KITCHEN
Riverwood Transitional Renovation Transitional Kitchen, DC Metro Stacy Zarin Goldberg Eat-in kitchen - mid-sized transitional l-shaped dark wood floor eat-in kitchen idea in DC Metro with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and beige backsplash - Houzz
Riverwood Transitional Renovation Transitional Kitchen, DC Metro Stacy Zarin Goldberg Eat-in kitchen - mid-sized transitional l-shaped dark wood floor eat-in kitchen idea in DC Metro with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and beige backsplash - Houzz
Bartonville Transitional Kitchen, Dallas Inspiration for a large transitional l-shaped medium tone wood floor, brown floor and coffered ceiling kitchen remodel in Dallas with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, marble countertops, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops - Houzz
Bartonville Transitional Kitchen, Dallas Inspiration for a large transitional l-shaped medium tone wood floor, brown floor and coffered ceiling kitchen remodel in Dallas with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, marble countertops, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops - Houzz
After: With plenty of room for the fridge in the new kitchen, the renovated dining room had space for a built-in wine bar, complete with a wine fridge. “The homeowners appreciate found objects and pieces with sentimental value, and pieces that have a handmade look and that can show wear and tear,” Kuhn says. These things show off their style and personality. One such item is the vintage Coca-Cola cooler below the window. They composed the cubes on the wall in an artful way themselves. The hefty handmade table with benches keeps things casual and family-friendly.
The area between the top of the upper cabinets and the 10-foot ceilings could have become a dust collector. Rather than leaving it to the dust bunnies or adding a bulkhead, Kuhn added a row of cabinets with glass doors. The blue paint inside matches the island’s base and gives the homeowners a great place to display favorite things.
The eat-in nook enjoys views of the backyard and lots of natural light. Kuhn subtly framed it with a slightly dropped ceiling and a wall that bookends the cabinetry. This makes it cozy. “The way the windows surround this area really cradles it,” he says. The nook is a great place for the kids to do crafts and homework. And their parents can keep an eye on them while working in the kitchen.
The new kitchen is bright and light and showcases the homeowners’ eclectic style. “Their style is homey but not traditional. They like an eclectic mix of things,” Kuhn says. “Nothing is too precious. He anchored the space with an island that seats the whole family. Bold blue on the base brings in playful color, and a butcher block waterfall counter warms the room. “These details make the island look like a piece of furniture,” Kuhn says. Because the couple both like to cook, a second sink in the island helps them work well in here together. The faucet finish is oil-rubbed bronze. Vintage-looking counter stools add industrial style. Other vintage industrial accents include the black steel library ladder rod, small subway tiles with gray grout, stainless steel counters around the perimeter, bin pulls and Edison lightbulbs. The architect placed the fridge, ovens and lots of storage along the wall on the left. Putting the wall appliances on this side provided a nicer view from the family room. Tip: Adding a second sink in the island is also handy for entertaining. Fill it with ice to keep drinks chilled.
The skylights above this cabinet were existing. “I didn’t want to block the light from the skylights with upper cabinets so I placed floating shelves here instead,” Margolis says. They give the homeowners an opportunity to add more curved objects to contrast with all the straight lines in the room. The black doors lead to a pantry. Shop for the perfect cutting board
Margolis had this new window cut to provide a nice view during dishwashing. The cabinets’ slab fronts fit together in a clean, minimalist way. In a room with such strong black-and-white contrast, matte black faucets and hardware would have been the most obvious choice. Instead, Margolis recommended the unexpected choice of brass. The finish adds warmth and polish to the room, and it looks beautiful against the cabinetry’s light wood.
The countertops are a polished white quartz by Caesarstone. By extending the island’s overhang on the right, Margolis provided seating that wraps around the corner. The side that faces the sink includes a microwave drawer and additional storage. “I wanted the fridge to have a built-in look so I designed a casing around it. It feels more custom this way,” she says. Browse black modern and contemporary counter stools in the Houzz Shop
The dynamic pattern is full of triangles, so Margolis found some pendant lights to bring circles into the mix. “It was nice to add in shapes that were different from all the straight lines and triangles,” she says. She specified drywall around the vent hood. This allowed it to fade into the background, maintaining a clean, minimalist look.
