Capturing light and love in a kitchen is a common goal in most of my designs and this transitional farmhouse kitchen welcomed it with open arms. With a play on shades of white, grey and wood, we were able to create a warm depth and balance between materials that calms the soul.
This was my second project with these clients and they are always such a joy and privilege to work with. She has amazing taste and focus on design while he is immensely talented acting as the general contractor on the project. With two small children and careers to contend with, this couple remained engaged and enthusiastic during the process, bringing a pleasant positive pulse to the project.
The Design
Because the kitchen is located with three windows facing northeast, natural light was a challenge. The existing cabinets were cherry wood with black granite countertops – a common combination in 2005 – and a wall separating the dining room from the kitchen creating a dark space. The focus of the project was to bring light into the space by introducing lighter materials, increasing the quantity of light fixtures, and opening the wall to the dining room. An amazing entertaining space was top on their “wish list” therefore, a central 15’- 3” island was complete with seating for 6, sink, dishwasher, trash/ recycle, storage, as well as art supply storage for the children.
There was an existing laundry room off the kitchen that we abandoned during our first project in 2015 by moving the laundry to the second floor. This space became a wonderful functional pantry complete with sink, wine refrigerator, cabinet storage and functional family organization desk.
The Materials
With a focus on bringing light into the kitchen, we started with the color of Benjamin Moore – White Dove. It was quickly decided the walls would all be painted White Dove and would blend seamlessly with custom cabinets painted the same color. Light materials in color as well as light fixtures were key components to the success of the project.
Cabinet Style, Finish & Hardware
Since the talented homeowner was acting as the General Contractor, I knew that we would want a solid relationship with a custom cabinet shop who could work collaboratively as a team. Bostonian Woodworking performed above and beyond expectations so that no other subcontractor was needed on the project. Focusing on a Transitional Farmhouse Style it was decided to build inset cabinet with shaker doors and flat panel drawers. Since they were custom, they were able to build the island as one piece and zero wastes of space. The kitchen perimeter and upper pantry cabinetry is painted White Dove while the island and the pantry base are white oak with a satin finish. The base under the seating is nickel-gap horizontal white oak.
Cliffside was the vendor for the hardware. We chose Cliffside because they come in a multitude of sizes for the many applications that we have as well as the high quality. It was decided to put the 6” pull in the middle of all the drawer banks for both function and to simplify the visual impact.
Lighting
Lighting was a very important part of this project. A line of recessed was installed around the island while the island pendants were resourced from Shades of Light. These fixtures are 14” diameter and help fill the space of the island. We used under cabinet lights as well as interior lights inside the glass cabinets overlooking the dining room.
Backsplash & Countertop
This tile is a shiny classic 3×6 subway tile that is from Porcelain & More. The soft grey color is beautiful with a grout line that is a bit darker than the tile. The dark grout helps with cleaning and stands out on the wall!
This special project was a joy because I knew that we were creating a home for light and love. It always warms my heart to see the joy on my client’s faces as they enjoy new space!
The fabulous photographer Raya does all of the pictures you see with this project, from Raya on Assignment