Kitchen Design
Gray Cabinets and a Wood-Wrapped Fireplace Update a Downtown Loft
The kitchen peninsula is jazzed up with custom wallpaper made using a photo from the homeowners’ Amsterdam honeymoon
Soon after demolishing their kitchen in the downtown loft condo they had just moved into, this Buffalo, New York, couple realized they needed more design help than what they were getting through their cabinet manufacturer.
After searching on Houzz for a designer in Buffalo, they found Raelyn Woltz of West End Interiors and hired her to help make sense of the cabinet layout and choose colors, materials and lighting that would complement the loft without looking too much like an industrial factory.
They were so pleased with the kitchen results that when it was done, they hired Woltz to make over their living room as well.
After searching on Houzz for a designer in Buffalo, they found Raelyn Woltz of West End Interiors and hired her to help make sense of the cabinet layout and choose colors, materials and lighting that would complement the loft without looking too much like an industrial factory.
They were so pleased with the kitchen results that when it was done, they hired Woltz to make over their living room as well.
Before: Because Woltz came to the kitchen project after the old kitchen was demolished, she wasn’t able to take any “before” photos. But this photo shows another unit in the building with a near-identical kitchen to the couple’s existing one.
Woltz’s clients weren’t happy with the basic oak cabinets and other standard materials, which didn’t feel like they belonged in the former warehouse.
Woltz’s clients weren’t happy with the basic oak cabinets and other standard materials, which didn’t feel like they belonged in the former warehouse.
Woltz made the cabinets double-stacked, taking advantage of the tall ceilings, and introduced open shelves in one area to avoid an angled corner cabinet. She also added the cabinets over the fridge to include storage for cookbooks, special glasses and wine bottles. She kept the fridge, range, microwave and track lighting.
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The homeowners originally thought they might want a really light color for the cabinets, but Woltz encouraged them to consider something darker given the amount of sunlight the unit gets. “I was worried a light color would be blinding,” she says. The warm undertone, she adds, keeps the kitchen from veering too far into feeling like a cold commercial factory rather than a casual industrial condo.
To contrast with the dark cabinet color, Woltz stuck to white surfaces for the countertops and backsplash. The homeowners wanted subway tile from the beginning, but Woltz suggested laying it in a different pattern to give it a “softer feel” to balance the edgier industrial elements.
To contrast with the dark cabinet color, Woltz stuck to white surfaces for the countertops and backsplash. The homeowners wanted subway tile from the beginning, but Woltz suggested laying it in a different pattern to give it a “softer feel” to balance the edgier industrial elements.
Woltz couldn’t move any plumbing because the fifth-floor unit’s drainpipes are all connected to the floors below and embedded in concrete. “It’s really hard to move anything,” she says.
Before: After the kitchen was finished, the homeowners hired Woltz to help make their living area more complementary to the redone kitchen.
Everyone agreed that the fireplace had to change. “The proportions were off,” Woltz says. “Only part of the surround was tiled and the rest was drywall. The wood mantel was super traditional and didn’t match the space at all.”
Everyone agreed that the fireplace had to change. “The proportions were off,” Woltz says. “Only part of the surround was tiled and the rest was drywall. The wood mantel was super traditional and didn’t match the space at all.”
After: Woltz widened the fireplace and added about 8 inches in depth, then wrapped it in poplar boards stained to look like walnut. “It’s an inexpensive alternative to using actual walnut,” she says.
Woltz had the contractor install built-in cabinetry on either side. To distinguish the room from the kitchen, she painted the built-ins black and used marble for the countertops and slab backsplashes.
The mantel is poplar painted black and wraps around to become thick poplar shelves stained the same color as the fireplace boards. “We made the shelves thicker because the tall room called for something more substantial,” Woltz says. “The room can handle a lot.”
Woltz and the homeowners were trying to think of creative ideas for the back of the peninsula, at left, because of its closeness to the living area. “We didn’t want to just do a paneled back or leave it unfinished,” she says.
The mantel is poplar painted black and wraps around to become thick poplar shelves stained the same color as the fireplace boards. “We made the shelves thicker because the tall room called for something more substantial,” Woltz says. “The room can handle a lot.”
Woltz and the homeowners were trying to think of creative ideas for the back of the peninsula, at left, because of its closeness to the living area. “We didn’t want to just do a paneled back or leave it unfinished,” she says.
They ended up creating a custom wallpaper using a photo the couple took while in Amsterdam on their honeymoon. She purchased the stools on Houzz.
Woltz selected new furniture and created a new layout for it as well. A velvet sofa and tweed daybed lounge join ottomans (purchased on Houzz, along with the coffee table) for functional seating.
Hunter sofa and Hunter daybed: Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams; lights: West End Interiors; ottomans: Contemporary in white, Coaster Home Furnishings
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More on Houzz
How to Decorate a Living Room: 11 Designer Tips
How to Refresh Your Kitchen on Any Budget
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Hunter sofa and Hunter daybed: Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams; lights: West End Interiors; ottomans: Contemporary in white, Coaster Home Furnishings
Shop for ottomans and footstools
More on Houzz
How to Decorate a Living Room: 11 Designer Tips
How to Refresh Your Kitchen on Any Budget
Find an interior designer
Get home design ideas
Shop for products
Kitchen and Living Room at a Glance
Location: Buffalo, New York
Who lives here: A married couple — he’s in insurance, she runs a retirement center
Size: About 900 square feet (84 square meters) for the kitchen and living room
Designer: Raelyn Woltz of West End Interiors