“While we wanted to nod to Spanish tile, we found the choices available in that category have become pretty generic. The only ones that wowed were hand-painted, and they were really expensive,” Margolis says. Her clients were drawn to this bold graphic black-and-white tile, another element that plays with contrast. Because there were many pattern possibilities with this particular tile, the designer played around with them using a computer design software program to get the layout just right.
Kitchen of the Week Who uses it: A young family Location: Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles Size: 250 square feet (23 square meters) Designer: Genna Margolis of Shapeside The home renovation project included adding a master suite and family room off the back of the house. So interior designer Genna Margolis was able to create this new central kitchen in a space that used to be a bedroom, bathroom and hallway. The space is open to an adjacent dining area and the new family room. “Now the kitchen is smack-dab in the middle of the house,” she says.
The custom alder door by woodworker Paul Watt replaced a plain white door. The door, which leads to a walk-in pantry, features a custom stain that matches the range hood and island base. Mary came up with the idea to add a chalkboard section for family schedule reminders, grocery lists and dinner party menus. “It makes a huge difference in the kitchen,” she says. “It really makes it feel custom. My daughter and I have been getting into creating really beautiful signs there. Inside the door, a magnetic board was added so I can keep my photos and notes there.” An upper cabinet to the right of the pantry door stores wine glasses, and a 24-inch stainless steel wine fridge sits below. Double 30-inch convection wall ovens sit to the right. The cabinet above the ovens includes dividers for pans, trays and cutting boards. The cabinet below holds items for grilling, such as tongs and oven mitts.
This view shows the new stainless steel microwave drawer in the island, which helps free up space on the counters. A 36-inch built-in stainless steel single-door refrigerator with freezer on the bottom sits where the previous stainless French door refrigerator was. “It seemed to work with the flow of the kitchen,” Mary says. “We discussed at length where the appliances were and tossed around different ideas, but decided to keep them where they were.”
Williams painted the existing walls a versatile gray (Comfort Gray by Sherwin-Williams) that she knew would work well with the wood tones of the new stained maple island and rustic alder door. “It reads to me more as a warmer green color than a gray, even though it’s called Comfort Gray,” Williams says. “She wanted a little bit of color there, but didn’t want to take away from the kitchen.” The gray walls with existing white trim provide a neutral backdrop for the semicustom maple cabinets painted a crisp white, with brushed satin nickel knobs and pulls. “We added more drawer banks than cabinets because they’re more efficient,” Williams says. “Some of them have a peg system for pots and pans and to hold lids in place so they’re not just thrown in the drawer.” Williams also rotated the new island to improve work flow and included steel and wood adjustable-height swivel bar stools. Two schoolhouse-style pendants with curvy clear glass shades hang above. The kitchen also includes existing ceiling can lights, undercabinet lighting and plug molding that keeps the backsplash clean. A bronze-and-glass swivel sconce offers targeted lighting over the sink. The existing wood floor was ref...
The homeowner selected a khaki that isn’t too brown or too green (Gargoyle by Benjamin Moore) for the island base. Contrasting island cabinets are a popular choice for remodeled kitchens, Houzz research shows. The doors leading to the mudroom and sitting room feature the same color. The kitchen sink and dishwasher to its right are stainless steel to match the refrigerator and oven.
This photo shows the opposite side of the kitchen, which has room for a small dining table. (The home also has a formal dining room.) The blue hutch is a piece the homeowners had in their previous home. The door to the right of the refrigerator leads to a sitting room; the one on the left leads to the laundry room and mudroom. The wall between them features a built-in cabinet with stemware and a beverage center. “At night they might be watching TV, and the beverage center is close to that,” Bell says. The ceiling beams are solid pine. “We had them milled, and distressed them and stained them to get an old farmhouse look,” Bell says. The homeowner chose new distressed wood over real barnwood because she didn’t want a weathered gray beam, O’Hagan says. The flooring is maple in 5-inch-wide planks.
