7 Kitchen Remodel Ideas for 1970s and 1980s Dunwoody Homes

Walk into most Dunwoody colonials and split-levels built between the late 1960s and the 1980s and you will find the same plan: a kitchen boxed in behind a wall, a breakfast nook on one side, a family room on the other, and a doorway connecting them. These are the ideas that make the biggest difference in that kind of house.

1. Take out the wall between kitchen and family room

The single biggest change. In many of these homes that wall carries the second floor, so it needs an engineer's beam design and a City of Dunwoody permit. A beam recessed into the ceiling (a flush beam) gives you a clean, uninterrupted ceiling instead of a dropped header. See layout changes and wall removal.

2. Fold the breakfast nook into the kitchen

Once the wall is gone, the old nook often becomes the island zone. You lose a small table and gain seating, prep space and storage in one piece.

3. An island that works, not just one that fits

Leave about 42 inches of walkway around it (48 inches if two people cook). Add a prep sink or outlets on the island and you shorten every trip across the room. Ideas and materials are on our countertops and islands page.

4. Cabinets to the ceiling, with a real pantry

Original builder cabinets usually stop short of the ceiling and waste the soffit space. Full-height cabinetry, roll-out trays and a floor-to-ceiling pantry wall can replace a closet pantry and free up floor space. More on custom cabinetry.

5. Three layers of light

The single ceiling box these kitchens were built with cannot light an open room. Plan recessed ambient light, under-cabinet task light and pendants over the island, each on its own dimmer. See lighting and fixtures.

6. Continuous flooring

Removing a wall leaves a seam between kitchen tile and family-room hardwood. Running one hardwood floor through both rooms is what makes the space read as one room.

7. Update the electrical while the walls are open

Homes from this era often need new circuits for induction ranges, wall ovens and island outlets, and sometimes a panel upgrade. It is far cheaper to do during the remodel than after.

What these ideas cost

Ideas 3 to 5 on their own usually fit a mid-range remodel; adding idea 1 moves most projects into the custom layout tier. Our 2026 Dunwoody cost guide breaks down typical ranges, and the permit guide explains which ideas need a permit.