Kitchen of the Week: Room Opens Up to Be Family-Friendly
A relocating family finds a design-build firm on Houzz and completes the design plans remotely before moving
Becky Harris
May 5, 2022
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
For design-build firm owner Richard Ryder, learning to work remotely with clients during the pandemic was great practice for this renovation. His clients, a growing family of three, were moving from an apartment in Massachusetts to a single-family home in North Carolina. They had found him from afar by searching local design-build pros on Houzz. The design phase took place with about 1,000 miles between the homeowners and their designer-remodeler.
“Being able to send them renderings that included everything from the appliance placement to the exact tile layout was a game changer here, as it’s been with all our clients,” Ryder says. “It helps them envision what their space will look and feel like. In fact, the only thing they changed from the rendering we sent was the pendant lights over the island.”
“Being able to send them renderings that included everything from the appliance placement to the exact tile layout was a game changer here, as it’s been with all our clients,” Ryder says. “It helps them envision what their space will look and feel like. In fact, the only thing they changed from the rendering we sent was the pendant lights over the island.”
Kitchen of the Week
Who lives here: A couple with a young daughter and a baby on the way.
Location: Cary, North Carolina
Size: 357 square feet (33 square meters)
Design-build firm: Richard Ryder of Clearcut Construction
“These clients were moving from a 750-square-foot apartment with a tiny kitchen to this home, so they had no idea where to start,” Ryder says. “I was able to educate them on all the special kitchen features that would be available to them in a much larger space.” Although they sent a few inspiration photos to help Ryder get an idea of their style, they weren’t able to wrap their heads around all they could do with so much room.
“The way we worked was I would work up renderings of my ideas and then they could give their opinions on them,” Ryder says. The result is a light and bright, family-friendly space for the young couple, who had a toddler daughter during this first remote phase of the extensive home remodeling project and are currently expecting their second child.
Find a local design-build firm on Houzz
Who lives here: A couple with a young daughter and a baby on the way.
Location: Cary, North Carolina
Size: 357 square feet (33 square meters)
Design-build firm: Richard Ryder of Clearcut Construction
“These clients were moving from a 750-square-foot apartment with a tiny kitchen to this home, so they had no idea where to start,” Ryder says. “I was able to educate them on all the special kitchen features that would be available to them in a much larger space.” Although they sent a few inspiration photos to help Ryder get an idea of their style, they weren’t able to wrap their heads around all they could do with so much room.
“The way we worked was I would work up renderings of my ideas and then they could give their opinions on them,” Ryder says. The result is a light and bright, family-friendly space for the young couple, who had a toddler daughter during this first remote phase of the extensive home remodeling project and are currently expecting their second child.
Find a local design-build firm on Houzz
Before: The kitchen was somewhat open to the family room across this angled peninsula, but it had a somewhat closed-in feeling. The dining room can be seen through the opening at the back.
After: Ryder removed the peninsula and the wall where the range and microwave had been to fully open up the kitchen to the family room. Now a large island delineates the two spaces.
The island is select birch with a dark stain. It provides lots of storage and has a prep-bar sink. Ryder outfitted many of the lower cabinets with pullout drawers for easy access to items in the back.
Bar faucet: Align one-handle pull-down bar faucet in brushed gold, Moen
The island is select birch with a dark stain. It provides lots of storage and has a prep-bar sink. Ryder outfitted many of the lower cabinets with pullout drawers for easy access to items in the back.
Bar faucet: Align one-handle pull-down bar faucet in brushed gold, Moen
A coffered ceiling also helps delineate the kitchen. “The clients had shown me a photo of a more formal kitchen with a coffered ceiling that they liked,” Ryder says. “I knew that room was too formal for this house but that a coffered ceiling could add a lot of character to the kitchen.”
The large island measures 11 feet, 1 inch by 3 feet, 9 inches and serves as a family hub. The kids can sit on one side to eat or do activities while their parents cook on the other side.
Browse counter stools in the Houzz Shop
The large island measures 11 feet, 1 inch by 3 feet, 9 inches and serves as a family hub. The kids can sit on one side to eat or do activities while their parents cook on the other side.
Browse counter stools in the Houzz Shop
Ryder suggested this white oak butcher-block-topped cabinet to provide a beautiful end to the island. Functionally, it serves as a prep station where the couple can chop right on the wood. The drawers are across from the fridge, so the homeowners store drinking cups there. Little ones can grab a cup with ease.
Shop for kitchen lighting
Shop for kitchen lighting
Before: Here’s another view of what the existing angled bar looked like.
Ryder believes in reducing construction waste wherever he can and finds that most items are repurposed before a specialty recycler would arrive to take them away. “Most of our demo crew like to grab the appliances to reuse or pass along to friends and family who need them,” he says. As for cabinets and countertops, he offers to put them in his clients’ garages for workshop space and storage. That was the case here — he repurposed the old cabinets that were still in good shape in the homeowners’ garage.
Ryder believes in reducing construction waste wherever he can and finds that most items are repurposed before a specialty recycler would arrive to take them away. “Most of our demo crew like to grab the appliances to reuse or pass along to friends and family who need them,” he says. As for cabinets and countertops, he offers to put them in his clients’ garages for workshop space and storage. That was the case here — he repurposed the old cabinets that were still in good shape in the homeowners’ garage.