The wife had a clear vision of where and how she wanted to store her dishes and cooking supplies in the new kitchen. For instance, she keeps utensils and spices in the small drawers on the left side of the range. She keeps her pots and pans in the large drawers. The cabinet doors have Shaker-style fronts with a beaded edge on the rails and stiles, while the cabinet drawers are flat-front. The manufacturer color-matched all the cabinetry to an off-white the homeowners liked (Soft Chamois by Benjamin Moore). The doors have exposed hinges to give the kitchen a timeworn feel. The drawers have brass cup pulls and the doors have knobs, also to help give the kitchen a vintage look. The countertops as well as the backsplash behind the range are engineered quartz. The open shelves are pine and were one of the key pieces the wife wanted in the kitchen. The built-in cabinet to the right of the window has glass fronts and resembles a furniture piece, again helping to create an older, farmhouse look. The homeowner selected the oil-rubbed bronze pendants over the island and brushed brass lights above the window. It’s worth noting that the photos of this kitchen are not staged — the kitchenwa...
More than 25 years ago, the homeowners had hired Crown Homes of London to build their previous home, which they lived in until building this one. They turned to the same company for their new home. The kitchen’s layout was designed to maximize the view out the window over the kitchen sink, which looks onto the front of the property and over the driveway.
Empty nesters building a new home outside London, Ontario, had a very clear vision for their new kitchen. “They wanted that typical farmhouse look with open cabinetry, beams and a comfortable-cozy feel,” says designer Michelle O’Hagan of Crown Homes of London, the builder for the project. They also wanted the new kitchen to look as though it had been in place for some time.
The new marble floor tiles continue from the kitchen into the breakfast room, bringing the black-and-white color scheme with them. The frames of the pantry doors to the left of the existing breakfast table are now covered in black paint, and the inset glass is backed by new fabric featuring an abstract black-and-white pattern.
A new undermount porcelain sink replaced the former stainless steel one. All of the cabinetry hardware is polished nickel, which complements the homeowners’ collection of sterling silver serveware. The top row of cabinets are painted black to help lift the eye and to coordinate with the black-and-white coffered ceiling. “It reminds me of the black lines on the border of Chanel boxes,” Coury says.
The countertops and backsplashes are now covered in slabs of marble-look engineered quartz. The range wall includes four floating shelves made of the same quartz; they provide easy-to-access storage. A new pot filler allows the homeowners to fill large pots with water without having to lug them back and forth between the sink and the range.
All-new Shaker-style cabinets provide a more traditional feel that better aligns with the classic coffered ceiling and glass partitions between the kitchen and the breakfast room. “The apartment is located in a historic building along Chicago’s famous Lake Shore Drive,” Coury says. “We wanted the kitchen to nod to the building’s traditional character while still feeling fresh and modern.” The four dome ceiling light fixtures from the previous kitchen remain. “I don’t like to replace everything just to replace it,” the designer says. “These domed lights are the perfect scale for the space — the ceiling’s new color scheme lets them stand out even more.”
Kitchen at a Glance Who lives here: A professional couple Location: Chicago Size: About 300 square feet (28 square meters) Designer: Alida Coury Interiors Black and white materials can be found from floor to ceiling in this remodeled Chicago kitchen. The designer laid out thin black and white marble tiles in a custom abstract pattern that runs from the kitchen into the adjoining breakfast room. The coffered ceiling is painted in a combination of Simply White and Black Satin, both by Benjamin Moore.
5. Raised Baking Station Designer: Candace White of The WhiteHouse Collection Location: West Linn, Oregon Size: 320 square feet (30 square meters); 16 by 20 feet Homeowners’ request. This kitchen is part of a speculative home that was custom designed for Silver Oak Custom Homes. “As a modern farmhouse in a country setting, it was important that the kitchen was the heart of the home, had great flow, entertained beautifully and had a fresh look,” designer Candace White says. Island details. Stained hickory wood base, raised baking station (painted in Pure White by Sherwin-Williams), prep sink and quartz countertops. Other special features. Contemporary chandelier. Glossy white subway tile with white grout.
