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Kitchen Not Confidential

Heather Shoning

Yes, it’s a cliché: The kitchen is the heart of the home. But clichés exist for a reason—usually because they are true. And possibly none was ever truer than this one. So, why not have the most functional and beautiful kitchen possible for your family? Local kitchen designers shared projects demonstrating how even the most beautiful kitchens can be real workhorses to make family life easier. They also share top tips for things you should consider when you embark on a new kitchen design project.

This kitchen features clean lines and a modern layout. There are traditional accents, such as the backsplash tile, but a decidedly modern style, too, in the all-bling island light fixture and the contemporary fixtures providing task lighting at the range. “Kitchens are a difficult space in which to add individually,” says Hall. “But lighting is a great way to incorporate the homeowner’s individual taste and design aesthetic.”
The design duo added a bar to the living room side of the kitchen, which the homeowners desperately needed to separate some of the working areas of the space.
The designers made great use of a central wall that breaches the kitchen, dining and living areas. They wrapped the entire area with warm wood cabinetry, and it houses a pantry, a buffet for dining storage and a coat closet at one end.
Using space creatively is a top tip from this project. Although the seating arrangement is new, bumping the island seating into the original breakfast alcove could capture more seating surface area and ensure all the home’s architectural elements were useful.
Photos: by S Brenner Photography

Transitional Glam

Photography by S Brenner Photography

Designer Brett La Hay with Inspire Kitchen Design Studio and Brandy Hall with Everyday Lovely Interior Design Studio teamed up to create an expanded kitchen with better flow for these homeowners. La Hay says the original design had small rooms and strange angles that didn’t allow the spaces to function well as a whole.

TOP KITCHEN DESIGN TIP:

The interiors of the cabinets are what make the kitchen stay organized. Use all the gadgets: spice drawers, pullouts utensils, knife blocks and rollouts behind doors for things like the coffeemaker. And, La Hay says: “Drawers, drawers, and drawers within drawers. Separate the pots and pans drawer with an internal drawer for the lids.”

Project Details

Design:
Inspire Kitchen Design Studio, 720.650.0500, inspirekds.com

and Everyday Lovely Interior Design Studio, 303.953.1909, everydaylovelydesign.com

Contractor: Elton R Construction

Cabinetry: Homestead Cabinet & Furniture, custom white paint cabinetry, rift white oak with stain and glaze, decorative polished steel island support

Backsplash: Decorative Materials, Breathe Moresque, Arabesquette

Kitchen Countertops: Kitchen Mystery White marble with Antolini zerocare

Island Bar Countertop: Quartzite Metal Leather

Flooring: Stained white oak

Kitchen Island Lighting: Williams Sonoma

Seating Area Lighting: Circa Lighting

Range wall: Circa Lighting

Greiner selected black matte for the cabinet hardware and the pendant metal to coordinate with the dark soapstone island. Classic faucets in chrome with white handles complement the quartz marble countertops and marble backsplash. Photo: Katy Jo Caringer

Tranquil Transitional

Photography by Katy Jo Caringer

For this kitchen refresh, Julie Greiner, principal, and Kathy Siple, senior designer, at JRG Design, wanted to create a “functional, user-friendly kitchen while keeping it interesting and timeless,” Greiner says. “The soothing sage green cabinets with the timeless Carrara marble create a kitchen where you want to spend time!”

TOP KITCHEN DESIGN TIP:

Because the kitchen is a top spot for adding value to your home, Greiner says developing a realistic budget and being willing to splurge on an item or two is a great approach. “I suggest selecting an item or two to be the inspiration or ‘jewel pieces’ and design around those,” she says. “It’s important to make the remaining selections harmonious and ensure they don’t compete with the inspiration selections.”

Project Details

Design: JRG Design, 303.601.9544, jrgdesignllc.com

Cabinetry: Crystal Cabinet Works (existing, painted)

Backsplash: Carrara marble subway tiles, Natural Stone Sales Inc.

Countertops: Pental Quartz Misterio, Total Floors

Flooring: G3 Hardwood Flooring, Colorado Springs

Lighting: Urban Lights

“A white kitchen is a classic that some say will never go out of style,” Wilkinson says. “I tend to agree, but—let’s admit it—white can be a bit boring. So, having a color in the center of your kitchen layout, if it can accommodate an island, like this one, is a great way to add a grounding, gathering focal point to the room.”
Based on the clients’ original kitchen, it was clear to Wilkinson that the family needed a place for mail to drop, laptops and cell phones to be charged and meals to be planned. So, she resurrected a somewhat forgotten kitchen design element—the kitchen desk. Some older designs would tuck it away in its separate space, but here the desk is the same height as the rest of the perimeter cabinetry, so when it’s not in use as a desk, it can do double duty as additional prep space. “I also think that families like having a place for kids to do homework, where it’s visible to the active kitchen area in the mornings and evenings for supervision,” she says.
The countertop to ceiling backsplash is a significant design statement opportunity that Wilkinson took advantage of in this space.
Photos: Emily Minto Redfield

Casual & Inviting

Photography by Emily Minton Redfield

Dawn Wilkinson, owner and CEO of Six Walls Interior Design, won’t embark on a kitchen design project without a thorough design discussion with her clients. She needs to fully understand what currently isn’t working for the clients so she can create thoughtful solutions for workflow and storage problems. Along with Saori Teasley from Six Walls’ Seattle office, who provided all the technical drawings, she designed an NKBA Award-winning kitchen for these clients.

TOP KITCHEN DESIGN TIP:

Inventory and edit. When planning for a new or remodeled kitchen, Wilkinson says to ask yourself: “What do you need more of or less of? Think about countertop space, storage space, and how you like to cook and entertain in the space. Then you can be sure your new kitchen accommodates those needs. She also says drawers are easier to use and often have more accessible storage. “They cost a little more, but they are worth it, in my professional opinion.”

Project Details

Design: Six Walls Interior Design, 303.856.6610, six-walls.com

Cabinetry: Designed by Six Walls

Backsplash: Ann Sacks

Countertops: Arizona Tile

Flooring: White Oak

Incorporating an existing piece of furniture into the design is a great way to create a truly custom look. In this case, adding the dramatic tile backsplash from the floor to the tops of the cabinetry, calls attention to this unique space within the kitchen.
Cabinetry with inset door styles creates a furniture-style look. Mixing cabinetry with open shelving in a contrasting finish furthers that furniture feel.
Two cooks in the kitchen meant two full-sized sinks, as well as a large island and plenty of individual prep spaces around the perimeter cabinetry.
Although the sea of blue cabinetry might seem like a bold choice, Cindy Hellgren, operations manager for Thurston Kitchen + Bath, says, “Having all of the cabinetry match is a calm look overall that lets all of the other finishes such as glass cabinets, open shelves and backsplash tile stand out.” Photos: FotoImagery, Tim Murphy

Modern Farmhouse

Photography by FotoImagery, Tim Murphy

When Thurston Kitchen + Bath Aspen was hired for this kitchen project, they took into careful consideration that the homeowners would both be participating in the household cooking. That meant there needed to be ample space for moving around.

TOP KITCHEN DESIGN TIP:

In a space dominated by cabinetry, bring visual texture with tile, open shelving and other design elements.

Project Details

Design: Thurston Kitchen + Bath 303.399.4564, thurstonkb.com

Contractor: Timberline Construction

Cabinetry: Greenfield Cabinetry

Island Countertops: Honed marble

Perimeter Countertops: Quartz