Kitchen of the Week: Old Meets New in a Family Gathering Spot

Antique heart pine beams lend warmth and character to this modern farmhouse kitchen

Becky Harris May 3, 2019

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

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HwRenewal

Photos by David Cannon

Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A young family of four
Location: Loganville, Georgia
Size: 350 square feet (33 square meters)
Designer: Thomas Hayes of
HwRenewal

These Atlanta homeowners wanted to make better use of their kitchen and turn it into a central gathering spot for their family of four. They also were craving more light, a few dollops of color, interesting patinas and an updated design with nods to vintage style. So they looked up local design pros on Houzz and found Thomas Hayes of design-build firm HwRenewal.

Their home is a Craftsman-inspired newer build. At 350 square feet, the kitchen gave Hayes plenty of room to work with for the full renovation. He designed a classic U-shaped kitchen with a large open island in the middle, focusing on making it symmetrical and concentrating the storage in key areas instead of covering every wall with upper cabinets.

Modern Farmhouse Style

“We always start with Houzz ideabooks during the inspiration phase. That way we can sync up our ideas and communicate with captions,” Hayes says. He found out that the homeowners were drawn to modern farmhouse style and a mix of old and new. Together they came up with a balance of rustic, vintage-inspired and new elements.

The modern farmhouse elements in the room include Shaker-style cabinetry, unfussy light fixtures, vintage-inspired tile and custom wood touches on the ceiling beams, vent hood, open shelves and island. The rustic wood’s patina gives a sense of warmth and age to the room; almost all the wood was reclaimed from 100-year-old heart pine barn beams.

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Before Photo

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Before: This shot was taken from the adjacent family room. The kitchen did not get much natural light, and the finishes made it feel even darker. The upper cabinets visually lowered the ceiling. And the angled entry to the pantry was awkward. The space was generous, but quite a bit of it was wasted, including the large open area between the kitchen and the family room. Having eat-in areas at both the island and the table also wasn’t the most efficient use of space.

HwRenewal

Relocating Storage to Add Windows

This rendering lines up nicely with the “before” photo. By removing the upper cabinets on the left and back walls, Hayes was able to install additional windows, white tile up to the ceiling and open shelves. Along with painting the ceiling white, these changes made the ceiling feel higher and the room brighter.

Hayes made up for the loss of the upper cabinets with thoughtfully outfitted base cabinets and two areas of concentrated storage: the fridge storage area in the back right corner and the microwave storage area in the foreground on the left. This rendering also shows the reclaimed wood posts and beam that replaced the traditional columns. They delineate the edge of the kitchen and play off other reclaimed wood features in the new design.

HwRenewal

Five new windows wrap this corner and provide outdoor views. The white tile helps reflect the light and brightens up the walls. Swing-armed sconces also provide another layer of light.

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HwRenewal

Planning Around a Strong Focal Point

“Once we got rid of the upper cabinets, the house started to look more like a classic older home,” Hayes says. His layout sprang from a focal point on the range wall: a custom vent hood with a reclaimed wood detail and traditional corbels set against an eye-catching patterned tile. There’s also strong symmetry in the design — he centered the large open island, the ceiling beams and the pendant lights with drum shades on the range.

The island measures 9½ by 5 feet, and it protrudes into the space that was wasted before. The height of the island and the thickness of the countertop are more modern, but it has the traditional function of a kitchen table. “They eat most of their meals here, so it’s truly a gathering table at counter height, and this height allows it to double as a prep area,” Hayes says. The island’s countertop is Arctic White quartz.

Range: Miele

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HwRenewal

Here’s a closer look at the range wall. “The homeowner had a great sense of color. After getting a sense of what she would like, I gave her about 15 tile options to choose from,” Hayes says. This included patterns with faded colors that had a vintage feel. The aqua tones in this one pick up tones in the cabinet paint, and the darker color works well with the wood.

HwRenewal

Open shelves for everyday glassware and china flank the vent hood and reinforce the symmetry. These shelves are walnut, stained to match the reclaimed beams.

A white farmhouse sink by Kohler is another modern farmhouse touch.

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HwRenewal

The walls are tiled all the way up to the ceiling with elongated subway tiles (each 3 by 12 inches) composed in a herringbone pattern. The tile has an uneven, handmade look that works well with the rustic wood accents. And the herringbone pattern is more dynamic than the usual running bond pattern.

HwRenewal

Smart Storage Solutions

Within the symmetrical plan, Hayes was thoughtful about storage. He installed handy pullouts for herbs and oils on both sides of the range. The countertops above them are walnut butcher block — the homeowners can chop on them, no cutting boards required. The other perimeter countertops are Statuary Classique quartz. The cabinet doors next to these pullouts have rollout drawers for pots and pans.

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HwRenewal

Hayes made up for the loss of the upper cabinets by concentrating a lot of storage in two key spots in the kitchen. On this side of the room, the awkward angled pantry door is gone, replaced by a slim four-paneled door that matches the cabinetry. Open shelves have room to display cookbooks and other favorite items.

To the left of the pantry, Hayes suggested a countertop cabinet for its vintage feel. He painted the countertop cabinet and the cabinets on the two walls of concentrated storage a shade that’s subtly different from the base cabinets.

Paint: Gray Matters (base cabinets) and Silver Strand (countertop cabinet and storage wall cabinets), Sherwin-Williams

HwRenewal

This concentrated storage area takes the place of the table and chairs that were in this corner. It includes the microwave, an appliance garage and more storage for food, dishes and glasses. The cabinet doors have pullout drawers behind them.

This photo also shows a peek at the reclaimed heart pine posts and beam at the end of the kitchen.

HwRenewal

Takeaways

Repeat materials for continuity. In this kitchen, the reclaimed heart pine beams tie everything together.
A vent hood and range backsplash can provide a smashing focal point.
Thinking about whatever you need to grab when cooking — herbs, spices, oils, spatulas — will help you plan adjacent storage.
Concentrating storage will open up walls for windows, shelves and pretty tile.

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