Kitchen of the Week: New Layout Opens Up Home to Forest Views
A designer updates a California kitchen, adds windows and takes down a wall to improve the indoor-outdoor connection
The owners of this Los Angeles-area home loved the property’s landscape, but they had some issues with the 1977 house, which they purchased in 2016. “The home sits at the end of a private road, next to a hiking trail, and the property backs up to the Angeles National Forest,” designer Wendy Wilson says. “My clients, who love camping, hiking and the outdoors, purchased this home mostly for the secluded wooded location.”
The owners enlisted Wilson to help them fulfill their vision of a more functional home that took better advantage of the mountain views. That included remodeling the kitchen, reconfiguring its layout and opening it up to the living areas and the scenic backyard. The kitchen cabinetry, lighting and finishes, while functional, also were due for a refresh.
The owners enlisted Wilson to help them fulfill their vision of a more functional home that took better advantage of the mountain views. That included remodeling the kitchen, reconfiguring its layout and opening it up to the living areas and the scenic backyard. The kitchen cabinetry, lighting and finishes, while functional, also were due for a refresh.
After: The designer and the build team removed the partition wall between the dining area and kitchen. “The living, dining and kitchen are one contiguous space in the new design,” Wilson says.
The peninsula that replaced the wall has a custom-made cabinet, a wine fridge and counter seating on the dining room side.
Folding glass doors and angular windows were added to the back of the kitchen. The homeowners now have a view from the living and dining areas into the kitchen and out to the backyard and beyond. The new layout created better room flow and accentuates the vaulted ceiling.
“The best part of the original house was the vaulted ceiling,” Wilson says. “We were able to take advantage of the height to open up the space and install the retractable doors and windows to take full advantage of the mountain view beyond.”
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The peninsula that replaced the wall has a custom-made cabinet, a wine fridge and counter seating on the dining room side.
Folding glass doors and angular windows were added to the back of the kitchen. The homeowners now have a view from the living and dining areas into the kitchen and out to the backyard and beyond. The new layout created better room flow and accentuates the vaulted ceiling.
“The best part of the original house was the vaulted ceiling,” Wilson says. “We were able to take advantage of the height to open up the space and install the retractable doors and windows to take full advantage of the mountain view beyond.”
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The kitchen was completely remodeled and reconfigured, with the new peninsula, a new island and new cabinets, appliances, sink, countertops, backsplash and flooring.
“I worked closely with the couple to create the updated floor plan, as well as all the details, the materials, finishes, hardware, lighting and paint selections,” Wilson says.
The sink had been on the back wall of the kitchen. The stove was about where the sink is now, with a microwave above it.
“The new floor plan was designed with entertaining in mind,” Wilson says. “The homeowners use the island to set out food when entertaining.”
“I worked closely with the couple to create the updated floor plan, as well as all the details, the materials, finishes, hardware, lighting and paint selections,” Wilson says.
The sink had been on the back wall of the kitchen. The stove was about where the sink is now, with a microwave above it.
“The new floor plan was designed with entertaining in mind,” Wilson says. “The homeowners use the island to set out food when entertaining.”
Cabinetry in the kitchen and dining areas is a custom-stained African mahogany veneer over plywood. The rich blue-green matte tile backsplash behind the stove complements the wood cabinets.
Additional visual interest comes from the matte black finish of the sink faucet and cabinet hardware, and the black window and door frames.
In addition to recessed and undercabinet lighting, there are clear glass LED pendants over the peninsula and island. “These were selected to provide lighting in the work areas, as well as to add vertical interest to the room without blocking the view,” Wilson says.
New white oak engineered wood flooring was installed in the kitchen and throughout the house.
Wall paint: Genesis White, Benjamin Moore; countertops: backsplash tile: Waveline Mini in Lagoon Matte, Island Stone; faucet: modern pull-down with matching filtered water faucet and soap dispenser, Waterstone; sink pendant lights: Victoria multi light LED, Kuzco; island pendants: single pear-shaped LED, Kuzco
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Additional visual interest comes from the matte black finish of the sink faucet and cabinet hardware, and the black window and door frames.
In addition to recessed and undercabinet lighting, there are clear glass LED pendants over the peninsula and island. “These were selected to provide lighting in the work areas, as well as to add vertical interest to the room without blocking the view,” Wilson says.
New white oak engineered wood flooring was installed in the kitchen and throughout the house.
Wall paint: Genesis White, Benjamin Moore; countertops: backsplash tile: Waveline Mini in Lagoon Matte, Island Stone; faucet: modern pull-down with matching filtered water faucet and soap dispenser, Waterstone; sink pendant lights: Victoria multi light LED, Kuzco; island pendants: single pear-shaped LED, Kuzco
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Upper cabinets to the left of the stove include an appliance garage and open shelving with vertical dish storage.
The island has a bank of drawers on one end and a microwave drawer with a deep drawer below for pots and lids. At the other end is a cabinet with pullout trays and a pullout cutting board.
The island has a bank of drawers on one end and a microwave drawer with a deep drawer below for pots and lids. At the other end is a cabinet with pullout trays and a pullout cutting board.
Before: Previously, the back patio was accessed from the kitchen through a standard sliding glass door.
After: The pros expanded access to the patio, installing a four-panel folding door system from LaCantina and bringing in even more light through the new windows above.
Before: This shows the back wall of the original kitchen, with the existing cabinetry, sink and window and the soffit and lighting above them. The original sliding door to the patio is out of frame to the left. The family room can be glimpsed at the right, beyond a partition.
After: The back wall now features expansive folding glass doors and tall, angular windows. The new refrigerator-freezer is housed in cabinetry in front of a new wall area that replaced the partition. Slat dividers leading down to the family room and up the stairs are African mahogany wood.
“The homeowners love the generous workspaces, functionality and custom details incorporated in the renovation,” Wilson says. “And, of course, they take great delight in the indoor-outdoor connection to the rear patio, the flow of the updated layout, all the natural light and the view.”
Stair riser paint: Stillwater, Benjamin Moore
“The homeowners love the generous workspaces, functionality and custom details incorporated in the renovation,” Wilson says. “And, of course, they take great delight in the indoor-outdoor connection to the rear patio, the flow of the updated layout, all the natural light and the view.”
Stair riser paint: Stillwater, Benjamin Moore
Before: This photo shows another view of the existing kitchen as well as the original stairs and walkway leading to the family room. The original stove and microwave can be seen on the right.
The homeowners “wanted to create a more functional and pleasing connection between the kitchen and the step-down family room and reenvision the former carpeted stairs and dated metal railing,” Wilson says.
The homeowners “wanted to create a more functional and pleasing connection between the kitchen and the step-down family room and reenvision the former carpeted stairs and dated metal railing,” Wilson says.
After: The team removed the carpet, painted the stair risers and installed wood treads. They added the wood slats as a baluster. The skinny vertical wood cabinet at the right of the photo is a broom closet that Wilson says was added to take advantage of a void behind the shower in the bathroom behind the wall.
“Before” floor plan
“After” floor plan
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two school-age children and a college-age daughter
Location: Altadena, California
Size: 230 square feet (21 square meters)
Designer: Wendy Wilson & Associates
Builder: Navarro Construction
Before: The existing dining and living room were separated from the kitchen by the wall seen here, which blocked views of the verdant backyard and forest. The back wall of the house also didn’t optimize views or an outdoor connection.
“The kitchen had a small door to the backyard and one small window and didn’t take advantage of the adjacency to the back patio and rear yard,” Wilson says.