Kitchen of the Week: Bright Space With a Bold Blue Island
For soon-to-be empty nesters, a designer creates a white, wood and blue kitchen accented with woven textiles
With one son away at college and the other almost ready to leave the nest, this Washington, D.C.-area couple were ready to refresh their kitchen. “This kitchen had been well-used — it had been like Grand Central Station for my clients and their boys over the years,” interior designer Kirsten Kaplan says. “They had hosted many soccer team pizza dinners and other events here, and so it showed a lot of wear and tear. When their boys were older, they knew it was a safe time for a refresh.” Now the kitchen has a beautifully cohesive look accented by woven elements and pops of color inspired by a favorite poster.
After: Kaplan used paneling that matched the cabinetry on the range hood, refrigerator and dishwasher for a uniform look. The kitchen cabinetry is from the Elmwood series by Cabico Custom Cabinetry. The finish on the cabinet hardware is matte black.
By replacing the microwave over the range with a microwave drawer in the island, Kaplan made room for a gracious range backsplash and custom vent hood. She extended the marble-like polished quartz she used on the countertops up the backsplash wall. “This quartz has a beautiful veining pattern and it was nice to have this expanse to really show it off,” she says. She hid the electrical outlets underneath the upper cabinets so they wouldn’t break up the veining pattern.
Quartz: Calacatta Laza polished, MSI; cabinet hardware: Top Knobs; perimeter cabinet color: Dove White, Cabico Custom Cabinetry
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By replacing the microwave over the range with a microwave drawer in the island, Kaplan made room for a gracious range backsplash and custom vent hood. She extended the marble-like polished quartz she used on the countertops up the backsplash wall. “This quartz has a beautiful veining pattern and it was nice to have this expanse to really show it off,” she says. She hid the electrical outlets underneath the upper cabinets so they wouldn’t break up the veining pattern.
Quartz: Calacatta Laza polished, MSI; cabinet hardware: Top Knobs; perimeter cabinet color: Dove White, Cabico Custom Cabinetry
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“My client loves blue and she fell in love with this poster when we were searching for art,” says Kaplan, who anchored the space with a deep blue island inspired by a color in the poster. “It makes for a much prettier focal point,” she says. She accentuated the island with warm brass cabinet pulls that also pull in hues from the poster.
The island measures 39 by 100 inches. Functional features include a prep sink, trash pullout, smarter storage and electrical outlets.
Globe pendants: Regina Andrew; island color: Polo Blue, Cabico Custom Cabinetry; cabinet hardware: Top Knobs
The island measures 39 by 100 inches. Functional features include a prep sink, trash pullout, smarter storage and electrical outlets.
Globe pendants: Regina Andrew; island color: Polo Blue, Cabico Custom Cabinetry; cabinet hardware: Top Knobs
Before: The floors had a lot of red tones in them. Kaplan had them refinished in a more neutral hue.
After: “My client was worried that getting rid of the glass block would make the kitchen too dark,” Kaplan says. But using a bright color palette and adding more ceiling lights to the room made the new kitchen brighter than the old one.
The designer furnished the existing breakfast nook with an extendable oval dining table by Tritter Feefer and dining chairs by Woodbridge Furniture. And textiles played a large role here. She gave the window seat a new cushion that plays off the island color and chose other fabrics that incorporated colors like persimmon, blue and gold from the poster. She customized the caned dining chairs with a fabric by Thibaut.
“The window treatment was a really important part of the space,” Kaplan says. “With all of these hard surfaces like counters, cabinets and appliances, it’s important to add softness.” The woven pattern’s verticality inspired her to subtly repeat other woven and vertical elements. These include the caned chairs, light fixtures with vertical candles, vertical hardware for the upper cabinets and vertical accents on the range hood.
Wall paint: White Dove, Benjamin Moore; matchstick blinds: Montgomery Blinds; lantern: E.F. Chapman Darlana small linear lantern, Visual Comfort
The designer furnished the existing breakfast nook with an extendable oval dining table by Tritter Feefer and dining chairs by Woodbridge Furniture. And textiles played a large role here. She gave the window seat a new cushion that plays off the island color and chose other fabrics that incorporated colors like persimmon, blue and gold from the poster. She customized the caned dining chairs with a fabric by Thibaut.
“The window treatment was a really important part of the space,” Kaplan says. “With all of these hard surfaces like counters, cabinets and appliances, it’s important to add softness.” The woven pattern’s verticality inspired her to subtly repeat other woven and vertical elements. These include the caned chairs, light fixtures with vertical candles, vertical hardware for the upper cabinets and vertical accents on the range hood.
Wall paint: White Dove, Benjamin Moore; matchstick blinds: Montgomery Blinds; lantern: E.F. Chapman Darlana small linear lantern, Visual Comfort
The woven wire mesh in the coffee station’s glass door was also inspired by the woven window treatment. “I often like to extend a cabinet down to the counter at the end of a cabinet run. It provides a nice finished look,” Kaplan says. “The glass door adds a clean touch and the wire mesh adds a decorative touch. Yet you can still see that this is a coffee station.” Beneath it is a beverage refrigerator, so it’s easy to grab the milk and cream in the morning.
Matte black faucets match the cabinet hardware and add dramatic contrast in the light kitchen.
Faucets: Delta
Shop for matte black kitchen faucets
Matte black faucets match the cabinet hardware and add dramatic contrast in the light kitchen.
Faucets: Delta
Shop for matte black kitchen faucets
Kaplan customized counter stools from Woodbridge Furniture by upholstering the seats in a leather from Moore & Giles and the backs in a windowpane plaid. The oval backs play off the curves of the oval dining table and the globe pendant lights.
Browse counter stools in the Houzz Shop
Browse counter stools in the Houzz Shop
“The shallow cabinet on the left is next to the dining room — I set it back so that people wouldn’t hit it as they walked into the room,” Kaplan says. “This spot serves as a landing station for mail and keys.” The cabinet has an outlet inside for charging devices.
Takeaways
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Takeaways
- Consider panel-front appliances for a uniform look.
- Install a microwave drawer to free up room over the range for something more attractive.
- Show off a countertop’s beautiful veining by extending it up the backsplash.
- Hide electrical outlets in strips installed underneath upper cabinets and place device-charging outlets in a cabinet.
- Use a favorite piece of artwork to inspire a color palette.
Read more stories about blue kitchens
Browse kitchen photos
Hire a kitchen remodeler
Shop for kitchen products
Kitchen at a Glance
Who uses it: A family of four
Location: Washington, D.C., area
Size: 300 square feet (28 square meters)
Designer: Kirsten Kaplan of Haus Interior Design
Cabinet design: Stephanie Fried of Jack Rosen Custom Kitchens
Before: The scale of the refrigerator overwhelmed the room and broke up the cabinetry too much. “Even in a good-size kitchen like this one, it’s important not to break up the continuity of the cabinetry with the appliances too much,” Kaplan says. “And the glass-block wall behind the cooking surface was a dated homage to the 1980s.”
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