After: Here’s the same view, seen through the large new cased opening between the kitchen and family room. Revamping the family room was also part of the project — check out the new millwork over the fireplace that gives it a stronger presence in the high-ceilinged room.
The kitchen can enjoy the view of the family room windows, fireplace and TV, and the homeowners can keep an eye on the kids. The natural light from the windows is shared by both spaces.
The kitchen can enjoy the view of the family room windows, fireplace and TV, and the homeowners can keep an eye on the kids. The natural light from the windows is shared by both spaces.
Ryder added large windows over the sink to let in light and views of the foliage. He also gave his clients a lesson in what lower cabinets can do these days, suggesting they forgo upper cabinets along this wall and use open shelves instead.
“With most upper cabinets, you aren’t really able to place everyday items on the top two shelves because they are too high to reach,” Ryder says. “It’s most useful to have those things at waist height. In the lower cabinets, I gave them a lot of drawers and pullouts.” These include special inserts for cookie sheets and cutting boards and others outfitted for utensils, herbs, spices and oils. Also, upper cabinets along this wall would have blocked some of the light from the windows. Instead, there’s a lovely view of the marble mosaic backsplash tile, which extends all the way to the ceiling.
“With most upper cabinets, you aren’t really able to place everyday items on the top two shelves because they are too high to reach,” Ryder says. “It’s most useful to have those things at waist height. In the lower cabinets, I gave them a lot of drawers and pullouts.” These include special inserts for cookie sheets and cutting boards and others outfitted for utensils, herbs, spices and oils. Also, upper cabinets along this wall would have blocked some of the light from the windows. Instead, there’s a lovely view of the marble mosaic backsplash tile, which extends all the way to the ceiling.
Another window on the side gives the homeowners a complete view of the deck. This makes it easy to keep an eye on the kids when they’re playing out there.
Faucet: Align pre-rinse pull-down kitchen faucet in brushed gold, Moen
Faucet: Align pre-rinse pull-down kitchen faucet in brushed gold, Moen
Before, there were double doors that led to a porch off the kitchen. “I knew that those doors were wasting space where I could fit in more cabinet and countertop space,” Ryder says. He replaced them with a single glass door with windows on either side. The bottom of the windows needed to meet the countertops in a pleasing way. This was tricky to figure out — with the long lead times on doors and windows right now, they had to be ordered before other items, including the countertops, were selected in order to stay on an efficient schedule. Ryder had to design around the most likely measurements without knowing for sure.
“It happened to work out perfectly with the countertop material they selected, but if it hadn’t, I could have raised the cabinets a little,” he says. “But it’s always stressful when you have to order those windows and doors at that point in the planning.”
“It happened to work out perfectly with the countertop material they selected, but if it hadn’t, I could have raised the cabinets a little,” he says. “But it’s always stressful when you have to order those windows and doors at that point in the planning.”
The marble mosaic backsplash continues on the range wall. Ryder used the same quartz he used on the countertops as a backsplash just above the range because it’s easier to clean than marble mosaic. And it also provided the opportunity to place a slim ledge for frequently used seasonings and display items.
The cabinetmaker crafted the custom range hood to Ryder’s specifications. It’s made of wood.
Backsplash tile: La Fleur, MSI
The cabinetmaker crafted the custom range hood to Ryder’s specifications. It’s made of wood.
Backsplash tile: La Fleur, MSI
The Thermador range has a story behind it that illustrates the kooky way things can work out when there are supply chain issues. When the stove arrived at the warehouse, it was no longer needed by the original buyer, so a salesman called Ryder to see if he was interested. “I purchased it for my own home as kind of an impulse buy,” he says. But then this project came up, and the range wound up being just the right fit for these clients during a time when appliance lead times were long. Ryder sacrificed his dream 48-inch Thermador and passed it along to them.
Ryder placed a pullout with utensil canisters and shelves for oils and spices within easy reach of the range.
A countertop cabinet also offers drawers close to the range — perfect for items like potholders and trivets. And the glass door provides a view through to the tile, which continues behind the cabinet. “My tile guy gave me a hard time about how complicated this mosaic was to install like this, but he did an amazing job,” Ryder says. The upper cabinet also has lighting inside to highlight the tile and favorite items.
Find a local tile professional
Find a local tile professional
Another tricky part of this project was creating a pantry cabinet that matched the panel-front refrigerator. Just for fun, see if you can figure out which one is the fridge and which one is the pantry cabinet and share your answer in the Comments. And spotting it on the floor plan is cheating!
Just off the kitchen is a door to the garage and a mudroom-laundry room. Ryder renovated the mudroom, adding a bench, cubbies and hooks. The washer and dryer are on the opposite side of the space.
This small bar alcove is in a short hallway between the kitchen and dining room. Ryder tied it to the kitchen by repeating the same quartz countertop and backsplash, but he differentiated it with a moody blue paint on the cabinets.
On the floor plan, the mudroom can be seen in the top left corner, and the porch is in the bottom left corner. The large space to the right of the kitchen is the family room.
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More on Houzz
Read more kitchen stories
Browse kitchen photos
Hire a kitchen remodeler
Shop for kitchen products
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What color are the bar cabinets?
Paper or tile ? Beautiful changes & expansion was so ideal for that space !!
@kerzideabook It's marble mosaic tile.