Kitchen of the Week: Fun, Tropical and Contemporary
This casual kitchen near a California beach is full of geometric shapes, punches of color and other playful touches
Becky Harris
October 26, 2018
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
Photos by Ryan Garvin
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of five
Location: San Diego
Size: 168 square feet (16 square meters)
Designer: Carter Purcell of Carter Interior Concepts
“We funked it up a little bit but still made it friendly,” interior designer Carter Purcell says of this San Diego kitchen she designed for longtime clients. The young family of five, which loves to entertain and surf, was ready for a fresh style in its newly built house near the beach. “Rather than doing a traditional coastal look, they wanted to go with a more contemporary one,” Purcell says.
Geometric shapes, a mix of crisp white surfaces and warm wood, plus carefully selected colorful patterns drove the design. The kitchen is open to the living room and a dining area within a fairly compact space, so it needed to fit into a cohesive overall look. This photo shows the view from the living room directly into the kitchen.
Find a local interior designer on Houzz
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of five
Location: San Diego
Size: 168 square feet (16 square meters)
Designer: Carter Purcell of Carter Interior Concepts
“We funked it up a little bit but still made it friendly,” interior designer Carter Purcell says of this San Diego kitchen she designed for longtime clients. The young family of five, which loves to entertain and surf, was ready for a fresh style in its newly built house near the beach. “Rather than doing a traditional coastal look, they wanted to go with a more contemporary one,” Purcell says.
Geometric shapes, a mix of crisp white surfaces and warm wood, plus carefully selected colorful patterns drove the design. The kitchen is open to the living room and a dining area within a fairly compact space, so it needed to fit into a cohesive overall look. This photo shows the view from the living room directly into the kitchen.
Find a local interior designer on Houzz
An Attention-Grabbing Island
Purcell came up with a pleasing and simple palette of cross-cut white oak, white quartz, vein-cut limestone and matte black metal accents. But the lively pattern of the encaustic cement tiles on the island’s base was her first pick and the jumping-off point. It was also a great place to bring color into the space. “I do a lot of contrasting islands, but this was the first time I did it with tile,” Purcell says. “The island was the perfect place to showcase it.”
The island is sized to accommodate the entire family. Its cabinets provide plenty of storage as well as room for a microwave drawer.
Browse encaustic cement tile in the Houzz Shop
Purcell came up with a pleasing and simple palette of cross-cut white oak, white quartz, vein-cut limestone and matte black metal accents. But the lively pattern of the encaustic cement tiles on the island’s base was her first pick and the jumping-off point. It was also a great place to bring color into the space. “I do a lot of contrasting islands, but this was the first time I did it with tile,” Purcell says. “The island was the perfect place to showcase it.”
The island is sized to accommodate the entire family. Its cabinets provide plenty of storage as well as room for a microwave drawer.
Browse encaustic cement tile in the Houzz Shop
More Pattern Abounds
The dining area is located off the edge of the island. One of the other early choices was this large-scale palm frond wallcovering, which coordinates with the tile on the island and contributes to the playful vibe in the house. “The scale is so fun and perfect for a small space. We needed a ‘wow’ here,” Purcell says.
See more rooms with palm frond wallpaper
The dining area is located off the edge of the island. One of the other early choices was this large-scale palm frond wallcovering, which coordinates with the tile on the island and contributes to the playful vibe in the house. “The scale is so fun and perfect for a small space. We needed a ‘wow’ here,” Purcell says.
See more rooms with palm frond wallpaper
By placing the eye-catching pattern on the island and in the nook, Purcell was able to keep the walls simple and white. The counters are white quartz that extends seamlessly up the walls to meet the lowest open shelves (see where it ends by looking at the window frame). She carefully matched the white paint on the rest of the walls to the quartz.
Adding to the seamless appearance is the waterfall counter that extends down the side of the cabinetry. “Its simplicity is a more contemporary look and provides a nice color balance to use against the living room furniture,” Purcell says.
Adding to the seamless appearance is the waterfall counter that extends down the side of the cabinetry. “Its simplicity is a more contemporary look and provides a nice color balance to use against the living room furniture,” Purcell says.
This photo shows how the kitchen fits into the open floor plan. While Purcell wasn’t terribly concerned with avoiding a “kitchen-y” look, the open shelving lets the eye rest on accessories and art and keeps the walls looking light rather than loaded up with cabinetry. And placing the fridge over to the far side of the kitchen keeps it out of this view.
