Before and After: 4 Kitchens With Refreshing Blue Touches
See how blue tile and cabinetry bring energizing color to these kitchen remodels
If you want to add a bold stroke to your kitchen remodel, it’s hard to go wrong with the color blue. There are many ways to bring in your favorite sapphire shade. You can add watery blue accent tiles to create a casual beachside vibe. Or you can go with a dramatic azure island and banquette to anchor your entire kitchen. For more on those ideas and to see others, check out the before-and-after photos of these four kitchen remodels that feature refreshing blue touches.
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After: Elleman removed the corner fireplace to extend the new kitchen cabinets along the entire left wall of the room. A new convection and microwave oven occupies the site of the former fireplace. Taking advantage of the square footage in the room freed up space for a new center island.
The couple wanted a no-seat island where guests could still gather during get-togethers. To highlight the new island, the base is painted a bold blue.
“The island stands out because it has that brighter blue base, which makes it the main eye focal point of the kitchen,” Elleman says.
The couple wanted a no-seat island where guests could still gather during get-togethers. To highlight the new island, the base is painted a bold blue.
“The island stands out because it has that brighter blue base, which makes it the main eye focal point of the kitchen,” Elleman says.
The light blue arrowhead-shaped backsplash tile features grout with a bluish tint. The white textured melamine cabinets provide a fresh look with durability and create a clean backdrop for the backsplash. The blue mosaic tile coordinates with the island base color.
This photo also highlights the texture of the cabinet doors, which add visual interest to the kitchen. Warm bronze cabinet pulls complement the blues in the space.
Read more about this kitchen remodel
This photo also highlights the texture of the cabinet doors, which add visual interest to the kitchen. Warm bronze cabinet pulls complement the blues in the space.
Read more about this kitchen remodel
2. Beachside Blues
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 busy firefighter and single dad lives with his teenage daughter in this 920-square-foot, two-bedroom cottage near the beach in Capitola, California. He hired designer Shannon Demma to help update his kitchen’s 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.
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.
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 busy firefighter and single dad lives with his teenage daughter in this 920-square-foot, two-bedroom cottage near the beach in Capitola, California. He hired designer Shannon Demma to help update his kitchen’s 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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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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.”
Read more about this kitchen remodel
Read more about this kitchen remodel
3. Well-Placed Pops of Blue
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Michael and Lindsay Garea and their two young daughters
Location: Shelter Island, New York
Size: 330 square feet (31 square meters)
Designers: Caitlin Flynn and Elyse Parkhurst of North Fork Design
Before: These New Jersey homeowners found a house in an ideal location near their extended family, but the charming home built in 1981 needed major updating. At the top of their do-to list: a more user-friendly kitchen that would be part of a modern and open floor plan for casual entertaining. To do that, they hired designers Elyse Parkhurst and Caitlin Flynn, who created a bright, beach-inspired kitchen with great indoor-outdoor flow.
The previous kitchen featured a worn tile floor, dark wood cabinets, a mishmash of appliances and a large fluorescent ceiling light. The wall on the right closed the kitchen off completely to the living room. Not exactly the entertaining kitchen the homeowners were looking for.
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Michael and Lindsay Garea and their two young daughters
Location: Shelter Island, New York
Size: 330 square feet (31 square meters)
Designers: Caitlin Flynn and Elyse Parkhurst of North Fork Design
Before: These New Jersey homeowners found a house in an ideal location near their extended family, but the charming home built in 1981 needed major updating. At the top of their do-to list: a more user-friendly kitchen that would be part of a modern and open floor plan for casual entertaining. To do that, they hired designers Elyse Parkhurst and Caitlin Flynn, who created a bright, beach-inspired kitchen with great indoor-outdoor flow.
The previous kitchen featured a worn tile floor, dark wood cabinets, a mishmash of appliances and a large fluorescent ceiling light. The wall on the right closed the kitchen off completely to the living room. Not exactly the entertaining kitchen the homeowners were looking for.
After: The designers removed the wall between the kitchen and living room and replaced it with a peninsula, creating more connection between the two spaces.
