Kitchen of the Week: Bright, Elegant and Party-Friendly
Two designers help a Connecticut family create a modern-farmhouse space for serious entertaining and cooking up a storm
When a Weston, Connecticut, couple with two young children bought their 1990s modern-farmhouse home, they were attracted to its tree-lined location at the end of a well-manicured cul-de-sac. But after living with the fussy kitchen and its basic off-the-shelf cabinets for a couple of years, they were ready for a fresher, cleaner space.
Since the wife has worked in the restaurant industry and really enjoys cooking, she wanted a user-friendly kitchen with professional-style appliances. Because the couple love to entertain, they also needed an efficient layout suited to hosting large parties. The homeowners asked interior designer Tyler Constanda, whom they had worked with on a previous home, to help them create an elegant look that mixes modern and traditional design elements in a family-friendly space.
The clients and Constanda brought in kitchen designer Christine Donner to redo the layout and help in the selection of appliances. Together they, along with builder Russ Schif, created a functional and timeless kitchen with activity zones that make party time a breeze.
Since the wife has worked in the restaurant industry and really enjoys cooking, she wanted a user-friendly kitchen with professional-style appliances. Because the couple love to entertain, they also needed an efficient layout suited to hosting large parties. The homeowners asked interior designer Tyler Constanda, whom they had worked with on a previous home, to help them create an elegant look that mixes modern and traditional design elements in a family-friendly space.
The clients and Constanda brought in kitchen designer Christine Donner to redo the layout and help in the selection of appliances. Together they, along with builder Russ Schif, created a functional and timeless kitchen with activity zones that make party time a breeze.
After: The overall footprint of the kitchen remained basically the same, but one of Donner’s first priorities was cleaning up the fuss. This photo (taken from about the same angle as the previous photo) shows how she removed the bay window and replaced it with five new insulated casement windows with black frames, which let in more natural light and offer better views of the backyard.
She also eliminated the upper cabinets around the sink to help lighten the feel. “You can have bare walls if you plan accordingly,” Donner says. “One of the most successful elements in this space is restraint. You can compensate for removing the upper cabinets if you have the base cabinets do more, to hold stuff the wall cabinets would usually hold.”
The new hardworking custom paint-grade maple cabinets and drawers include heavyweight doors and brass hardware with a satin finish. Rollouts and dividers inside make the cabinets user-friendly and organized. Constanda painted the cabinets a soothing warm gray (Worsted by Farrow & Ball). “There has to be a warmth when you have a kitchen this large,” she says. She used a custom soft taupe color for the walls.
Custom cabinets: Craft-Maid Kitchens
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She also eliminated the upper cabinets around the sink to help lighten the feel. “You can have bare walls if you plan accordingly,” Donner says. “One of the most successful elements in this space is restraint. You can compensate for removing the upper cabinets if you have the base cabinets do more, to hold stuff the wall cabinets would usually hold.”
The new hardworking custom paint-grade maple cabinets and drawers include heavyweight doors and brass hardware with a satin finish. Rollouts and dividers inside make the cabinets user-friendly and organized. Constanda painted the cabinets a soothing warm gray (Worsted by Farrow & Ball). “There has to be a warmth when you have a kitchen this large,” she says. She used a custom soft taupe color for the walls.
Custom cabinets: Craft-Maid Kitchens
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Before: This view of the original kitchen shows the curved island, which, given the ample floor space, wasn’t living up to its full potential.
The homeowners bought the
stainless Sub-Zero refrigerator a year before the renovation and wanted to incorporate it into the new kitchen.
The homeowners bought the
stainless Sub-Zero refrigerator a year before the renovation and wanted to incorporate it into the new kitchen.
After: The refrigerator moved a few inches closer to the window wall to make room for a built-in Miele coffee center to its left. Drawers below store coffee, mugs, cereal and snacks.
A new 6-by-10-foot walnut island includes a spacious Imperial Danby marble countertop, a prep sink and seating on three sides.
The side of the island facing the refrigerator includes two 30-inch-wide cabinets with rollout shelves and divided drawers for cooking equipment, plus two paneled refrigerator drawers designed to give the kids easy access to snacks.
Two custom glass-and-metal pendant lights over the island coordinate with the two antiqued brass library lights over the windows.
Library lights: Visual Comfort
A new 6-by-10-foot walnut island includes a spacious Imperial Danby marble countertop, a prep sink and seating on three sides.
The side of the island facing the refrigerator includes two 30-inch-wide cabinets with rollout shelves and divided drawers for cooking equipment, plus two paneled refrigerator drawers designed to give the kids easy access to snacks.
Two custom glass-and-metal pendant lights over the island coordinate with the two antiqued brass library lights over the windows.
Library lights: Visual Comfort
Pullout baskets to the right of the fridge store bread, potatoes and onions. This photo also shows the built-in paper towel holder on the island.
The backsplash is a soft white ceramic tile handmade in Italy. “I love these tiles because they’re not flat and they have a movement to them and feel very organic,” Constanda says.
The backsplash is a soft white ceramic tile handmade in Italy. “I love these tiles because they’re not flat and they have a movement to them and feel very organic,” Constanda says.
