prices were supplied.
The account presents the designer’s description of the former problems and the design intent; it does not include independent assessments, contractor records or detailed feedback from the homeowners after living with the renovation. The source also does not specify whether the new exterior door or other work required permits, or provide details about the final appliance package. Those details remain unknown from the report.
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No Further Project Update Listed
Apartment Therapy’s report describes the completed design but does not announce a follow-up, additional construction phase or planned project milestone. The article’s source material therefore offers no confirmed next step. Further details about the budget, construction schedule, materials and the homeowners’ experience would be needed to assess the renovation beyond the designer’s account.
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Key Questions
What was the main change to the kitchen layout?
The team replaced the awkward arrangement with a U-shaped kitchen and peninsula, which Savic-Jambert said added work surface, storage and a gathering point.
How did the renovation draw inspiration from Julia Child?
Savic-Jambert cited Child’s cookware pegboard system as inspiration. The report describes the project as an ode to Child’s approach to organizing pots and pans, not as a full replica of her kitchen.
Did the renovation add square footage?
No major expansion was reported. Savic-Jambert said the project did not significantly alter the home’s footprint and that only two openings were changed: the exterior door and a passageway into the dining room.
How does the kitchen function as a mudroom?
A pantry cabinet built into a niche near the exterior door adds discreet, mudroom-style features. The kitchen is the home’s primary entrance and exit, and the house had no separate mudroom or reception area.
What did the renovation cost?
The published report does not give a total project budget. Savic-Jambert said knotty pine was a more reasonably priced flooring choice than white oak, but no price comparison was provided.
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