Design note: To accommodate plates and glasses, floating open shelves need to be able to hold a lot of weight. This means that installing them is no easy DIY project — it needs to be planned from the framing stage of construction. There’s a structural framework inside these walls to handle the weight.
Design note: To accommodate plates and glasses, floating open shelves need to be able to hold a lot of weight. This means that installing them is no easy DIY project — it needs to be planned from the framing stage of construction. There’s a structural framework inside these walls to handle the weight.
A Functional Layout
The kitchen has a strong work triangle, with the island providing workspace between the fridge, range and sink. The microwave in the island is across from the range.
More Geometry on the Floor
So far we’ve seen triangles on the island, strong horizontal lines in the counters, hardware and open shelves, and circular shapes in the furnishings and pendant lights. But one of the smartest geometric design moves is more subtle: The floor is composed of 18-by-20-inch hexagonal vein-cut limestone tile.
The kitchen has a strong work triangle, with the island providing workspace between the fridge, range and sink. The microwave in the island is across from the range.
More Geometry on the Floor
So far we’ve seen triangles on the island, strong horizontal lines in the counters, hardware and open shelves, and circular shapes in the furnishings and pendant lights. But one of the smartest geometric design moves is more subtle: The floor is composed of 18-by-20-inch hexagonal vein-cut limestone tile.
Other Details
The countertops are 2¼ inches thick, which gives them some heft next to the wood of the cabinets. The sink is a streamlined undermount that lends a contemporary look. Another smart detail was routing out recesses for puck lights beneath the open shelves to illuminate the counters. Purcell chose the hardware for the warmth the matte black finish offered over cooler metals and for the way the simple rectilinear profiles fit into the geometric play going on in the kitchen. The black also works well with the window frames.
Tip: When it comes to composing open shelves, Purcell advises keeping it simple. “For a more contemporary look, stick with glass and white and maybe a few little black accents,” she says.
Shop for black pulls and knobs
The countertops are 2¼ inches thick, which gives them some heft next to the wood of the cabinets. The sink is a streamlined undermount that lends a contemporary look. Another smart detail was routing out recesses for puck lights beneath the open shelves to illuminate the counters. Purcell chose the hardware for the warmth the matte black finish offered over cooler metals and for the way the simple rectilinear profiles fit into the geometric play going on in the kitchen. The black also works well with the window frames.
Tip: When it comes to composing open shelves, Purcell advises keeping it simple. “For a more contemporary look, stick with glass and white and maybe a few little black accents,” she says.
Shop for black pulls and knobs
This photo provides a good idea of how compact the first floor is. The dining area with the palm frond wallpaper is just out of frame to the right. “My clients have kids aged 4 to 12, and they love the house because it’s super fun,” Purcell says. She also made sure to use durable textiles and surfaces that can stand up to children. The home’s playful spirit and inviting comfort are a great match for the family’s attitude and beach location.
Takeaways
More
Kitchen Workbook: 12 Elements of Tropical-Style Kitchens
See more Kitchens of the Week
Find kitchen products on Houzz
Takeaways
- An island base can serve as a unique design opportunity.
- A simple and balanced materials palette will lend a contemporary look. Here, the use of so much white made the wood grain patterns in the cabinets and veining in the floors stand out.
- When planning a kitchen within a larger open floor plan, consider the views of it from the adjacent spaces.
- Play with scale — palm frond wallpapers are pretty common, but the large scale here is eye-catching and unusual.
- Extending countertop material cuts down on busyness and distraction so they eye can focus on other things. Here it extends up the backsplash and down the side of the cabinet run.
- Sometimes we forget about the puck light option. It’s a nice alternative to rope lighting under cabinets or shelves. Creating recesses for the lights in the bottom of the cabinets makes for a cleaner look.
More
Kitchen Workbook: 12 Elements of Tropical-Style Kitchens
See more Kitchens of the Week
Find kitchen products on Houzz
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I am fighting for wood cabinets in my house being rebuilt on St. John. What cabinets are these please? Also would like a source of the kitchen floor. Thanka
Those leafy designs from the walls and pillows almost make me imagine Hawaii. I can almost feel the light breeze circulating in the rooms. That is pretty impressive. The designs are a bit hypnotic in a fun and refreshing way.
I would love to know where you found the large-scale palm frond wallpaper (mural)?