1. Laptop Storage Designer: Melinda Woodruff of M Woodruff Design Location: Annapolis, Maryland Size: 157 square feet (15 square meters); 9½ by 16½ feet Homeowners’ request. Update a dated kitchen and get rid of the downdraft range over a curved island that prevented the homeowners from using the island as a gathering space. The renovation also included adding pantry storage, new lighting and a new range. “The first step in addressing this list was to relocate the range to a wall so that the island could be utilized as the multipurpose space they desired,” designer Melinda Woodruff says. “They were a bit unsure of this change initially, but after seeing the first round of drawings, they were completely on board. This also allowed us to incorporate the larger, pro-style range they desired as well as a furniture hood that they were excited to add as a design feature.” Island details. Natural walnut base with a 3-inch quartz countertop that resembles white Macaubas quartzite. The island doubles as the homeowners’ office workstation, so Woodruff added a slim shelf below the countertop for storing a laptop and other materials. Outlets at the back let the owners recharge their laptops...
1. Is Located Outside the Kitchen Work Zone Whether your kitchen layout is designed around a work triangle or work zones, you’ll need the kitchen office to be both close and out of the way.
Medina originally specified industrial-looking blackened-iron-and-glass doors for the wine closet, but the price tag was high. “We were trying to keep to a budget, so I suggested we find something vintage instead,” he says. He sourced these doors at the famous Texas antique fair Round Top. The light wood, wrought iron scrolling and trim details make the wine closet a special and unique element of the kitchen. Medina chose Sherwin-Williams’ Grizzle Gray for the wine closet’s interior because of its depth of color. “It has a lot of green and blue undertones,” he says. Takeaways Industrial style doesn’t have to be rusty and crusty. Mix in polished and clean-lined elements to elevate the look. When choosing a paint color, paint a sample swath and watch how it changes in the light throughout the day. If you’re petite or have high cabinets, a stepladder cabinet pullout is a wonderful feature to incorporate into a kitchen’s design. Place elements like coffee-tea-toaster stations, beverage refrigerators and bars outside of the work triangle for easy access and flow.
Placing the wine closet off to the side makes it easy to open bottles and serve drinks without getting in the cook’s way. “The wine closet makes the kitchen the fun space my clients wanted,” Medina says. It contains a counter for serving, a wine cooler, wine racks, shelves and a nugget ice maker — a homeowner must-have.
skip to main content RUG SALE 2 0 Your Houzz GET IDEAS SHOP BY DEPARTMENT FIND PROFESSIONALS SALE Kitchen Makeovers Kitchen Design Hand-Painted Tile Inspires a Long-Awaited Kitchen Remodel Houzz stories provide a Massachusetts couple with inspiration and lead them to designers who transform their kitchen Becky Harris Becky Harris3 days ago Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected." I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog. More “Hey, Mom, check out this tile!” A few years ago, I sent my mother this note with a photo from a Kitchen of the Week story I was writing. Featured in the photo was a beautiful hand-painted terra-cotta tile that interior designer Charmean Neithart, who designed the kitchen, had chosen for her client and that I knew my mother would love. That photo eventually spurred the long-overdue renovation of my parents’ kitchen. The cabinets and 1980s white laminate countertops had started to fall apart, the wallpaper was peeling, and the sink and faucets had seen b...
The space between the working portion of the kitchen and the eat-in area is high-traffic — it serves as an open hallway that connects the door off the driveway and the family room to the rest of the house. The beams help connect it to the two sides of the kitchen. There are too many important details Violandi and Warner came up with to count, and they made all of us appreciate the benefits of hiring professional designers. One example is this large blue ceramic lamp by Ralph Lauren. It adds ambiance in the corner, its scale is just right for the table and the wallpaper pattern, and it has a beautiful glaze that gives it a lovely handmade quality. I don’t think I ever would have realized that table needed something that large if they hadn’t picked it out.
