Case Study
A Historic Condo Kitchen Transformation in Minneapolis Where Industrial Meets Glam
How DreamMaker modernized a 1914 brick warehouse kitchen - adding color, glam, and room for two cooks - without touching a single piece of history worth keeping.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
TIMELINE
Industrial & Glam
Kitchen Remodeling
Project Overview
A Century of History. A Kitchen Finally Worthy of It.
This Minneapolis couple lives on the fourth floor of a 1914 brick warehouse building – original brick walls, concrete columns, exposed ductwork, and floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides. They loved every bit of the building’s industrial character. What they had outgrown was a kitchen too tight for two people to cook in side by side, with nowhere to store their wine collection, their glass pieces, or much of anything else.
DreamMaker reconfigured the layout, rebuilt the island entirely, and layered in the glam and color the homeowners wanted – without covering up a single detail that made the building worth living in.
Location: Minnesota
Neighborhood: Minneapolis
About The Neighborhood
Downtown Minneapolis’s historic warehouse district is one of the city’s most distinctive addresses – loft conversions with genuine industrial bones, expansive windows, and residents who chose the building specifically for what it is. A kitchen that honors that character while delivering modern function and personality fits this neighborhood exactly.
The Challenge
What Wasn’t Working
Before the remodel, the space faced several challenges:
- A layout too tight for two people to cook side by side comfortably
- An island that was undersized and offered no meaningful storage or function
- No dedicated storage for a wine collection or an extensive collection of glass pieces
- No mail drop or communications center in an open-plan home that needed one
- Builder basic cabinetry with no personality and no connection to the space around it
- Cold concrete floors with no warmth to balance the raw industrial surfaces
- Condo restrictions confining the kitchen to its existing footprint - meaning every improvement had to come from smarter layout rather than more space
The building had exceptional character. The kitchen had none.
BEFORE
“This was our first remodeling experience and we are thrilled with the result. DreamMaker preserved everything about the building that we didn’t want covered up while giving us the function and style we had always wanted. They took our ideas, pulled them together in a way we couldn’t have done ourselves, and guided us through the entire process. We couldn’t be happier.”
– Thomas & Ellen W., Minneapolis, MN
5.0 | Google Review
Built Around How They Actually Live
DreamMaker worked entirely within the existing footprint – using every reconfiguration decision to unlock the function the homeowners needed and every finish decision to bring the glam and personality they wanted without overwhelming the industrial character surrounding it.
Key Improvements included:
- Expanded dual-tier island with quartz countertops.
- Integrated under-counter wine and beverage refrigerator.
- Frosted glass-front upper cabinets for decorative display.
- Dimensional geometric tile backsplash with metallic accents.
- Rich dark cabinetry offering extensive storage capacity.
- Bold blue accent walls balancing raw industrial brick.
AFTER
More Inspiration
Browse more before & after transformations from homes in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area.
Inspired By This Transformation?
Whether you’re updating an outdated kitchen, expanding a bathroom, or planning a complete remodel, DreamMaker is here to bring your vision to life.