Our efforts were focused on making the most out of what is often a conundrum to our clients: the kitchen. The layout of the perimeter was still working, but the island had become awkward and frustrating to our client. We replaced the double-height counter and S-shaped base with a simple rectangular counter-height island that includes an area for stools to be tucked under. The flow around the kitchen perimeter was kept and the new island gave the client a clearer, bigger prep space right in the middle, and who doesn’t want that?!
Pro-tip: Simple shapes and layouts always age better than lots of corners and angles. So while this kitchen has a more basic format, it is much more functional, easier on the eye, and will withstand the test of time.
We lightly touched the perimeter cabinets by installing new hardware and painting the cabinet trim to match (you can see before where it was a contrasting dark color). Removing the appliance barn in the corner really opened up the look of the perimeter counter space, and swapping out the stainless vent hood for a custom hood to match the cabinetry went miles for making this kitchen feel elegant. Then we gave the brand new prep island a light aqua color that pulls this space from sterile-white-kitchen-land into fun-and-carefree-resort-land.
The remaining finishes are the last few pieces of the puzzle to give this whole room a serious wow. We chose beautiful light quartz countertops with subtle veining and a handmade square ceramic tile to layer on more warmth and add depth with variation in tone and shape. The cabinet hardware and plumbing hardware are mixed bronze and nickel, which allows the two bold brass pendants over the island to stand out and pull the warm glow out of the wood flooring.
The overpowering feeling of this kitchen is now bright and warm, and all the finishes melded together to create a peaceful space to cook and gather in.