The posts and beams you see here are where contractor Wildes and his son Joe really saved the day. There had been an original post on the left that Handy had boxed in with wood and painted white back in 1988. Wildes brought in reclaimed beams from his salvage collection and installed them as the big ceiling beam and the post on the right. He also used some of the wood to widen the original post on the left to match. This delineates the eat-in area from the high-traffic area and ties in the ceiling beams from the working area of the kitchen in a pleasing way.
She also asked the designers to come up with an alternative to an upper cabinet over “the desk drawer” and said, “Surprise me.” They crafted open shelves in a wood that plays off the ceiling beams. This allowed for a larger expanse of the backsplash and gave my parents a spot to display some favorite items, like this painting of a lobsterman by Melissa Post van der Burg. Tile: Paris Metro collection, Tabarka Studio
The new windows over the sink are larger than the old one was. They meet the countertop beautifully and they crank open, which makes it easy for my parents to open and close them. (My mother is big on fresh air.) The windows look out on a small orchard I designed when I was a landscape architecture student. “Expanding the window even just a little bit made a big difference,” my mom says. “It feels so much bigger and brighter.” The countertops are White Rhino quartzite with a leathered finish. The leathered finish is textured and honed and is easier to keep looking clean than a polished finish. The designers didn’t have much trouble talking my parents into splurging on the beautiful bridge faucet. It truly serves as “the jewelry of the room,” as Warner put it. My mother also told the designers she wanted something different from a white farmhouse sink. She wanted the sink cabinetry to come out from the rest of the cabinets, as in this inspiration photo from the ideabook. They sourced a nice stainless steel undermount sink. Faucet: Easton in polished nickel, Waterworks; sink: Pro series undermount kitchen sink, Nantucket Sinks
Blue is my mother’s favorite color, so I had suggested a blue range in the Houzz ideabook. This beautiful gas model is by Ilve. Violandi and Warner custom-designed the vent hood to fit in with the style of the house. The range has a drawer on the bottom that can accommodate baking sheets, muffin tins or pans.
Two things to know about this tile: One, imperfections are a part of their charm — if you like everything perfect and exactly the same, it’s not for you. Second, the custom colors, hand-painting and international shipping mean you’ll have to wait several months to receive your tiles. It was worth it to my parents, and the other work was completed while they waited (and waited). But if you’re trying to stay on a tight schedule, find a tile with a shorter lead time or order it months before construction begins.
This is the working portion of the kitchen, which measures about 123 square feet. A high-traffic hallway, just visible in the foreground, divides the cooking area from the eat-in area that Handy added in 1988.
!!!!!!!!!A closer look at Dekton’s Helena.
Dekton’s Helena, also in its Avantgarde collection and shown here as shower wall and vanity cladding, has a translucent appearance in whites and grays, inspired by natural onyx.
A closer look at Dekton’s Khalo shows the subtle gold and brown dappling. A glossy finish enhances the effect.
Though marble seems to be the most popular natural stone mimicked by engineered quartz, it’s not the only source of inspiration. Khalo, part of Dekton’s new Avantgarde collection, resembles the look of Patagonia granite. It features black, pale gold and coffee tones.
A detailed look at Colton by Cambria.
Engineered quartz isn’t just for countertops and backsplashes. Cambria’s quartz product, for example, can be cut as thin as 1 centimeter and be used to clad fireplaces and shower walls, as shown here with its new Colton color. Similar to Clovelly, this color offers a creamy background with rusty, brownish-gray veins that work well with warm wood tones.
Here’s a closer look at Clovelly by Cambria.
Gold Rush Gold accents are showing up in the new countertop offerings as well, complementing the rise in satin brass kitchen knobs, pulls, faucets and lighting. Cambria’s Clovelly, used here for the countertops and backsplash, has a creamy background with copper and brown veining that coordinates with the brass faucet and island pendants.
This close-up of Cambria’s Portrush shows its varied tones, which would beautifully complement navy blue or even forest green cabinetry.
Blue Crush Several of the new quartz colors play to the recent rise in blue cabinetry by featuring wisps of navy veining as well as colors that complement blues, such as grays, taupes and warm gold. Included in Cambria’s new collection of 20 colors is Portrush, shown here as kitchen countertops. Its white base supports crisscrosses of navy, gray and black veining, with finespun filaments of gold flakes.
