Behind The Scenes: Our Recipe For A Stunning Kitchen
When it comes to renovating a kitchen, it can be overwhelming to think about all the design decisions that need to be made. Do you want to keep your current footprint or rearrange the space? Are you drawn to a specific style, like traditional or modern, or is your style totally unique? Are you looking to play it safe for resale, or are you okay taking some chances? And I haven’t even started to outline the decisions you need to make when it comes to materials!
Don’t press the panic button just yet! Creating beautiful design is about executing your overall vision through the artful selection of key elements and materials. Every kitchen is different, but they all start with the same foundational ingredients.
So what exactly are the ingredients you need to create a show-stopping kitchen? I’ve broken down one of my favorite white kitchens to share the design decisions and stand-out features that come together to create an award-winning space.
1. Cabinetry. Without a lot of square feet to work with and extra tall ceilings to account for, these cabinets by Braemar Cabinetry had to be fully customized. We optimized storage by creating extra tall upper cabinets. The molding at the top was custom created to match the cabinetry’s style, which provides a seamless look and draws the eye upward to the 11-foot ceiling height.
2. Warm details. Brass cabinet hardware, a gold Brizo Artesso faucet, custom range bezels, and gold chairs offer a contrast to the all-white palette of the space. All these warmer tones were incorporated to make the kitchen feel less cold with all of the otherwise white elements. The range received custom bezels to incorporate the mixed-metal look.
3. Countertops. It is best to be honest with yourself when you are thinking about countertops. If you are not the neatest person in the world or have young ones running around the house, you probably want a durable surface, like the marble-looking quartz we used in this kitchen.
4. Stainless steel hood. Mirroring the Bluestar range and oven, this stainless steel hood from Zephyr provides visual continuity above and below with white herringbone tile. Instead of opting for an expensive custom hood, we thought the hood would need to be stainless steel to repeat the element from the range. There is very little stainless steel in this kitchen, so being able to repeat this finish in multiple ways allows the space to feel more cohesive in a multi-metal kitchen.
5. The island. The owners wanted the island to be a focal point, so we incorporated a waterfall countertop. The waterfall not only adds a sculptural element to the kitchen but also doubles as protection to the custom cabinetry because this is a heavily trafficked space between the formal dining room and kitchen.
6. Colorful pendant lights. These colorful orb lights from Anthropologie reflect the rich colors we used in the living room and really pop against the white cabinetry. The orbs add a ton of visual interest because the colors create a kaleidoscope effect, depending on the viewing angle and level of light coming through the back windows. When we photographed this kitchen, these pendant lights looked like a different color in every single photo. It may have taken over six months for these lights to arrive, but it was well worth it!
7. Windows and transom. The existing kitchen was the opposite of what you see in the final photos - it was dark, dreary, and had almost no natural light. Now, you would never know that this row home is an interior unit without any side windows. The design is thanks to the owners’ architects at Stoiber + Associates, who focused on creating a ton of natural light through the windows and transom. The transom was installed to keep the sight line of all the windows on the same elevation and accentuate the 11-foot ceilings.