They removed the old peninsula to fit in a new island and extended the wall cabinets to expand the size of the kitchen by 45 square feet. The island base is painted in a lovey shade of blue that pops against the white cabinets, countertop and bleached wood floors.
They removed the old peninsula to fit in a new island and extended the wall cabinets to expand the size of the kitchen by 45 square feet. The island base is painted in a lovey shade of blue that pops against the white cabinets, countertop and bleached wood floors.
The cozy breakfast area off the main work zone in the kitchen includes a built-in banquette with a blue upholstered bench. Assorted patterned pillows pick up the blue used for the bench cushion, the base of the island and accessories. The framed artwork on the wall brings in even more dashes of blue.
Read more about this kitchen remodel
Read more about this kitchen remodel
4. Brilliant Blue Banquette
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Josh and Maria Knox
Location: El Dorado Hills, California
Size: About 185 square feet (17 square meters)
Designers: Renee Jordan of Precision Cabinetry and Design (kitchen design) and Diana Westerberg of DW Designs (interior design)
Before: The curved floating soffit and dark teak cabinets and floors made the existing kitchen feel a bit too moody for these California homeowners. And they felt the awkwardly shaped island with its open cabinet on the end stuck out like a sore thumb.
The couple brought in kitchen designer Renee Jordan and interior designer Diana Westerberg, who reimagined the space in a lighter color palette and added a new L-shaped island with an attached banquette.
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Josh and Maria Knox
Location: El Dorado Hills, California
Size: About 185 square feet (17 square meters)
Designers: Renee Jordan of Precision Cabinetry and Design (kitchen design) and Diana Westerberg of DW Designs (interior design)
Before: The curved floating soffit and dark teak cabinets and floors made the existing kitchen feel a bit too moody for these California homeowners. And they felt the awkwardly shaped island with its open cabinet on the end stuck out like a sore thumb.
The couple brought in kitchen designer Renee Jordan and interior designer Diana Westerberg, who reimagined the space in a lighter color palette and added a new L-shaped island with an attached banquette.
After: After consulting with their design team, the couple decided to incorporate the soffit and existing skylight into the new design to avoid expensive structural changes.
Removing the existing island allowed room for a more user-friendly L-shaped island with attached banquette and custom cushion and pillows. The island design gives the family a comfortable, inviting spot for casual meals and doing homework on one side, with designated work zones on the kitchen side.
The lower maple cabinets feature a durable navy blue factory finish, while the upper cabinets have an alpine white finish. The two tones lighten things up and offer nice contrast to the chestnut-colored teak floor.
Removing the existing island allowed room for a more user-friendly L-shaped island with attached banquette and custom cushion and pillows. The island design gives the family a comfortable, inviting spot for casual meals and doing homework on one side, with designated work zones on the kitchen side.
The lower maple cabinets feature a durable navy blue factory finish, while the upper cabinets have an alpine white finish. The two tones lighten things up and offer nice contrast to the chestnut-colored teak floor.
This shows how the new island creates better traffic flow in and out of the kitchen. “The design of this kitchen is all about point of use, to make a space where more than one person can work in there without bumping into each other,” Jordan says.
Read more about this kitchen remodel
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Before and After: 4 Dreamy White-and-Wood Kitchens
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Dan and Katie Corrigan and their two young sons
Location: Northeast Washington, D.C.
Size: 370 square feet (34 square meters)
Designer: Carolyn Elleman of Case Design Remodeling
Before: These Washington, D.C., homeowners felt the awkward layout of their existing kitchen wasn’t taking advantage of the available square footage in the room. The couple looked to Houzz for inspiration and worked with designer Carolyn Elleman to rework the layout into a more functional galley-style arrangement.
The previous kitchen configuration didn’t maximize its full potential. Instead, a small family room area with a TV above a corner fireplace occupied one portion of it, while cabinets wrapped around the other end to form the compact kitchen.
The green walls, light brown oak cabinets and beige granite countertops weren’t helping things either and had to go.