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There was a lot these homeowners liked about their 2002 Spanish-style kitchen: the overall layout, rich stone tile flooring, decorative wood ceiling beams and its pro-style appliances. But overly ornate details on the cabinets, backsplash tile and green granite countertops didn’t fit their desired style. The couple lived in the home for a few years before the husband decided to gift his wife a kitchen remodel for her birthday.
They hired designer Sarah West to help them create a timeless look and feel with cleaner lines and an organic modern style. West responded by pairing custom rift-cut white oak cabinets and several greige upper cabinets with creamy white walls for a warm atmosphere that complements the earthy tones in the stone flooring and new zellige backsplash tile. A furniture-style island has seating on three sides for face-to-face conversation. A large plaster range hood offers clean lines, softened by an elegantly arched window.
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4. You’re Renovating an Old House
From outdated building codes to unusual historic design elements, updating an older house is a challenge that requires a special touch. An experienced kitchen designer can help you navigate this tricky process smoothly.
When kitchen designer Sarah Robertson of Studio Dearborn remodeled this historic Scarsdale, New York, Colonial kitchen, she had to balance design elements from the earliest portion of the home — dating back to the early 19th century — with an addition completed in the 1920s. The finished space nods to the home’s rich history while incorporating fresh, modern touches.
The Hidden Problems in Old Houses
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With six kids, these homeowners needed a high-functioning kitchen that could keep pace with busy meals and large gatherings. But their existing kitchen with its confined layout and lack of storage and style wasn’t cutting it. After meeting and hiring design-build professionals Richard and Monica Ryder, they decided a major overhaul with an addition was the way to go.
The Ryders expanded the home into what was once a deck to create a new living room. That allowed them to knock down walls and open up the kitchen footprint into the former living room to create an open-plan concept that breezily connects the new kitchen, dining and living spaces. It also freed up room for a large kitchen island that seats six. A mix of soft white and light gray cabinets and marble-look quartz countertops establishes a fresh and clean look. Wood flooring and hand-hewn wood ceiling beams add warmth. And a built-in coffee station ensures that the homeowners are well-caffeinated to manage the lively household.
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Before Photo
Photos by Blackstock Photography
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of four
Location: Mendham Township, New Jersey
Size: 336 square feet (31 square meters)
Designer: Alison Griffin of Griffin Designs
Before: The house is set perpendicular to a fairly busy road. The home’s front entrance, pictured here to the right of the windows, opens to a side yard.
The room — which previously contained only living and dining spaces and now also houses the kitchen — extends from this side of the house to the other in one open space. This photo looks toward the dining and family room areas. The other end of the room, which was not photographed before the remodel, contained a rarely used sitting area with expansive views of a dense forest preserve.
The room’s ceilings were just 7⅓ feet, which made the space dark. “This is such a large, long space, which made the ceilings seem even lower,” Griffin says.
The original kitchen was on the other side of the house, in a back corner. “That kitchen was small and cramped,” Griffin says. The homeowners wanted to move the kitchen to this side of the house.
This dining table, with its wood top and metal legs, was a good fit for the new city loft look and was kept.
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Take an Inventory
I recommend reviewing all of the food prep and other kitchen tools you currently own. This might be a good time to pare down items that are unnecessary, impractical or rarely used.
When planning your new kitchen, make sure there’s enough storage for all the kitchenware you plan to keep. Measure the dimensions of bulky items such as pressure cookers, stockpots, large serving trays and platters, tall drink dispensers and party-size serving bowls to make sure your new cabinets can accommodate them. If possible, designate a permanent home for all of your kitchen supplies before your plans are completed.
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After: LaFreniere replaced the cooktop and wall ovens with a sleek 36-inch Bertazzoni induction range centered on the back wall. The countertop material extends up the wall to create a range backsplash, terminating with a narrow shelf in the same material, and above it is a custom hood that blends in with the wall color (Sherwin-Williams’ Greek Villa). Although the home is equipped with gas, the environmentally aware homeowners preferred induction because of its energy efficiency. They also opted to sand and stain the existing red oak floors rather than replace them.
