Kitchen of the Week: High-Performance Style for Avid Cooks
A designer helps a couple create an elegant, hardworking kitchen with pro appliances and specialized storage features
This New Jersey couple wanted a lot from their kitchen. They entertain often and even grow their own vegetables to use in the frequent meals they make for family and friends. But over time they realized their existing space wasn’t going to give them the style and function they wanted. “The proportions of the kitchen were wrong,” says designer Sharon L. Sherman, who helped the couple remodel the space. “High ceilings with short cabinets, an undersize island, limited, poorly organized storage, no style and sad appliances did not work for this couple who cook.”
Sherman reworked the kitchen with abundant white Shaker-style cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling. A hardworking storage wall includes pantry pullouts, an appliance cabinet and a wine bar. A workstation sink with useful inserts gives the owners an efficient spot to prepare meals. A larger island maximizes countertop surface, while its deep blue base adds style and coordinates with the wall color. And new appliances, including a built-in coffee machine, a steam convection oven and a mixer situated on a swing-out lift system, add to the high-functioning space the owners hoped for.
Sherman reworked the kitchen with abundant white Shaker-style cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling. A hardworking storage wall includes pantry pullouts, an appliance cabinet and a wine bar. A workstation sink with useful inserts gives the owners an efficient spot to prepare meals. A larger island maximizes countertop surface, while its deep blue base adds style and coordinates with the wall color. And new appliances, including a built-in coffee machine, a steam convection oven and a mixer situated on a swing-out lift system, add to the high-functioning space the owners hoped for.
After: Sherman removed the old appliances, cabinets, flooring and island. White Shaker-style cabinets with pronounced molding maximize storage and style. Deep gray-blue walls and island base (Temptation by Benjamin Moore) join dark wood-look porcelain plank tile flooring to add elegant contrast. “I am not a fan of an all-stark-white kitchen,” Sherman says.
Oversize glass pendant lights bring another elegant detail. Gray-and-wood stools pick up on the flooring and stainless steel appliance finishes, and the white with gray veining of the honed Najareen quartzite countertops coordinates with the gray-and-white porcelain subway tiles used for the backsplash. This cohesive balance and repetition in tones and materials forms an intentional design approach. “It creates a soothing rhythm to an interior,” Sherman says.
Backsplash tiles: Wayne Tile
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Oversize glass pendant lights bring another elegant detail. Gray-and-wood stools pick up on the flooring and stainless steel appliance finishes, and the white with gray veining of the honed Najareen quartzite countertops coordinates with the gray-and-white porcelain subway tiles used for the backsplash. This cohesive balance and repetition in tones and materials forms an intentional design approach. “It creates a soothing rhythm to an interior,” Sherman says.
Backsplash tiles: Wayne Tile
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The stainless steel workstation sink features various inserts, including a colander, cutting boards and knife storage. An industrial-style faucet has a polished chrome finish that coordinates with the sink and appliance finishes.
A compost and trash pullout sits to the right of the sink. A paneled dishwasher is on the left.
Sink: Culinary Center, Franke; sink faucet: Artesso single-handle articulating faucet in polished chrome, Brizo
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A compost and trash pullout sits to the right of the sink. A paneled dishwasher is on the left.
Sink: Culinary Center, Franke; sink faucet: Artesso single-handle articulating faucet in polished chrome, Brizo
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A built-in Miele coffee center includes a warming drawer below. “It’s not just for coffee cups,” Sherman says. “The client says it’s a perfect spot to keep breakfast sandwiches warm.”
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The 48-inch dual-fuel pro-style range gives the avid cooks the high-performing appliance they needed. A powerful stainless steel hood hangs above.
Marble tile in a herringbone pattern forms an inset backsplash and focal point. “It’s just a nice feature that gives a little more importance to that part of the kitchen,” Sherman says.
Cabinet hardware: Top Knobs
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Marble tile in a herringbone pattern forms an inset backsplash and focal point. “It’s just a nice feature that gives a little more importance to that part of the kitchen,” Sherman says.
Cabinet hardware: Top Knobs
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The durable wood-look porcelain plank flooring is hardy enough for the family dog.
Before: The former kitchen had limited cabinets and counter space near the refrigerator. This view also shows the interior side of the island. The homeowners say they often had to get on their knees to access items at the back of the cabinets.
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After: The new island features drawer storage, a pullout lift for a stand mixer and a steam and convection oven. “These clients are big bakers, and the steam oven is perfect for homemade baguettes,” Sherman says.
She built out the wall near the new 48-inch pro-style refrigerator with pantry pullouts, a wine bar and an appliance cabinet.
She built out the wall near the new 48-inch pro-style refrigerator with pantry pullouts, a wine bar and an appliance cabinet.
Retractable doors between the two pantry pullouts open to reveal storage for small appliances. The space has outlets and lighting. “Everyone has all these small appliances, and by using the retractable door cabinet here it gives the appliances their own home,” Sherman says. “And retracting the doors keeps them out of traffic flow.”
The wine bar features a pass-through that connects to the family room. Shelves hang from a reclaimed-wood dropped-ceiling detail. “This detail creates a design statement for the bar,” Sherman says.
A custom 2-inch-thick concrete countertop that simulates black walnut finishes off the bar. “Classic design principles combined with contemporary design details took this space beyond just another white kitchen,” Sherman says.
Countertop: WoodForm Concrete, JM Lifestyles
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A custom 2-inch-thick concrete countertop that simulates black walnut finishes off the bar. “Classic design principles combined with contemporary design details took this space beyond just another white kitchen,” Sherman says.
Countertop: WoodForm Concrete, JM Lifestyles
More on Houzz
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with a teenager and a dog
Location: New Jersey
Size: 390 square feet (36 square meters)
Designer: Sharon L. Sherman of Thyme & Place Design
Before: In the former kitchen, several elements contributed to the disproportionate look. Worn oak cabinets stopped well below the 9-foot ceilings. A diminutive island sat adrift in a sea of large-format tile. And that same large tile squeezed between the countertop and upper cabinets to form a distracting backsplash.
A lack of adequate cabinet space forced the homeowners to crowd the limited countertops with small appliances. They tried to supplement the storage by adding a pot rack over the island, but it hung too low and made work at the island difficult.
The appliances weren’t up to snuff for the avid cooks, and the muted beige tones in the flooring, cabinets and counters gave the space a lackluster appearance.