Kitchen of the Week: Bright and Open With Fresh Coastal Style
A designer helps a Florida couple create a light and airy space with a breezy layout, white finishes and beachy details
Living close to a sunny Florida beach, Dru Girard and Grace Kunkel felt their dark brown and beige 1980s kitchen wasn’t cutting it. After replacing the flooring and painting walls in other rooms, they decided it was time to update the kitchen’s heavy finishes and closed-off layout.
The homeowners turned to designer Erin Lindsey, who’s Girard’s cousin, and builder Antonio Quelhas for help. The renovation team removed a wall between the kitchen and living room to establish a more open layout. It then created a bright coastal style with white cabinets, walls and backsplash, a soft blue-gray island and light wood details.
The homeowners turned to designer Erin Lindsey, who’s Girard’s cousin, and builder Antonio Quelhas for help. The renovation team removed a wall between the kitchen and living room to establish a more open layout. It then created a bright coastal style with white cabinets, walls and backsplash, a soft blue-gray island and light wood details.
After: The renovation team knocked the kitchen back to the studs and removed the wall between the kitchen and living room. It also eliminated two redundant corner sliding glass doors to create a more efficient cabinet layout that maximizes storage. “We were now able to capture that whole corner, to become part of the kitchen,” Lindsey says.
An existing sliding glass door remains to the right of the peninsula.
Lindsey then rejiggered the layout, placing the sink in the new peninsula, the range on the back wall and the fridge where the former coffee center was located. A slim island adds additional storage, countertop surface and a spot to sit.
Fresh white cabinets, marble-look porcelain counters and white glazed ceramic backsplash tiles create a bright palette. The soft blue-gray island base joins light wood stools and ceiling beam and the existing wood-look porcelain flooring for a casual beach look.
“Having just a little pop of color gives it personality and a focal point,” Lindsey says. “It also ties in to their other fixtures and finishes in the house that have a coastal feel.”
Cabinets: Potter’s Mill door style with White Icing (cabinets) and Gale (island), Medallion Cabinetry
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An existing sliding glass door remains to the right of the peninsula.
Lindsey then rejiggered the layout, placing the sink in the new peninsula, the range on the back wall and the fridge where the former coffee center was located. A slim island adds additional storage, countertop surface and a spot to sit.
Fresh white cabinets, marble-look porcelain counters and white glazed ceramic backsplash tiles create a bright palette. The soft blue-gray island base joins light wood stools and ceiling beam and the existing wood-look porcelain flooring for a casual beach look.
“Having just a little pop of color gives it personality and a focal point,” Lindsey says. “It also ties in to their other fixtures and finishes in the house that have a coastal feel.”
Cabinets: Potter’s Mill door style with White Icing (cabinets) and Gale (island), Medallion Cabinetry
Find a kitchen designer
Two windows — the left new, the right updated — create symmetry on either side of the slide-in induction range and powerful new vent hood. The windows overlook the backyard pool.
A pullout spice rack sits to the right of the range. A cabinet with dividers for baking sheets and cutting boards is at the lower left.
The backsplash is white glazed ceramic subway tiles in varying tones. “We wanted something that was a little bit more neutral that would fit the home’s modern coastal vibe, but having them vertical like that is a really cool design,” Kunkel says. “And having them go all the way to the ceiling looks pretty and cohesive.”
Two countertop glass-front cabinets give the homeowners a way to display and store their finer glassware and collectibles. “We love the look of them,” Kunkel says.
Backsplash tile: Cloe in white, Bedrosians Tile and Stone; sconces: Lupe in Old Bronze, Hudson Valley Lighting
A pullout spice rack sits to the right of the range. A cabinet with dividers for baking sheets and cutting boards is at the lower left.
The backsplash is white glazed ceramic subway tiles in varying tones. “We wanted something that was a little bit more neutral that would fit the home’s modern coastal vibe, but having them vertical like that is a really cool design,” Kunkel says. “And having them go all the way to the ceiling looks pretty and cohesive.”
Two countertop glass-front cabinets give the homeowners a way to display and store their finer glassware and collectibles. “We love the look of them,” Kunkel says.
