Kitchen of the Week: Fun Beach Style for a Firefighter Dad
A designer helps a father and daughter create a new layout and add appliances, wood cabinets and a cool blue backsplash
Chris Harmount’s kitchen was falling apart to the point that, at night, he’d wonder if the cabinets would be intact in the morning. “I would go to bed wondering if my dishes would fall out one day,” he says.
The busy firefighter and single dad, who lives with his teenage daughter in a 920-square-foot, two-bedroom cottage near the beach in Capitola, California, hired designer Shannon Demma to help update the worn cabinets, funky range and hard-to-clean tile countertop. Demma created a more cook-friendly layout with new appliances and a fresh color palette inspired by the beach.
The busy firefighter and single dad, who lives with his teenage daughter in a 920-square-foot, two-bedroom cottage near the beach in Capitola, California, hired designer Shannon Demma to help update the worn cabinets, funky range and hard-to-clean tile countertop. Demma created a more cook-friendly layout with new appliances and a fresh color palette inspired by the beach.
After: Demma eliminated the short peninsula, which allowed her to extend the kitchen into the former dining area. This design move increased the size of the kitchen by 77 square feet and also freed up room for a hefty eat-in island that gives Harmount extra prep and storage space. “I wanted to be able to sit there and eat with my daughter,” he says. “And when I’m entertaining, it’s a place everyone can stand around.”
A new double-casement window brings in more natural light. The soothing blue wall paint (Borrowed Light by Farrow & Ball) also brightens the space and kicks off a watery, beachy theme. “It actually changes color significantly depending on the light of the day,” Harmount says.
Richly stained knotty hickory wood cabinets warm the otherwise cool palette. The floor is red oak.
Upgraded appliances include a freestanding black stainless steel refrigerator, black stainless dishwasher, pro-style 36-inch range, 24-inch flat-panel stainless microwave and built-in 46-bottle wine fridge. “I had a super cheapo, hand-me-down one in the garage before,” Harmount says. “Now the wine is right there when I entertain.”
Cabinets: Crystal Cabinets; pendants over the island: Swell in clear glass, Bicycle Glass; microwave drawer: Sharp; wine fridge: Newair
A new double-casement window brings in more natural light. The soothing blue wall paint (Borrowed Light by Farrow & Ball) also brightens the space and kicks off a watery, beachy theme. “It actually changes color significantly depending on the light of the day,” Harmount says.
Richly stained knotty hickory wood cabinets warm the otherwise cool palette. The floor is red oak.
Upgraded appliances include a freestanding black stainless steel refrigerator, black stainless dishwasher, pro-style 36-inch range, 24-inch flat-panel stainless microwave and built-in 46-bottle wine fridge. “I had a super cheapo, hand-me-down one in the garage before,” Harmount says. “Now the wine is right there when I entertain.”
Cabinets: Crystal Cabinets; pendants over the island: Swell in clear glass, Bicycle Glass; microwave drawer: Sharp; wine fridge: Newair
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A new 30-inch farmhouse sink sits under the window. “I just love that apron-style sink,” Harmount says. “No matter what I did with my kitchen, I knew I wanted one of those sinks.”
He gave the choice for countertops to his daughter, who chose a quartz in a cool gray with crisp white veining. “These counters allowed us to use a more interesting pattern on the backsplash,” Demma says.
Countertops: Alpine Mist, Caesarstone; sink: Nantucket Sinks; faucet: Align high-arc in chrome, Moen
He gave the choice for countertops to his daughter, who chose a quartz in a cool gray with crisp white veining. “These counters allowed us to use a more interesting pattern on the backsplash,” Demma says.
Countertops: Alpine Mist, Caesarstone; sink: Nantucket Sinks; faucet: Align high-arc in chrome, Moen
The backsplash includes sand-colored 3½-by-12-inch matte glass tiles with some watery-blue tiles inserted at random spots to bolster the beach theme. “We wanted to bring that oceanic, beach feel to this kitchen without being super overt about it,” Demma says. “Going with those two shades of tile also allowed us to break up a large wall of tile and add interest.”
