Kitchen of the Week: Light Wood Cabinets and Elegant Details
A design-build team creates a bright and airy space with a luxurious mix of wood, glass, metal and marble-look quartz
The design and building team for this spec home on a tree-lined street just outside downtown Nashville, Tennessee, envisioned an open layout with a transitional style full of personality and texture. To get it done, Jamie Duncan and Shaun Burroughs, co-owners of home-building company Build Nashville, and interior designer Elena DeSoto saved photos from Houzz to create a shared vision board of inspiration.
They translated that into a family home — now owned by a couple with two teenagers — with a welcoming handcrafted feel. The bright and airy kitchen features custom light white oak cabinets that lend a warm, soft look to the spacious layout, while black hardware, fixtures, open metal shelves and other black details add a touch of elegance.
They translated that into a family home — now owned by a couple with two teenagers — with a welcoming handcrafted feel. The bright and airy kitchen features custom light white oak cabinets that lend a warm, soft look to the spacious layout, while black hardware, fixtures, open metal shelves and other black details add a touch of elegance.
An oversize pendant takes advantage of the large scale of the kitchen. It features woven abaca rope over a rattan frame. “Organic was a look I was going for, and I wanted a lot of texture,” Duncan says. “I also thought it was a good complement to the island, and we thought multiple pendants would look too cluttered.”
The pendant and recessed lights in the ceiling are on dimmers.
Marble-look quartz slabs form the countertops and backsplash, the latter of which has a slightly more pronounced color and pattern to the veining.
Pendant: Green Oaks in White Sand, Palacek
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The pendant and recessed lights in the ceiling are on dimmers.
Marble-look quartz slabs form the countertops and backsplash, the latter of which has a slightly more pronounced color and pattern to the veining.
Pendant: Green Oaks in White Sand, Palacek
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The flooring consists of 3¼-inch solid white oak planks in a whitish-gray stain. “It was an intensive process to find the right stain for the floor,” Duncan says. “It’s a custom mix that didn’t clash with the cabinetry.”
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Spacious counters on either side of the cooktop offer lots of work space. Wide drawers below include a peg system for organized storage of pots and pans.
A pair of slim pullout cabinets also flank the cooktop. One stores spices, the other cookie sheets.
A pair of slim pullout cabinets also flank the cooktop. One stores spices, the other cookie sheets.
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The custom hood surround features textured limestone stucco. DeSoto and Duncan designed the curved look to contrast with the sharper lines of the cabinetry and shelves. “We knew we weren’t going to do upper cabinets because of the windows,” Duncan says. “We thought, let’s do something different with the curves and legs on the sides.”
A white 33-inch single-basin fireclay apron-front sink sits in the island, paired with a sleek, modern matte black pull-down faucet.
A white 33-inch single-basin fireclay apron-front sink sits in the island, paired with a sleek, modern matte black pull-down faucet.
The custom black metal-and-tempered glass shelves hold plates, cups, collectibles and canisters.
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New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
The interior side of the island holds a paneled trash and recycling center and a stainless steel dishwasher.
A large paneled French door refrigerator stands beyond the sink to the right of the doorway and is surrounded by cabinets with rollout shelves. “We did that for symmetry, so both walls have the cabinets,” Duncan says.
The doorway ahead leads to the garage and basement.
A large paneled French door refrigerator stands beyond the sink to the right of the doorway and is surrounded by cabinets with rollout shelves. “We did that for symmetry, so both walls have the cabinets,” Duncan says.
The doorway ahead leads to the garage and basement.
A doorway on the other side of the room opens to the pantry, which contains a microwave, beverage fridge and white oak wine rack.
The kitchen is open to the living room on the left.
The kitchen is open to the living room on the left.
The view toward the kitchen from the living room shows the breezy connection between the two spaces. “We wanted the kitchen to be a chef’s kitchen, with a big, large island with built-in table where the family can gather,” Duncan says. “It’s open, airy and bright.”
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional couple with two teenagers
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Size: 395 square feet (37 square meters)
Interior design: Elena DeSoto
Design-build: Jamie Duncan and Shaun Burroughs of Build Nashville
The expansive kitchen features light wood white oak cabinetry that runs to the 10-foot ceiling on two sides. A large T-shaped island can seat six. Slatted wood details on the island back and hefty posts coordinate with slats on the ends of the side cabinets, adding a sense of luxury to the space. Black cabinet hardware, faucet, stools and other black details add to that effect.
On the rear wall, large operable windows flanking the range overlook a side yard and creek, letting natural light and fresh air into the kitchen and living room.
The walls, ceiling and trim are all painted Pure White by Sherwin-Williams, in a flat finish for the walls and ceiling and in semigloss for the trim. “We really like this color because there are no pink or yellow undertones,” Duncan says. “It’s just a very crisp white.”
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