THE CHALLENGE: Richard and Ruth Lindh wanted to update the small kitchen in their 1891 home in Minneapolis' Bryn Mawr area but retain its vintage flavor inside and out.

The space: The original kitchen was bumped out, which added 120 square feet. The addition allowed for a snug breakfast area and mudroom with views of the back yard.

Age-appropriate: "On the exterior, we kept with the style of the traditional Victorian porch," said Burgoyne. "We found a post from the original front porch that had been propping up a beam in the garage and made copies of it for the addition. On the interior, we reopened the ceiling up to its original 10-foot height. We also duplicated the molding for a baseboard from the original house."

A fine finish: Burgoyne used thicker wallboard "to match the solidity of plaster in the walls." The moldings were painted, and the windows match the originals. The mudroom floor is traditional linoleum -- "It's a very durable product; this is the old-fashioned linoleum, made of cork -- it pretty much lasts forever," he said.

Modern touches: Despite the room's traditional looks, thoroughly modern updates include in-floor heating, a professional range and a wider sink.

Porch-perfect comfort: Windows bring in light and connect the inside to the outside. "That mudroom is really almost all windows, and all the woodwork is painted back there. It has a beadboard ceiling so it has a little bit of a feeling of being a porch," Burgoyne said. "We carried that into the breakfast area, so you're feeling that you're out there in the yard."

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Before: The small kitchen of the 1891 home was ripe for a redo.

Smart storage: Metal storage bins from an old refrigerator were repurposed as undercounter pullouts for storing potatoes and onions. Extra space behind the refrigerator (from the original stairs) was used to house pullouts for brooms and other cleaning supplies. The island houses trash and recycling bins as well as pop-up stands for the mixer and blender.

Hidden assets: An end wall in the mudroom holds a work station, a bench with coat hooks and boot storage and a "drop area" for a briefcase or laptop. One base cabinet contains a pullout for recharging electronics.

Best bit: "We intentionally ran the cabinets to the ceiling, so there's room for seasonal things like the turkey pan that you only use four or five times a year," Burgoyne said. "I would say they tripled the storage capacity for their kitchen" without changing the space.

The architect: Mike Burgoyne, Yunker Associates Architecture, www.yaarch.com; 612-371-9195.

To submit before and after photos of a redecorated or remodeled room for consideration, please send JPEG images to homegarden@startribune. com. Please include your name and phone number.