As an architect, Paul Levine is trained to design new spaces or redesign existing ones to make them better.

But in his own nearly 80-year-old kitchen in Squirrel Hill, his best move was to keep the original layout and upgrade the materials, appliances and fixtures. The project was chosen as a runner-up in the small category of the 2009-10 Renovation Inspiration Contest, sponsored by the Post-Gazette and Community Design Center of Pittsburgh.

"The kitchen really worked the way it was," he said, offering an example. "This was the only place for the fridge."

If he and his wife, Amy Nathan, had changed the location of the refrigerator, sink and/or range, the project would have likely cost a lot more than $35,000 (the small category limit is $50,000).

One big money-saver was keeping the kitchen's Mexican Saltillo tile. When they bought the house, the couple loved the floor but hated the half-tiles used as a baseboard. Now the half tiles are gone.

Mr. Levine also kept costs down by doing the work himself. It took him nearly a year, working on weekends. The family was never without a kitchen during the week.

"The dining room and living room were a mess but we could use the kitchen. By Sunday night, everything was back together," his wife said approvingly.

Ms. Nathan, an attorney for General Nutrition, said her favorite parts of the new kitchen are the cherry cabinets and soapstone countertops, both supplied by Behm Construction.

The handsome but understated counters are nonabsorptive and are oiled every few months, Mr. Levine said.

Other clever additions are Energy Star appliances, including a stainless-steel Jenn-Air range with built-in downdraft exhaust; Lutron lights that remember favorite light levels and dim to zero; soft-closing cabinet doors; and a deep, two-section drawer whose dividers Mr. Levine designed to perfectly fit the family's silverware. The sliding top section has a clear plexiglass bottom so you can easily see the utensils in the bottom section.

They're the kind of touches you might expect from a professional designer, though this one admits he hasn't designed very many kitchens (or ever had himself as a client before).

"Every project you learn something," he said.

It helped that the couple took their time; they have lived in the 1928 stone-and-brick house for 10 years and planned the kitchen for two or three years.

Still, everything didn't go perfectly smoothly.

"Big things are easy. Little stuff is hard," the architect said.

Choosing handmade "green" Trikeenan tile for the backsplash (from Ceramiche Tile & Stone of the West End) wasn't nearly as difficult as finding a tall, low-flow Grohe faucet to match the deep sink. There's now plenty of room to fill large pots, but it does splash more than most faucets.

Finding the right color for the walls was also a struggle. At one point, Ms. Nathan said, they had 15 samples taped to the wall, all shades of green. They painted the entire kitchen before they discovered the green they had chosen was just too minty. They finally settled on Benjamin Moore's Saybrook sage, a cool gray-green that nicely complements the warm colors of the cabinetry, furniture and floor.

Green also forms the backdrop for pencils in a fun painting over the table by Robert Levine of Los Angeles, the architect's brother.

In a nod to the house's age, the couple replaced a modern metal door with a pine one from Adelman Lumber in the Strip District. Glass on top offers a view of a stone patio and brings in more light.

Mr. Levine extended the counter on the peninsula between the eating and cooking areas to create space for two people to eat. The peninsula's cabinets are two sided to maximize storage.

Maybe the best indicator of the architect's success is that his clients are completely satisfied.

"Everything has a place," he said proudly.

"We're very happy at the way it turned out," his wife agreed.

Doug Oster writes a blog, "Growing With Doug," exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.