Tall cabinets with a gold mesh grille on the doors stand in each corner of the sink wall, and each has an 18-inch-deep appliance garage at the bottom. “They have bifold doors that collapse against the wall,” Donner says. “They’re major parts of this kitchen that capture all the stuff that would be on the counters otherwise. The client really wanted to get rid of all the clutter. I measured her toaster, her food processor and everything else to make sure it all fit.”
A white farmhouse sink under the windows is used mainly for washing up. Two paneled Miele dishwashers flank the sink.
The 36-inch stainless steel sink in the island is used for food prep and features an articulating arm faucet and inner ledge for accessories such as a cutting board and strainer. “This one is directly across from the range, so you need less steps when cooking,” says Donner, who also placed a double pullout waste unit and steam oven on this “hot zone” side of the island.
The faucets on the two sinks are the same style (Litze by Brizo) but have different finishes: luxe gold for the window wall and matte black and luxe gold for the island.
The same marble on the island was used for the perimeter countertops and the low backsplash along the window wall.
Island sink: Workstation, The Galley Brands
The 36-inch stainless steel sink in the island is used for food prep and features an articulating arm faucet and inner ledge for accessories such as a cutting board and strainer. “This one is directly across from the range, so you need less steps when cooking,” says Donner, who also placed a double pullout waste unit and steam oven on this “hot zone” side of the island.
The faucets on the two sinks are the same style (Litze by Brizo) but have different finishes: luxe gold for the window wall and matte black and luxe gold for the island.
The same marble on the island was used for the perimeter countertops and the low backsplash along the window wall.
Island sink: Workstation, The Galley Brands
Constanda had the wide-plank red oak floors refinished during the renovation. “The existing wood floors were beautiful, but we wanted a warmer color than what was there before,” she says. “We restained the floors in the entire first floor of the home.”
Before: The homeowners thought the existing range area felt crowded.
After: Removing the upper cabinets in the cooking zone allowed a new Lacanche range to shine. Donner designed the black powder-coated metal hood with brushed gold bands. “The hood helps add weight to this side of the kitchen,” she says. “It’s 60 inches wide, wider than the range, to capture smoke and give it some prominence.”
A spice drawer and divided drawers for utensils, pot holders and other cooking essentials sit to the right of the range.
A spice drawer and divided drawers for utensils, pot holders and other cooking essentials sit to the right of the range.
This nearby table area gives the family an easy and stylish space for casual meals and arts and crafts for the kids. “Because of the children, we knew the space had to be strong,” Constanda says. “Everything there was meant to be kid-friendly.”
The custom live-edge oak table with iron legs and a lacquer finish easily wipes clean, as do the Lucite chairs, and performance fabric covers the bench. A framed vintage poster adds color and visual interest.
The open doorway to the left connects to the family room, while the doorway to the right opens to a home office with canary yellow walls.
The custom live-edge oak table with iron legs and a lacquer finish easily wipes clean, as do the Lucite chairs, and performance fabric covers the bench. A framed vintage poster adds color and visual interest.
The open doorway to the left connects to the family room, while the doorway to the right opens to a home office with canary yellow walls.
Constanada opened up a previously enclosed butler’s pantry to create a glamorous open bar that gives guests a spot to grab a drink and gather outside of the main work areas. “It was the husband’s idea from day one when they purchased the house,” Constanda says.
The jet black area includes a sink, large wine cooler, open glass shelves suspended by brass rods and an acid-washed metal countertop.
The white door leads to the dining room.
Metal countertop and integral sink: Focal Metals
The jet black area includes a sink, large wine cooler, open glass shelves suspended by brass rods and an acid-washed metal countertop.
The white door leads to the dining room.
Metal countertop and integral sink: Focal Metals
A walk-in pantry off the kitchen in a hallway to the mudroom gives the family extra storage for dry goods. The space includes a microwave, open cubbies, a backsplash of handmade ceramic tile and a rich walnut counter with a matte sealant, or “boat finish,” that protects the wood from moisture and staining.
Before: This floor plan of the pre-renovation kitchen shows how the curved island created narrow traffic lanes between work zones and left a large empty space in the middle of the room.
After: New windows brought in more light and a larger island capitalized on what had been wasted space. The open bar area is at the bottom right; the dining area is above it.
“This kitchen was very much organized according to function,” Donner says. “It’s about zones of activity, with spaces for cleanup, a snack zone and the cooking zone. It’s all about making it so people don’t bump into each other while working in the kitchen.”
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“This kitchen was very much organized according to function,” Donner says. “It’s about zones of activity, with spaces for cleanup, a snack zone and the cooking zone. It’s all about making it so people don’t bump into each other while working in the kitchen.”
More on Houzz
Read more kitchen stories
Hire a kitchen remodeler
Shop for kitchen products
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two young children
Location: Weston, Connecticut
Size: 550 square feet (51 square meters)
Designers: Tyler Constanda of TC Designs (interior design) and Christine Donner Kitchen Design (layout)
Builder: Russ Schif of Waverly Construction
Before: The couple took issue with the existing basic cabinets and their fussy country-style detailing, heavy appearance and uppers that didn’t go all the way to the ceiling. Other irritations included the two different types of darkly mottled granite countertops, the bay window and the gray walls. “The homeowners really wanted a brighter kitchen, to see all the beautiful trees and have the outside be part of the kitchen,” Constanda says.
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