Kitchen of the Week: An Open and Airy Space With Lots of Function
A remodel turns a dated cottage-style bungalow kitchen into a stylish cooking and entertaining space with an open feel
Jeannie Matteucci
April 22, 2016
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
Working in film production, this homeowner was used to having things look camera-ready. That’s why the dark and dated kitchen in her cottage-style bungalow just wouldn’t do. To update the space, which hadn’t been redone in 20 years, she took on structural changes that led to a smarter, more open and airy layout. Meanwhile, bright, fun finishes and a patterned floor ensure that the kitchen is always ready for its close-up.
Before Photo
After photos by Eron Rauch
Kitchen at a Glance
Location: Sherman Oaks, California
Size: About 195 square feet (18.1 square meters)
Designer: Caitlin Murray of Black Lacquer Design
BEFORE: The existing kitchen had yellow walls, a wood-look linoleum floor and dark upper cabinets that blocked natural light. The awkward layout included a washer and dryer (not shown) between the refrigerator and a small door to the backyard.
Kitchen at a Glance
Location: Sherman Oaks, California
Size: About 195 square feet (18.1 square meters)
Designer: Caitlin Murray of Black Lacquer Design
BEFORE: The existing kitchen had yellow walls, a wood-look linoleum floor and dark upper cabinets that blocked natural light. The awkward layout included a washer and dryer (not shown) between the refrigerator and a small door to the backyard.
AFTER: Designer Caitlin Murray removed the sink wall to create a peninsula that holds a white farmhouse-style sink with a fetching matte black faucet. “I didn’t want the kitchen to be too modern, and the sink helps soften it a bit,” Murray says.
She also closed up a door and two windows to bring cabinetry all around the room, including lower cabinets and drawers on both sides of the new stainless steel range.
By adding customized elements to off-the-shelf sage-mint green cabinetry, Murray and the homeowner were able to get a designer look at a lower expense so that they could allocate more budget dollars to removing the sink wall and creating a new laundry space.
Cabinets: MTD Vanities; cabinet hardware: U-Turn collection in Champagne finish, Atlas; stainless steel appliances: Samsung; farmhouse sink and matte black faucet: Kohler; handwoven Lorne rug: Anthropologie; pale gray window shades: Selectblinds.com; wall paint: Simply White, Benjamin Moore
She also closed up a door and two windows to bring cabinetry all around the room, including lower cabinets and drawers on both sides of the new stainless steel range.
By adding customized elements to off-the-shelf sage-mint green cabinetry, Murray and the homeowner were able to get a designer look at a lower expense so that they could allocate more budget dollars to removing the sink wall and creating a new laundry space.
Cabinets: MTD Vanities; cabinet hardware: U-Turn collection in Champagne finish, Atlas; stainless steel appliances: Samsung; farmhouse sink and matte black faucet: Kohler; handwoven Lorne rug: Anthropologie; pale gray window shades: Selectblinds.com; wall paint: Simply White, Benjamin Moore
The black and chalky white cement tile floor with a Moroccan-style pattern and aged patina sets a stylish tone for the space. “It’s a great alternative for an indoor-outdoor space like this kitchen,” Murray says.
Badajoz cement floor tile: Granada Tile
Badajoz cement floor tile: Granada Tile
The new peninsula and perimeter counters have an engineered quartz top in white with gray veining. “It’s a superdurable, beautiful and nonporous material,” Murray says.
Modern metal and wood stools offer seating at the peninsula. Two metal pendants with a copper finish and large bulbs provide a warm glow.
Perch bar stools: Anthropologie; pendants: Arteriors Home
Modern metal and wood stools offer seating at the peninsula. Two metal pendants with a copper finish and large bulbs provide a warm glow.
Perch bar stools: Anthropologie; pendants: Arteriors Home
Wood and hammered copper upper shelves offer display storage for plates and glasses, as well as decorative accessories. “If we went with cabinets there, it would have felt boxy and less modern,” Murray says.
Shelves: Anthropologie
Shelves: Anthropologie
New French doors with matte black hardware lead to the backyard and create a strong indoor-outdoor feel. “They really open up the space and feel like they’ve been there forever,” Murray says. “They also give the kitchen a nice architectural detail.”
Artwork: Caitlin Murray
Artwork: Caitlin Murray
The updated layout includes a desk area, shown in the rear left of this photo, and a concealed laundry space with front-loading washer and dryer, on the right. The countertop above the units can serve as folding space or as a buffet table during parties. “I like to design kitchens with established zones with specific purposes to help maximize space,” Murray says.
A collection of brass birds from the 1950s that the homeowner inherited from her grandmother decorates the wall above the desk.
Masters stool: Kartell via YLiving
Masters stool: Kartell via YLiving
Before Photo
BEFORE: The original plan shows how the previous kitchen was closed off, with a single solid door that opened to the backyard.
AFTER: The new plan shows the expansive French doors connecting the kitchen to the backyard and the peninsula replacing the wall. Now the more airy and open kitchen gives the homeowner an attractive and user-friendly space for preparing meals and entertaining.
“It really modernizes the home and brings it into today, but does it in a classic way with a style everyone can relate to, with a fresh and cozy feel,” Murray says.
General contractor: Chris McCraw of McCraw Design & Development
See more photos of this kitchen
See more Kitchens of the Week
“It really modernizes the home and brings it into today, but does it in a classic way with a style everyone can relate to, with a fresh and cozy feel,” Murray says.
General contractor: Chris McCraw of McCraw Design & Development
See more photos of this kitchen
See more Kitchens of the Week
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I could not love this kitchen any more. Soft and white and so nostalgic without being kitsch-y at all. Many of the others just seem so over produced and sterile. This kitchen seems to have a heart and a soul that is very connected to the family that lives here.