6907 N. John Ave (The Lena)

The heart of any home is the kitchen, so the kitchen may as well be part of your living space. The galley kitchen is open to the dining area, which is open to the living room. We've restored the ample original plywood cabinets and love the warm glow they exude. Except for the cabinets and vinyl floor tiles, everything else in the kitchen is brand new.

We've put in a new extra-deep stainless steel sink and contemporary faucet with commercial-style sprayer. New butcher-block countertops are attractive and functional. We went for a stainless steel smooth-top range and stainless steel refrigerator, not the usual apartment-grade clunkers. And we've lighted the space with a halogen wire system on a dimmer... because, well, every light should be on a dimmer.