Before: This photo shows the tight and awkward layout of the old kitchen. The commercial-grade range came with the house. “Once I was promoted to fire inspector, I looked and did some research and realized that thing didn’t belong there,” Harmount says. “But it sure boiled water very well.”
After: Eliminating the peninsula allowed Demma to add an extended run of cabinetry on the range wall and create countertop space on either side of the stove. “He had no counter space before, so this was huge,” Demma says. “We also left some room on both sides of the hood to give that area some breathing space and let the backsplash become a focal point.”
For Harmount, who discovered a love of cooking in high school when he took a home economics course, the new layout and range have made a world of difference. “Before, I couldn’t move left or right,” he says. “Now I have six burners and a hood that works. I’m not a huge baker, but having the electric oven is also so great.”
Range: Dacor
For Harmount, who discovered a love of cooking in high school when he took a home economics course, the new layout and range have made a world of difference. “Before, I couldn’t move left or right,” he says. “Now I have six burners and a hood that works. I’m not a huge baker, but having the electric oven is also so great.”
Range: Dacor
A lower cabinet to the left of the range features pullout tiered drawers that keep spices handy and organized. “The very bottom shelf has truffle oil, vermouth and anything else I use that’s tall for cooking as well,” Harmount says.
To the right of the range is a drawer with an integrated knife block and dividers for utensils. “I have an addiction to Japanese knives and other nice knives, so this keeps them off the counters but easily accessible and right there,” Harmount says.
Storage space inside a corner cabinet between the range and sink includes two chrome and maple pullouts.
Pullouts: LeMans II Set, Hafele America
Pullouts: LeMans II Set, Hafele America
This tall upper cabinet to the right of the sink is what Harmount calls his “baby pantry.” The door opens to reveal five adjustable shelves for cereals, flour, snacks and other dry goods. “I didn’t have pantry storage before; everything was in the garage,” he says. “Shannon [Demma] did such a great job with the layout. I have a full-size refrigerator and dishwasher in that corner, but it’s not cramped. And I’ve never had a dishwasher before, so this is great.”
The cabinet is a bit shallower and set back to help it blend more organically with the counter, Demma says.
The cabinet is a bit shallower and set back to help it blend more organically with the counter, Demma says.
This upper drawer on the island across from the range has dividers for large spoons, spatulas and other cooking utensils.
A shallow cabinet on the island side facing the refrigerator offers storage space for Harmount’s favorite liquors. “It’s amazing how much alcohol can be stored in a 6-inch-deep cabinet,” Demma says.
When it came time to choose seating for the island, Demma created an ideabook on Houzz and Harmount choose these rustic iron-and-wood swivel stools. “Those ideabooks are great,” Harmount says. “It was so helpful because she had me look at specific choices in my style.”
Stools: GDF Studio Shea
When it came time to choose seating for the island, Demma created an ideabook on Houzz and Harmount choose these rustic iron-and-wood swivel stools. “Those ideabooks are great,” Harmount says. “It was so helpful because she had me look at specific choices in my style.”
Stools: GDF Studio Shea
Before: This floor plan shows the cramped layout of the previous kitchen (top) and lack of countertop space.
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After: The improved layout gives Harmount and his daughter a better-functioning kitchen. “The whole thing just has a natural flow to it,” Harmount says.
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See more Kitchens of the Week
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Chris Harmount and his teenage daughter
Location: Capitola, California
Size: 179 square feet (17 square meters)
Designer: Shannon Demma of Urbana Design Studio
Before: A single small window over the sink in the existing kitchen hardly let in much Northern California sunshine. A short peninsula divided the space, creating a narrow 102-square-foot kitchen and a tight dining area.
The tile countertops, fading linoleum floor, funky range and, as mentioned, wood cabinets with falling-off doors didn’t hold much appeal for Harmount, who loves to cook. “He may have had the worst kitchen I have ever seen,” Demma says.
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