Bathroom at a Glance Who uses it: A retired couple Location: Richardson, Texas Size: 150 square feet (14 square meters) Designers: Dona Rosene (interior design) and Michael Lyons (architecture) Sea Pearl quartzite that the Texas homeowner spotted on an early shopping trip with the designer she’d found on Houzz set the tone for this entire master bathroom. The beautiful natural stone appears on the shower wall, the space above the vanity and on the countertop, among other places. It also inspired the rest of the room’s color palette and materials. Dona Rosene Interiors The homeowners worked with interior designer Dona Rosene and architect Michael Lyons to revamp the bathroom’s look and layout and incorporate touches of glamour. That meant removing awkward components like a pony wall and making the uneven ceiling heights consistent. It also meant design choices that would make the room feel bigger and more relaxing. These included adding counter-to-ceiling mirrors and a freestanding soaking tub in place of an outdated corner bath. Shiny details like the faucets, sconces, gleaming gray mosaic tile and a statement-making chandelier dress things up.
Sweden As Swedish kitchens go, this isn’t one that the locals would recognize as typical. Sure, Swedes love white cabinets, but bold wallpaper in a kitchen isn’t a common sight, although Swedes are increasingly embracing color and patterns in other parts of the home. But the floral wallpaper on the island was enough to make this the most-saved kitchen photo in the country.
“After years and years, really since we moved into the house, of Mafalda showing me pictures of kitchens she loved, it’s amazing to think we have a kitchen worthy of being on Houzz,” John says. “We had three kids. We never had the time or money to redo the kitchen. It makes me feel pretty good, as a husband, to have finally been able to give my wife the kitchen of her dreams.”
The floor plan of the remodeled space shows the three rooms open to one another, creating the perfect environment for entertaining and family dinners.
Bacher designed this built-in buffet as the focal point of the dining room. “When people enter the home, this is the first thing you see as you turn toward the dining room,” she says. “We wanted it to be a beautiful piece of furniture.” The walnut top echoes the warm tones of the floor and kitchen beam, though it’s stained slightly darker to display the beauty and richness of the wood. The cabinetry was built to match that of the kitchen.
A dining space that would accommodate family and friends was key. “The table was ordered from Italy and took six months to arrive,” John says. “It’s about our kids and their friends sitting down for dinner. It’s about the ups and downs of life, having them return and hopefully having grandkids around the table someday. It was important to have that space to be together.” The table expands to accommodate 12.
A tall pantry cabinet now stands next to new French doors that lead to a porch.
Drawers for pots and pans, along with spice drawers, were also specific requests for the design plan.
A microwave drawer in the new island frees up counter space, something the original kitchen was sorely lacking.
Only the flooring of the family room could be salvaged and refinished. The remaining areas got new flooring, also stained to match the mantel. Counter seating was added to create connection with the family room. Additional seating was essential to Mafalda. “We were always the gathering house for our kids and their friends,” she says. “We’d always cram into the small dining room and had five or 10 extra kids. Every year we host 60 or more people for Christmas Eve.”
The custom cabinetry includes a corner countertop cabinet with an appliance garage that hides the toaster and other kitchen tools. Corbels soften the look and add more visual interest. Cabinets: Slate White, Plain & Fancy Custom Cabinetry
“The original kitchen didn’t have a specific focal point,” Bacher says, “so we chose to make the sink the new focal point and make it as pretty as possible with the sconces above, the beautiful Kohler farm-style sink and the turned legs of the cabinet below.” Subtle whispers of gray marbling in the alabaster quartz countertops and the light gray subway tile add a luxuriousness and help to quietly break up all the white, as do the rubbed-bronze accents. Vendome sconces: Visual Comfort
The couple chose a slide-in range with downdraft ventilation for the peninsula to create an open feel while cooking. Wall Color: Decorator’s White, Benjamin Moore
This photo is taken from approximately the same angle as the previous one. The sink stayed in the same place under the window at left. A load-bearing wall was removed, requiring a support beam and post to be installed in its place. A local artisan wrapped both in reclaimed white oak and finished them to match the existing fireplace mantel in the den. The warmth of the beam and floors adds richness and texture, balancing all the white of the space, which was a design request of Mafalda’s. Opening the wall between the den and kitchen brought the welcome surprise of a vaulted ceiling long hidden above the existing low ceiling. “The house was built in the midst of the 1970s energy crisis,” John says. “People were looking to cut energy costs. We were never happy with the low ceilings on the first floor. Raising the ceiling in the den creates the illusion of all the ceilings feeling higher. It goes a long way toward creating that great-room feel.”
