Kitchen of the Week: Warm and Modern in Maryland
Chock-full of storage and tailored for entertaining, this sleek kitchen appeals to every age
Vanessa Brunner
February 16, 2012
Houzz Contributor
The kitchen is considered the heart of the home, and that feels even more true for bustling families. This family of four loves to play host to children and adults in their neighborhood. "They're fun, young and love to cook," says designer Nadia Suburan of the clients. "Their house is definitely hangout central in the neighborhood." But their previous kitchen made it difficult to let everyone stay in the same space.
Along with Fox Architects, Suburan and Aidan Design reconfigured this Maryland kitchen into a warm and open space with a high arched ceiling lined with wood. An eat-in breakfast nook, a butler's pantry, a desk and a food pantry allow for items to be tucked away, while still providing plenty of room for a big family's odds and ends. "It pushes modern, but is not so ultramodern that it doesn't feel warm and comfortable," says Suburan.
Along with Fox Architects, Suburan and Aidan Design reconfigured this Maryland kitchen into a warm and open space with a high arched ceiling lined with wood. An eat-in breakfast nook, a butler's pantry, a desk and a food pantry allow for items to be tucked away, while still providing plenty of room for a big family's odds and ends. "It pushes modern, but is not so ultramodern that it doesn't feel warm and comfortable," says Suburan.
Suburan installed an 11-foot-long island for prep work, eating and doing homework. The beautiful barrel-topped ceiling was installed on part of the addition that raised the ceilings. The original kitchen had ceilings that were just 8 feet high, but the family wanted a more open space. So they were raised to over 10 feet, and beautiful paneled fir was added to warm it up. The higher ceilings allow the clients to enjoy the full view of the stunning woods outside of their home.
Pendants: Thomasville
Countertop: New Cambria Black Granite, White Princess Quartzite
Flooring: oak
Pendants: Thomasville
Countertop: New Cambria Black Granite, White Princess Quartzite
Flooring: oak
To keep the kitchen feeling open, Suburan kept the perimeter of the space as light as possible and refrained from installing too much upper cabinetry. The double-thick quartzite countertop on the island provide a dramatic contrast to the darker cherry island. Although the clients wanted light cabinetry, they opted for a darker wood on the island. The dark stain will wear well, which is particularly important on this eat-in island, where children are bound to kick the wood. Large drawer pulls also prevent sticky fingerprints from appearing on cabinets.
Sink: Franke
Faucet: Blanco
Oven: Wolf 30-inch E series
Sink: Franke
Faucet: Blanco
Oven: Wolf 30-inch E series
Two adjacent spaces on either side of the main kitchen area allowed Suburan to keep the kitchen open while still providing plenty of storage. A butler's pantry and food pantry store canned goods, beverages and serving pieces.
The rest of the kitchen was loaded up with base cabinets, all specifically designed and organized to hold pots, pans and other dishes. Suburan oversized the hood but left room for the tile backsplash to go all the way up to the ceiling — a technique that automatically draws the eye up and gives the illusion of a higher ceiling.
Backplash: glass subway tile, Best Tile
Range: Wolf 36-inch
Hood: Zephyr
The rest of the kitchen was loaded up with base cabinets, all specifically designed and organized to hold pots, pans and other dishes. Suburan oversized the hood but left room for the tile backsplash to go all the way up to the ceiling — a technique that automatically draws the eye up and gives the illusion of a higher ceiling.
Backplash: glass subway tile, Best Tile
Range: Wolf 36-inch
Hood: Zephyr
A convenient breakfast nook with a stunning view of the outdoors was tucked into the far end of the kitchen. A custom bench seat was upholstered in a wipeable vinyl for easy cleaning after messy meals. Since the kitchen is located in the center back of the house near other main living areas, Suburan considered traffic flow. The kitchen island was pulled in to create a galleylike style and increase circulation, and to direct traffic between the island and the breakfast bench.
Table and chairs: Saloom Furniture Company
Next: Browse thousands of kitchen design photos
More Kitchens of the Week:
Old Meets New in the Northwest
A Fresh Combination of New and Old
Simply Refined in Massachusetts
Table and chairs: Saloom Furniture Company
Next: Browse thousands of kitchen design photos
More Kitchens of the Week:
Old Meets New in the Northwest
A Fresh Combination of New and Old
Simply Refined in Massachusetts
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Beautiful!!
Is there a seam in that Island? If not, that's huge and beautiful quartzite <3