39.74° N104.99° WCity and County of Denver
Denver Kitchen Design for Brick Squares, Bungalows and New Builds
We offer Denver kitchen design, custom cabinetry and kitchen remodeling for homes across the city, from brick Denver Squares in Capitol Hill to new builds in the Highlands. Denver has been built and rebuilt in waves for well over a century, and a good kitchen here starts by understanding which wave your house came from.
Homes in Denver
Denver's Houses, and What Each One Asks of a Kitchen
Denver's older neighborhoods are overwhelmingly brick. A kitchen in a Capitol Hill Square and one in a Central Park townhome share almost nothing beyond a sink, so we read the house before we draw anything.
- 1890s to 1920s
The Denver Square
The boxy two-and-a-half-story brick house you see across Capitol Hill, Congress Park and the Highlands. Its kitchen sits at the back, usually small and often carved up by a back stair, a pantry or the basement door. The best plans borrow that pantry or rethink the back entry instead of removing the walls that give the front rooms their proportions. Expect plaster, and expect older wiring once the walls open.
- 1910s to 1930s
Craftsman Bungalows
One-and-a-half-story bungalows line Washington Park, Platt Park and much of Berkeley. Kitchens are compact and ceilings modest, so tall cabinetry has to be scaled to the room, not to a catalog. We often carry the house's own trim profiles and painted finishes into the cabinetry, which keeps the kitchen from reading as a later insert.
- 1950s to 1960s
Post-War Brick Ranches
Southwest and southeast Denver, in places like Harvey Park and Virginia Village, filled with single-story brick ranches after the war. The kitchen is typically closed off from the living room by a wall under an 8-foot ceiling. Opening it is the usual goal, and whether that takes a simple header or an engineered beam depends on what the roof framing is doing.
- 2000s to today
New Builds and Townhomes
Central Park, built on the former Stapleton airport, filled in from the early 2000s, and many older lots in the Highlands, Sloan's Lake and Berkeley have been rebuilt with tall modern homes and side-by-side townhomes. These kitchens are open and often narrow, with one long wall carrying almost everything. Storage, a real pantry and a hood that vents outside matter more here than layout drama.
Designing for Denver
What Shapes a Kitchen in Denver
Some of these come from living a mile up. Others come from the age of the city's houses.
- 01
Gas Appliances at 5,280 Feet
Denver sits about a mile above sea level, and many gas ranges, cooktops and ovens need a high-altitude adjustment set to the manufacturer's specifications. Some models ship it as a separate kit. We confirm it during appliance selection so the installer arrives with the right parts and the burners light cleanly from day one.
- 02
Historic Districts and the Range Hood
Denver has dozens of designated historic districts, including Baker, Potter Highlands and several in Capitol Hill. Interior kitchen work typically isn't reviewed, but a new window, a rear addition or a visible vent for the range hood can be, because exterior changes in those districts go through the city's landmark review. We check district status early and route hood ducting with it in mind.
- 03
Brick Walls and Plaster
Older Denver houses are often solid masonry with plaster inside. Coring a duct through a brick wall or fishing a new circuit through plaster takes more planning than it does in a drywall house. So we settle ventilation and power before the cabinetry is drawn, and the elevations don't have to change halfway through.
- 04
Dry Air, Strong Sun
Denver's air is dry most of the year, and wood shipped in from a humid region gives up moisture once it arrives. Solid-wood cabinetry and hardwood flooring should acclimate in the house before installation. The sun is strong at this altitude too, so in a new Highlands home with a wall of west-facing glass we choose fade-resistant finishes and plan the shades with the kitchen, not after it.
How We Work on Denver Kitchens
Every project starts with our kitchen design work, measured against the house you actually have. In a Denver Square that might mean finding two feet in an old pantry. In a Central Park townhome it might mean making one long wall do the work of three.
Century-old houses are rarely square or level, so we prefer custom cabinetry built to the room's real dimensions over filler strips that hide the gaps. Scribed panels meet a wavy plaster wall cleanly, and door profiles can echo the trim already in the house.
When the plan moves walls, plumbing or the hood, we carry it through as a full kitchen remodel, with trades and permits coordinated through the City and County of Denver. You can read how our process runs from first measurements to the last cabinet door. And when you're ready, book a design consultation.
We also work beyond the city line, offering kitchen design in Aurora to the east. To the west, our page on kitchens in Lakewood covers its ranches, split-levels and foothill homes.
Also covered from this page
Denver and Nearby Communities
- Glendale
- Edgewater
This page also covers Glendale, the small city surrounded by Denver along Cherry Creek, and Edgewater, just west of Sloan's Lake. Much of Glendale's housing is condos and apartments, so a kitchen there usually works within the building's rules on plumbing and venting. Edgewater's smaller older homes share the compact kitchens of the west Denver blocks next door.
Questions
Denver Kitchen Questions
01Can I open the kitchen to the dining room in a Denver Square?
Often, though it's worth asking whether you should. That wall may carry the floor above, and removing it means a beam sized by an engineer. Many owners get the openness they want from a wider cased opening that keeps the dining room's proportions, while the back stair or pantry gives up more usable space than the wall ever would.
02Do I need approval to remodel a kitchen in a Denver historic district?
Interior work typically isn't subject to historic review, though it still needs the usual building permits. Exterior changes are different: a new window, an addition or a visible hood vent can require landmark review by the city. Check your district status before the design is final, since it can decide where the hood ducts out.
03Will a professional-style gas range work properly in Denver?
Yes, once it's set up for altitude. Many gas ranges call for a high-altitude adjustment above a certain elevation, and Denver is well above most of those thresholds. A powerful range also needs a hood with enough capture area and a route outside, and larger hoods can trigger makeup air requirements, so check with the city and size them together.
04What kitchen layout suits a narrow Highlands townhome?
Usually one long wall paired with an island, or a galley if the width allows two runs with a comfortable aisle between them. These plans rarely have a separate pantry, so we build a tall pantry wall and set the refrigerator into it so it reads as cabinetry. Keep the island clear of the main path from the stair to the living space.
05How do I keep the character of a 1920s Denver house in a new kitchen?
Start with what the house already has: its trim, its window proportions, the height of its picture molding. Painted inset or flat-panel doors, an apron-front sink under the original window and a plaster hood all sit comfortably in an older Denver home. Panel the appliances so they don't argue with the period details.
Planning a kitchen in Denver?
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