Meanwhile, LaFreniere tackled the countertop clutter from the inside out.
“When I do kitchens, I focus on what’s inside of the cabinet,” she says. “I go through the homeowners’ small appliances, every pot, every utensil, spices [and] Tupperware and really make sure that there’s a place for everything.”
On one side of the range is a utensil pullout with a knife block and towel storage, and on the other side is a spice pullout. LaFreniere eliminated the lazy Susan. “I don’t do corner cabinets,” she says. “I find them to be completely useless, no matter whether a lazy Susan or the kidney pullouts. I just leave them empty.”
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There were a number of reasons this Massachusetts couple purchased their Colonial Shingle-style home in 2004. But the kitchen wasn’t one of them. The space was a good size and included a breakfast area, but a tiny island without seating, a cramped appliance setup and dark and dated finishes didn’t give these foodies the stylish and welcoming kitchen they dreamed of.
Parents of three now-grown sons, the couple were finally ready to make serious changes. They hired designer Jodi Swartz to help improve both function and style. While the overall layout stayed mostly the same, two-tone custom cabinets in a classic white for the perimeter and a robin’s-egg blue for the expansive island give the kitchen a fresh look. A dual-fuel range in a soft shade of blue and blue backsplash tiles complement the island. Touches of black add dramatic contrast. Elegant marble countertops, warm oak flooring and a cozy seating area near a fireplace elevate the kitchen with timeless appeal.
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Save by: Calculating Carefully
To be able to spend more on quality materials, think about how you can save on things such as delivery charges. “If you can, do your utility room at the same time as your kitchen from the same supplier,” Patey says. “It will save money on delivery, installation and countertops.
“Also, always go for wider cabinets over narrower for both kitchen and utility,” he adds. “Fewer wide cabinets are not only more useful, they’re cheaper per linear [foot].”
A knowledgeable kitchen designer will be able to guide you through the choices that suit your needs. “We know the right questions to ask to ensure you buy only what you need and what you’ll use,” Berry says. “Talking through the features and benefits of every appliance, fixture and fitting avoids overbuying.”
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When this family of four relocated from Florida to Tempe, Arizona, it loved the natural setting of its equestrian community. But the home it moved into, custom-built in 2008, contained some oddities. The kitchen was the main concern. The location didn’t make sense within the overall layout of the home. And a massive, angled, two-tiered island broke up the floor plan in an unusual way and impeded traffic flow. Meanwhile, large beige floor tiles and basic granite countertops made the style look dated.
Wanting a more open and streamlined layout for entertaining guests, as well as a style that looked fresh and better suited to the Southwest, the homeowners hired designer Kimberley Worswick to spearhead a major overhaul. Worswick rethought the layout, moving the location of the kitchen to the dining room. She ditched the angled peninsula in favor of a large open-base island that can seat 10 people. Another, more standard island now sits in the main kitchen area and has additional seating, storage and the main sink, which creates an efficient work triangle. White-and-wood cabinets, zellige-look ceramic backsplash tile and Mediterranean-style pendant lights deliver an airy and welcoming style that nods to the home’s surroundings.
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7. Invisible Induction Cooktops
SKS — formerly known as Signature Kitchen Suite — made a splash at KBIS with this kitchen island with a hidden induction cooktop and pop-up downdraft ventilation system. When not in use, the vent is flush with the countertop and the cooktop blends in with the counter’s wood grain finish, leaving a nearly seamless expanse of functional prep space.
This island is still in development, but invisible induction technology is already available to consumers. For example, the already-available outdoor Cosmopolitan kitchen from Danver, which was also on display at KBIS, is prepped to fit Invisacook induction burners.
While invisible induction admittedly is more niche and high-tech than some of the simple features mentioned previously, as it becomes more widespread, it could be a game changer — particularly in compact kitchens, since it effectively reclaims a cooktop’s width of countertop.
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