Kitchen of the Week: Industrial Charm in a New Craftsman
A designer helps a Houston couple find their style in a new build after Hurricane Harvey destroyed their home
This couple bought a starter home on a plot of land they loved in Houston, planning to eventually build a forever home there as their family grew — perhaps in five to 10 years. But Mother Nature had different plans. Located near a bayou, the house flooded beyond repair during Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and had to be demolished. The couple built a new Craftsman-inspired home on the land, this time with the living space raised high enough to withstand flooding. Interior designer Jacob Medina helped give the home a style he dubbed “industrial charm.” In the kitchen, this meant mixing refined elements like gray-green cabinets and polished granite counters with a vintage-looking exposed-brick wall and reclaimed antique doors.
2Scale Architects already had the kitchen laid out when Medina joined the project. He tweaked just a few things and helped the couple pick the finishes. “I love collaborating with these architects because they always include thoughtful details like the exposed-brick wall and the ceiling beams,” he says. The beams nod to the exterior’s Craftsman-inspired architecture and work well with the floors of reclaimed red oak. Knowing his clients’ tastes, Medina found a brick that’s a new product but has a rustic vintage look. The white that shows up on that wall coordinates with the white backsplash.
The island measures 8¼ by 5 feet, the right size for one large granite slab to serve as the top. The living-room-facing side seen here has additional storage. The dishwasher is on the other side of the island, next to the sink. Medina chose a trio of globe lanterns to go overhead. “Unless it’s a very modern space, I usually like to go oversize rather than too small when choosing lighting,” he says.
In addition to the range, there’s a convection oven on the left side of the kitchen. “It’s really good to have an additional oven when you plan on hosting Thanksgiving,” Medina says.
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The island measures 8¼ by 5 feet, the right size for one large granite slab to serve as the top. The living-room-facing side seen here has additional storage. The dishwasher is on the other side of the island, next to the sink. Medina chose a trio of globe lanterns to go overhead. “Unless it’s a very modern space, I usually like to go oversize rather than too small when choosing lighting,” he says.
In addition to the range, there’s a convection oven on the left side of the kitchen. “It’s really good to have an additional oven when you plan on hosting Thanksgiving,” Medina says.
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“The couple wanted to salvage what they could from their home,” Medina says. He was able to save their Wolf vent hood and had a new stainless steel cover fabricated for it. “We were all happy to be able to reuse this,” he says.
The cabinets are a lovely gray-green. “This house gets such good light and it moves across the kitchen — the cabinet color changes throughout the day,” Medina says.
He specified polished nickel and oil-rubbed bronze metal finishes as part of the industrial palette. “These finishes add warmth and go with the wine closet doors’ rustic look,” he says. “Brass or chrome would have pulled away from that.” The faucets and hardware are polished nickel and the light fixtures and other elements are oil-rubbed bronze.
Cabinet color: Unusual Gray, Sherwin-Williams
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The cabinets are a lovely gray-green. “This house gets such good light and it moves across the kitchen — the cabinet color changes throughout the day,” Medina says.
He specified polished nickel and oil-rubbed bronze metal finishes as part of the industrial palette. “These finishes add warmth and go with the wine closet doors’ rustic look,” he says. “Brass or chrome would have pulled away from that.” The faucets and hardware are polished nickel and the light fixtures and other elements are oil-rubbed bronze.
Cabinet color: Unusual Gray, Sherwin-Williams
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For the countertops, Medina suggested a granite with flecks of amethyst in it. “I just love purples and greens together,” he says.
The backsplash is composed of simple 4-by-4-inch white tiles. “We wanted to stay on budget and we already had subway tile in the bathroom,” the designer says. “I wanted to do something different in here.” The proportions of the square tiles also provide contrast to the rectangular proportions of the exposed bricks.
10 Reasons to Consider 4-by-4-Inch Tile
The backsplash is composed of simple 4-by-4-inch white tiles. “We wanted to stay on budget and we already had subway tile in the bathroom,” the designer says. “I wanted to do something different in here.” The proportions of the square tiles also provide contrast to the rectangular proportions of the exposed bricks.
10 Reasons to Consider 4-by-4-Inch Tile
“Having things zoned is the best way to go,” Medina says. An appliance garage conceals a coffee station outside of the work triangle. The wife is petite and was concerned she’d have to carry a ladder around the room to reach things. Medina came up with a better solution. The kitchen cabinets have two slim pullouts that contain built-in stepladders.
Placing the wine closet off to the side makes it easy to open bottles and serve drinks without getting in the cook’s way. “The wine closet makes the kitchen the fun space my clients wanted,” Medina says. It contains a counter for serving, a wine cooler, wine racks, shelves and a nugget ice maker — a homeowner must-have.
Browse white farmhouse sinks in the Houzz Shop
Browse white farmhouse sinks in the Houzz Shop
Medina originally specified industrial-looking blackened-iron-and-glass doors for the wine closet, but the price tag was high. “We were trying to keep to a budget, so I suggested we find something vintage instead,” he says. He sourced these doors at the famous Texas antique fair Round Top. The light wood, wrought iron scrolling and trim details make the wine closet a special and unique element of the kitchen.
Medina chose Sherwin-Williams’ Grizzle Gray for the wine closet’s interior because of its depth of color. “It has a lot of green and blue undertones,” he says.
Takeaways
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Medina chose Sherwin-Williams’ Grizzle Gray for the wine closet’s interior because of its depth of color. “It has a lot of green and blue undertones,” he says.
Takeaways
- Industrial style doesn’t have to be rusty and crusty. Mix in polished and clean-lined elements to elevate the look.
- When choosing a paint color, paint a sample swath and watch how it changes in the light throughout the day.
- If you’re petite or have high cabinets, a stepladder cabinet pullout is a wonderful feature to incorporate into a kitchen’s design.
- Place elements like coffee-tea-toaster stations, beverage refrigerators and bars outside of the work triangle for easy access and flow.
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who uses it: A couple who lost their home in Hurricane Harvey
Location: Houston
Size: 225 square feet (21 square meters)
Designers: Jacob Medina (interior design) and 2Scale Architects (architecture)
Contractor: Memory Builders
It’s a bit unorthodox to kick off a kitchen story with a photo of a home’s exterior, but in this case, seeing the Craftsman-inspired style of the new home helps put the kitchen design in context. The brick used on the steps and piers will make another appearance indoors.
The architects at 2Scale Architects designed the home, and it was built by Memory Builders. “This was a wonderful collaboration — we made the best team,” Medina says. He joined the project after the architectural plans were in place to help the homeowners create the interior style.
“I get to know my clients’ style by asking them to show me inspiration photos they like and by taking a design quiz,” Medina says. The answers give him insight into what they like and how they live — for example, if they like to throw parties. For these homeowners, the answer to the party question was a definite “yes,” and Medina saw that they were drawn to both polished traditional and industrial styles. They all started calling the renovation “Project Industrial Charm,” and the intent was to create a charming home that mixed traditional and polished elements with industrial and rustic finishes.
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