Backsplash tile: Cloe in white, Bedrosians Tile and Stone; sconces: Lupe in Old Bronze, Hudson Valley Lighting
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Here’s a close-up of the marble-look porcelain countertop and its pronounced gray veining. “We wanted our countertops to be as durable as possible,” Kunkel says. “We kept looking at granite but couldn’t find one that fit our style.”
A 36-inch counter-depth side-by-side stainless steel refrigerator with anti-fingerprint coating stands in what was the coffee bar and pantry area. “You can set things on the island when you unpack your groceries,” Lindsey says.
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The peninsula contains the sink, stainless dishwasher and paneled trash and recycling bins.
Two pendant lights with clear glass shades and an aged brass finish add task and decorative lighting without interrupting the open view to the living room.
Pendants: Greene in Aged Brass, Hudson Valley Lighting
Two pendant lights with clear glass shades and an aged brass finish add task and decorative lighting without interrupting the open view to the living room.
Pendants: Greene in Aged Brass, Hudson Valley Lighting
The undermount white granite composite sink has a matte black motion-activated faucet. “It’s nice to have that faucet when you’re cooking and your hands are dirty,” Kunkel says.
After: The homeowners and renovation team converted the nook into a coffee and beverage station that also has pantry storage and space for small appliances like a microwave and blender. “We wanted to put things we use every day over there, not taking up space on the main kitchen countertops,” Kunkel says.
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New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
Opposite the beverage center is a casual breakfast area with a built-in banquette custom upholstered in a blue-gray striped performance fabric. White spindle chairs tuck under a light wood table. A pendant light with woven shade hangs above. “That’s my favorite part of the kitchen, it’s probably my favorite part of the house,” Kunkel says. “We wanted to create a really cozy, comfortable area. We use it for eating, but both my husband and I work from home, so we’re often hanging out there too. It’s a very ‘us’ part of the house.”
The renovation team updated and widened an existing window and added a new glass door. “We got rid of the sliders, so we wanted a door out to the grass area outside,” Kunkel says. “It also brings in a ton of natural light.”
The renovation team updated and widened an existing window and added a new glass door. “We got rid of the sliders, so we wanted a door out to the grass area outside,” Kunkel says. “It also brings in a ton of natural light.”
After: The updated home enjoys a breezy connection between the kitchen and living room. “It’s a cohesive space now,” Lindsey says. “It’s warm and inviting, open and cozy.”
The couple’s Goldendoodle, ZuZu, takes a moment near the island. “She often plays in that exact spot when we’re cooking,” Kunkel says.
Drawers on the island store ZuZu’s treats and supplies, as well as kitchen essentials like foil and plastic wrap.
Drawers on the island store ZuZu’s treats and supplies, as well as kitchen essentials like foil and plastic wrap.
This floor plan shows the new layout with the peninsula (bottom right), island (center), range (center right) and fridge (center top). Off the end of the peninsula stands the beverage center (bottom left). In the top left corner is the breakfast nook.
“It just extends the living space in our home now, instead of being cut off,” Kunkel says.
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“It just extends the living space in our home now, instead of being cut off,” Kunkel says.
More on Houzz
10 Big Takeaways From the 2022 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study
Read more kitchen stories
Browse kitchen photos
Hire a kitchen remodeler
Shop for kitchen products
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Dru Girard and Grace Kunkel, their dog and a baby on the way
Location: Boynton Beach, Florida
Size: 240 square feet (22 square meters)
Designer: Erin Lindsey of Lindross Remodeling
Builder: Antonio Quelhas of Portal Construction Group
Before: Dark brown cabinets dominated the former kitchen, and beige-toned countertops and backsplash tile did little to brighten things up. The refrigerator wall on the right cut off the kitchen from the living room. “That wall there made the kitchen feel disjointed from the rest of the home,” Lindsey says.
The dishwasher, microwave and peninsula range sat crammed into a corner. A coffee bar and pantry area on the left felt removed from the main action of the kitchen. “There was no hood, so we were setting off the smoke alarm constantly,” Kunkel says. “My husband’s big ask was having a hood with a powerful fan, so odors and smoke don’t drift into other spaces.”