Kitchen of the Week: Light and Airy With a Warm Farmhouse Style
A designer removes a wall to open up and expand a kitchen, then adds charm with soft gray cabinets and a wood island
Jeannie Matteucci
July 7, 2022
Houzz Contributor. Home design writer and lifestyle reporter with a love for stylish spaces, smart lighting and a good decaf dry cappuccino.
Houzz Contributor. Home design writer and lifestyle reporter with a love for stylish... More
This suburban New Jersey couple with two sons felt their 173-square-foot kitchen wasn’t able to keep up with their growing family. A wall separated the space from a large, unused playroom and forced a compact layout. The basic white cabinets, standard granite countertops and general style of the space needed addressing too.
Wanting a more open and airy layout with a welcoming style, the homeowners looked at inspiration photos on Houzz, then hired designer Carly Gockeler for help updating the space. Gockeler took down the wall and expanded the kitchen into the former playroom. This added 170 square feet to the kitchen and allowed her to improve flow and function with a central island. A rustic alder island base, wood shiplap range hood and soft gray cabinets with an X detail on some of the Shaker-style fronts give the space an inviting modern farmhouse look.
Wanting a more open and airy layout with a welcoming style, the homeowners looked at inspiration photos on Houzz, then hired designer Carly Gockeler for help updating the space. Gockeler took down the wall and expanded the kitchen into the former playroom. This added 170 square feet to the kitchen and allowed her to improve flow and function with a central island. A rustic alder island base, wood shiplap range hood and soft gray cabinets with an X detail on some of the Shaker-style fronts give the space an inviting modern farmhouse look.
“After” photos by Kristyna Saja of Designer Appliances
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two sons
Location: Basking Ridge, New Jersey
Size: 343 square feet (32 square meters)
Designer: Carly Gockeler of KraftMaster Renovations
Before: The former kitchen wasn’t in terrible shape, but the wall that held the range and microwave separated it from the large unused playroom, limiting its potential. “A short peninsula could barely hold two stools, while the refrigerator sat on a wall [to the right] that protruded from the living room on the other side,” Gockeler says. “It was way too small, no flow, and almost a one-person kitchen. With two boys, they needed space where they could come in and get their snacks without disturbing cooking.”
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two sons
Location: Basking Ridge, New Jersey
Size: 343 square feet (32 square meters)
Designer: Carly Gockeler of KraftMaster Renovations
Before: The former kitchen wasn’t in terrible shape, but the wall that held the range and microwave separated it from the large unused playroom, limiting its potential. “A short peninsula could barely hold two stools, while the refrigerator sat on a wall [to the right] that protruded from the living room on the other side,” Gockeler says. “It was way too small, no flow, and almost a one-person kitchen. With two boys, they needed space where they could come in and get their snacks without disturbing cooking.”
After: Gockeler removed the wall that separated the kitchen and playroom and expanded the kitchen footprint, nearly doubling the square footage. She also pushed the refrigerator wall into the living room about 2 feet to widen the kitchen and create better traffic flow around a new narrow island.
Soft gray cabinets (Repose Gray by Sherwin-Williams) and creamy off-white walls (White Dove by Benjamin Moore) create a warm atmosphere. “Their entire house is very warm and inviting,” Gockeler says. “They wanted to keep the kitchen light and bright but didn’t want a white kitchen.”
A new longer peninsula has room for three low-back wood stools. Open wood shelves hold cookbooks and plants. The flooring is oak with a matte finish.
Find a kitchen designer
Cabinets: StarMark Cabinetry
Soft gray cabinets (Repose Gray by Sherwin-Williams) and creamy off-white walls (White Dove by Benjamin Moore) create a warm atmosphere. “Their entire house is very warm and inviting,” Gockeler says. “They wanted to keep the kitchen light and bright but didn’t want a white kitchen.”
A new longer peninsula has room for three low-back wood stools. Open wood shelves hold cookbooks and plants. The flooring is oak with a matte finish.
Find a kitchen designer
Cabinets: StarMark Cabinetry
The narrow island features a marble-look quartz countertop and a rustic alder base that adds more warmth to the kitchen. “It was taking what they currently had in their home and bringing in the warmth and character with some wood tones, without making it too heavy,” Gockeler says.