The Callahans had long dreamed of updating their 1970s kitchen while raising their family. “From the day we bought the house, we didn’t like the kitchen,” John says. Mafalda echoes that sentiment. “It was dated and we thought, ‘Someday we will get to this kitchen,’ ” she says. “Next thing you know, the kids are in college.” Becoming empty nesters provided the perfect opportunity for an overhaul of the first floor once “the kids had finished destroying it,” John jokes. The homeowners hired designer Dana Bacher to create a bright, expanded kitchen. They credit her with honing their ideas into a cohesive vision with creativity and attention to detail.
Crisp White Meets Dramatic Black Black hardware, light fixtures and appliances stand out against crisp white cabinets and quartz counters in this kitchen by The TomKat Studio in Chandler, Arizona. Designer Kimberley Stoegbauer used black-and-white marble tile for the backsplash, tying the design’s two dominant colors together with one pattern. Dark engineered-hardwood flooring, which flows into the adjacent rooms, warms up and enriches the space.
Rustic Farmhouse Refresh After a fire destroyed the 18th-century farmhouse on this Massachusetts property during the renovation, designer Jess Cooney worked with the homeowners to create a new home that perfectly suits their style and also nods to the site’s history. Cooney worked with the architects at Clark + Green, who transformed her vision into drawings. The designer used plastered walls (painted in Edgecomb Gray by Benjamin Moore) and unfinished reclaimed-wood beams and flooring to give this new kitchen in the Berkshires a classic farmhouse feel. Other elements, including the overhead lanterns and reclaimed-wood island, add to the rustic country aesthetic. Pietra Cardosa stone, a resilient natural stone that resembles soapstone, was used for the island and custom farmhouse sink. Danby marble from nearby Vermont covers the perimeter counters and backsplash, its veining picking up the dark hue of the Pietra Cardosa. Cabinet paint: Ammonite, Farrow & Ball
Cozy Layers and Textures If you’re thinking you might be ready to go dark with your cabinets and counters, this stunning white kitchen by Marianne Simon Design may convince you to stick with lighter hues. A beamed ceiling, woven bell pendants and rich floor coverings pop against the white backdrop, adding layers of texture and warmth. The cabinet and sink’s gold-colored hardware echoes that of the La Cornue range and elevates the design.
Fifth-Wall Drama This kitchen in Kansas City, Kansas, by KC Drafting & Design commands attention with its eye-catching wood-paneled tray ceiling. The counters, cabinets and backsplash are done in soft, muted colors that recede and allow the ceiling to stand out, while the wood floor echoes the ceiling’s warm hues. You can see that the adjacent dining room also features a dramatic tray ceiling, but with a slightly different treatment that creates a distinct space.
Black-and-White Jewel Box This kitchen by Victoria Highfill in Bowling Green, Kentucky, nails a dramatic black-and-white cabinet color combination. Black also acts as an accent, outlining the upper cabinets and windows, emphasizing the range hood and making the hardware and accessories pop. Gold-tone light fixtures, bar stool bases and other decorative accessories further elevate the drama and elegance.
Riverwood Transitional Renovation Transitional Kitchen, DC Metro Stacy Zarin Goldberg Mid-sized transitional l-shaped dark wood floor eat-in kitchen photo in DC Metro with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, an island, granite countertops, beige backsplash and subway tile backsplash - Houzz
Q