39.80° N105.09° WJefferson County (partly Adams County)
Arvada Kitchen Design, From Olde Town Bungalows to Candelas
We offer Arvada kitchen design, custom cabinetry and kitchen remodeling for homes from the bungalows around Olde Town to the newer streets of Candelas and Leyden Rock. Each part of the city was built in a different decade, and each hands a designer a different set of problems to solve.
Homes in Arvada
Arvada Homes and the Kitchens Inside Them
Arvada spans more than a century of building, from the small town that grew up around Olde Town to master-planned neighborhoods in the northwest. Most of its houses, though, went up after 1960, when the city grew quickly as a Denver suburb.
- early 1900s to 1940s
Olde Town Era Homes
Small bungalows, farmhouses and cottages surround Olde Town's historic core. Kitchens are compact, sometimes enlarged at the back over the years, with floors that don't quite meet. These houses reward a kitchen built to their own scale, with simple painted cabinetry and careful use of every wall, rather than one borrowed from a much larger new home.
- 1960s to 1970s
Ranches and Raised-Entry Bi-Levels
Large parts of Arvada filled with brick ranches, bi-levels with a raised entry, and tri-levels in these two decades. The kitchen is usually closed and dim, with a small window over the sink and an eating nook in one corner. Opening to the living room, adding a pantry and fixing the lighting do most of the work.
- 1980s to 1990s
Family Two-Stories
Across northern parts of the city, two-story homes from these years often have a kitchen open to a family room, with an angled peninsula, oak cabinets and a soffit. The structure is usually sound. Squaring the peninsula into an island and taking cabinetry to the ceiling changes the room more than moving walls would.
- 2010s to today
Candelas, Leyden Rock and New Construction
Master-planned communities in northwest Arvada brought large open kitchens and big windows aimed at the foothills. The builder kitchen tends to be generous but generic: a long island, a standard range, cabinetry that stops short of the ceiling. Making it yours means better storage, a properly sized hood, and finishes chosen for the light and the view.
Designing for Arvada
Arvada Kitchen Considerations
- 01
HOA Review in Candelas and Leyden Rock
Master-planned communities like these have architectural review committees. Interior kitchen work usually doesn't need their approval, but a new exterior vent for the range hood, a changed window or a new patio door often does. We plan the duct route early and include the exterior detail in what you submit.
- 02
Foothill Views and Late-Day Sun
In northwest Arvada the foothills fill the western windows. At about 5,300 feet, the late sun is strong enough to fade wood and some countertop materials and to throw glare across the work surface. We set the main prep zone so the cook works across the light rather than into it, and keep the sink or a breakfast table on the view.
- 03
The Bi-Level Half Stair
In a raised-entry bi-level, the kitchen sits a half flight up from the front door, and a spindle rail often forms one side of the room. Replacing that rail with a low wall or a finished cabinet end gives the kitchen a real edge. These are tight plans, so the layout is worked out inch by inch.
- 04
Matching Old Floors in Dry Air
Colorado's dry climate matters most when you're tying new hardwood into an original oak floor in an Olde Town house. New boards and solid-wood cabinetry need to sit in the house and reach its moisture level before they go in, or gaps open the first winter. Gas appliances here usually need the manufacturer's high-altitude adjustment too, which we confirm when choosing them.
Kitchen Design, Cabinetry and Remodeling in Arvada
We start with a considered kitchen design built on measurements, not assumptions. In a bi-level that means mapping the stair, the entry and every duct. In a Candelas home it means working out how the household really uses a large open room.
For Olde Town houses with walls that lean and floors that dip, custom cabinetry scribed to the room keeps the reveals even. In a new build, the same approach lets cabinets run to the ceiling and wrap the refrigerator, so the kitchen reads as one composed wall.
When the plan calls for moving walls, gas lines or plumbing, we remodel the kitchen down to the studs and coordinate permits with the city. You can follow the stages of a project from first measurements to installation.
To the south, we offer kitchen design in Lakewood for its ranches and split-levels. To the north, Broomfield kitchen design covers Broadlands, Anthem and the older streets near US 36. To start on your own kitchen, request a design consultation.
Also covered from this page
Arvada and Nearby Communities
- Westminster
- Thornton
- Northglenn
This page also covers Westminster, Thornton and Northglenn to the northeast. Like Arvada, much of their housing dates from the 1950s through the 1980s, with newer master-planned neighborhoods farther north, so the same questions about closed kitchens, bi-level stairs and HOA review come up there as well.
Questions
Arvada Kitchen Questions
01Can I add an island to a bi-level kitchen in Arvada?
Sometimes. An island needs about 42 inches of clear aisle on its working sides, and many bi-level kitchens are too narrow for that as built. Removing the wall to the living room or borrowing a closet often makes the room; where it doesn't, a peninsula or a longer counter run is the better answer.
02Do I need HOA approval to remodel my kitchen in Candelas or Leyden Rock?
Usually not for interior work, but read your covenants. Anything visible from outside, such as a new hood vent on an exterior wall, a different window or a new patio door, typically goes to the architectural review committee. City building permits for structural, plumbing, gas and electrical work are a separate requirement.
03How do I update an Olde Town bungalow kitchen without losing its character?
Keep the proportions and the materials honest. Painted inset or simple shaker doors, a deep sink under the existing window and trim that matches the rest of the house all suit a bungalow. Paneled or slimmer appliances keep a small room from feeling crowded.
04What's worth changing in a 1990s Arvada kitchen?
Usually the angled peninsula, the soffits and the lighting. A straight island in place of the angle often frees floor space and adds seating, and removing the soffits lets cabinetry reach the ceiling. Recessed and under-cabinet lighting fix the dim corners many kitchens of that era have.
05Should my kitchen face the mountain view?
Face the parts where you linger toward it. A sink or a breakfast table works well on a west window, while a range doesn't, since its hood blocks the glass. Plan for the strong late sun with shades and fade-resistant finishes so the view doesn't cost you the materials.
Planning a kitchen in Arvada?
Bring the floor plan, the photos you've saved and a list of what frustrates you about the room you have. That list is where good briefs begin.
Schedule a consultation