Crackled white ceramic pendants hang above the island. LED ceiling lights and undercabinet lights provide additional illumination.
With the wall knocked down, the kitchen now has access to a back deck through a sliding glass door.
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Crackled white ceramic pendants hang above the island. LED ceiling lights and undercabinet lights provide additional illumination.
With the wall knocked down, the kitchen now has access to a back deck through a sliding glass door.
10 Kitchen Island Features Pros Always Recommend
Weathered spruce shiplap planks wrap the 30-inch range hood.
Off-white porcelain backsplash tiles feature a worn encaustic look and subtle pattern. “The client found inspiration photos she really loved, and they all had handmade encaustic-look tiles, so we found some that would work with her budget,” Gockeler says. “The color palette is soft enough to not be too bold but still add character to the backsplash.”
Matte black knobs and pulls add contrast. The perimeter countertops are also marble-look quartz.
Rustic shiplap chimney range hood in brown, Castlewood; backsplash: Decora Redondo porcelain wall and floor tile, 8 by 8 inches, The Tile Shop
Off-white porcelain backsplash tiles feature a worn encaustic look and subtle pattern. “The client found inspiration photos she really loved, and they all had handmade encaustic-look tiles, so we found some that would work with her budget,” Gockeler says. “The color palette is soft enough to not be too bold but still add character to the backsplash.”
Matte black knobs and pulls add contrast. The perimeter countertops are also marble-look quartz.
Rustic shiplap chimney range hood in brown, Castlewood; backsplash: Decora Redondo porcelain wall and floor tile, 8 by 8 inches, The Tile Shop
Two pantry cabinets to the left of the 36-inch stainless steel French door fridge feature rollouts for dry goods and small appliances. “That’s where the kids can go to get their snacks,” Gockeler says.
The inset flush-frame cabinets feature a cross detail on the pantry doors and an X detail on some of the cabinet fronts, lending a farmhouse feel to the kitchen.
The inset flush-frame cabinets feature a cross detail on the pantry doors and an X detail on some of the cabinet fronts, lending a farmhouse feel to the kitchen.
A bar and coffee station sits between the pantry and a 30-inch wall oven and 30-inch flat-panel microwave. “It’s like a coffee bar in the morning and a wine bar at night,” Gockeler says. Two slim glass-front upper cabinets flank an X-front cabinet and open wood shelf.
A new breakfast nook sits in a section of the former playroom. A built-in banquette and storage spans one wall. A reclaimed-pine farmhouse-style table coordinates with other wood tones in the kitchen. “They really wanted that homey warm space to have their breakfast in the morning, be connected to the kitchen and be together as a family,” Gockeler says.
The built-in cabinets store seasonal dishes and overflow items. A selection of pillows adds color to the banquette top, which is the same color and finish as the island base.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
Gockeler widened a doorway that connects the breakfast nook and kitchen to a living room. Glass-paneled pocket doors save space. “It’s giving the kitchen that farmhouse charm again,” Gockeler says. “They have that same style throughout the house.”
Before: This look from inside the old playroom shows how the kitchen sat closed off from the large space. The house has two living rooms, so the homeowners felt this room was wasted space.
After: “By taking down that wall, the center of the house could be one open space,” Gockeler says.
At the far side of the kitchen is the formal dining room.
At the far side of the kitchen is the formal dining room.
Before: This floor plan of the former kitchen shows how the range wall (center) divided the kitchen from the unused playroom (right). The fridge wall (center bottom) forced the appliance into the layout.
After: With the wall down, Gockeler expanded the kitchen into the playroom, creating space for an island (center) and breakfast nook (right). Pushing the fridge wall (center bottom) into the living room (bottom) allowed her to create better traffic flow. “I am very happy we achieved an open space for the whole family to gather with multiple seating options,” Gockeler says.
More on Houzz
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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 floors?
Excellent reno, best use of the space.
It looks very nice. I'm not sure about the layout being functional. The long island cuts right through the work triangle. Since it isn't necessary for in-kitchen seating (there is the breakfast nook) it could have been smaller or appliances could have been arranged differently.