Kitchen of the Week: We Can’t Stop Staring at This Bright Blue Island
A single mom updates her childhood kitchen, so she and her daughter have a functional and stylish space
Jeannie Matteucci
July 29, 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
Mikaela Randolph has fond memories of growing up in her family’s Los Angeles home. When her mother passed way, Randolph, daughter Aiyanna and their beloved dog moved in. After living with the home’s tight and isolated kitchen for almost seven years, Randolph asked friend and designer Kelly Finley to help transform it into a more functional space, now centered around a dazzling blue island. Today, even though it has a better connection to the living room, the Randolphs find themselves not wanting to ever leave the kitchen.
Before Photo
“After” photos by Bethany Nauert
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Mikaela Randolph; her daughter, Aiyanna, 8; and their Lhasa apso, Hunny Bear
Location: Baldwin Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles
“Before” size: About 300 square feet (27.9 square meters)
“After” size: About 400 square feet (37.2 square meters), including banquette area
Designer: Kelly Finley of Joy Street Design
BEFORE: The old kitchen underperformed, with tile counters, a pinkish-gray linoleum floor, worn oak cabinets with no hardware, and a sink weirdly offset from the window above it. Also, a peninsula cut off the kitchen from an adjoining breakfast space and dining room.
Randolph wanted to make changes while respecting the history of the house, which had burned down in the 1985 Baldwin Hills fire and was rebuilt by her mother in 1987. “There was this balance to honoring this amazing gift,” she says, and “raising my child and making it our own.”
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Mikaela Randolph; her daughter, Aiyanna, 8; and their Lhasa apso, Hunny Bear
Location: Baldwin Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles
“Before” size: About 300 square feet (27.9 square meters)
“After” size: About 400 square feet (37.2 square meters), including banquette area
Designer: Kelly Finley of Joy Street Design
BEFORE: The old kitchen underperformed, with tile counters, a pinkish-gray linoleum floor, worn oak cabinets with no hardware, and a sink weirdly offset from the window above it. Also, a peninsula cut off the kitchen from an adjoining breakfast space and dining room.
Randolph wanted to make changes while respecting the history of the house, which had burned down in the 1985 Baldwin Hills fire and was rebuilt by her mother in 1987. “There was this balance to honoring this amazing gift,” she says, and “raising my child and making it our own.”
AFTER: Smart space planning and a dash of color were key in transforming the kitchen. Finley closed the door to the dining room and created a new opening into the living room to improve flow and let more light into the kitchen. She also replaced a sliding door to the side yard with a single glass door to provide more space for cabinetry. Next, she knocked out the old peninsula, which allowed room for a large center island.
Finley and Randolph tried many color samples before finding just the right bold blue for the base of the island. “She wanted the walls to be a bright white, and we found a gorgeous gray for the outer cabinets, and when we found this blue, we just fell in love with the combination of colors,” Finley says. The color is Big Country Blue from Benjamin Moore.
Paint: Extra White (walls) and Essential Gray (cabinets), both Sherwin-Williams
Finley and Randolph tried many color samples before finding just the right bold blue for the base of the island. “She wanted the walls to be a bright white, and we found a gorgeous gray for the outer cabinets, and when we found this blue, we just fell in love with the combination of colors,” Finley says. The color is Big Country Blue from Benjamin Moore.
Paint: Extra White (walls) and Essential Gray (cabinets), both Sherwin-Williams
New custom oak cabinets with Shaker-style overlay doors and stainless steel pulls lend a transitional style. “I’m obsessed with using gray in the home,” Randolph says. “I also felt white cabinets wouldn’t be practical with an 8-year-old.”
Painted walnut floating shelves to the upper right of the sink provide display space and keep the kitchen from feeling too heavy. The small drawers to the left of the sink hold coffee, tea and beverage essentials, and a lazy Susan in the lower corner cabinet seen at the left of this photo holds food storage containers.
Cabinets: JM Kitchen Cabinets; cabinet handles: Lowe’s; sink: Ruvati; faucet: Delta Faucet
Painted walnut floating shelves to the upper right of the sink provide display space and keep the kitchen from feeling too heavy. The small drawers to the left of the sink hold coffee, tea and beverage essentials, and a lazy Susan in the lower corner cabinet seen at the left of this photo holds food storage containers.
Cabinets: JM Kitchen Cabinets; cabinet handles: Lowe’s; sink: Ruvati; faucet: Delta Faucet
Island drawers across from the sink store bowls, glasses, plates and platters. “This is the hardest-working part of the kitchen,” Finley says. “Those drawers store the items she uses daily.”
Canadian maple with a medium-brown stain and gray-overtone glaze replaced the worn-out linoleum. “I fell in love with this floor,” Randolph says. “It’s a wide plank that’s not too thin and not too dark, but also not so light that it shows dirt and dust easily.”
Stainless steel dishwasher: Jenn-Air; Jasper hardwood floor: Canadian Maple collection, BuildDirect
Canadian maple with a medium-brown stain and gray-overtone glaze replaced the worn-out linoleum. “I fell in love with this floor,” Randolph says. “It’s a wide plank that’s not too thin and not too dark, but also not so light that it shows dirt and dust easily.”
Stainless steel dishwasher: Jenn-Air; Jasper hardwood floor: Canadian Maple collection, BuildDirect
A wallpaper backsplash depicts a modern gray floral pattern on a white background. (Since these photos were taken, a glass overlay was added to protect the wallpaper from splatters.)
White quartz countertops with shimmering gray specks complement the backsplash.
Dahlia wallpaper: in Fog, Serena & Lily; cooktop: Jenn-Air
White quartz countertops with shimmering gray specks complement the backsplash.
Dahlia wallpaper: in Fog, Serena & Lily; cooktop: Jenn-Air
A wall of cabinetry where the peninsula once jutted out surrounds a stainless steel refrigerator with French doors. The unit also houses a flat-screen TV and pantry. Frosted glass cabinets on top keep the wall from feeling too heavy, and hold seasonal and holiday items.
Refrigerator: LG Electronics; TV: Vizio
Refrigerator: LG Electronics; TV: Vizio
Oversize chrome pendants provide illumination over the island. “They bring balance to the room,” Randolph says. “I feel like the chrome gives that industrial feel, and they’re large enough that we only needed two.”
At the back of this photo sits a microwave and convection oven combination with a wall oven below, so Randolph and Aiyanna can warm up oatmeal or whip up a cake. “We’re always baking; that’s one of our favorite things to do together,” Randolph says. “It’s nice to have the microwave and the extra oven for the flexibility.”
Ovens: Jenn-Air; Arlo pendant lights: Possini Euro Design via Euro Style Lighting
At the back of this photo sits a microwave and convection oven combination with a wall oven below, so Randolph and Aiyanna can warm up oatmeal or whip up a cake. “We’re always baking; that’s one of our favorite things to do together,” Randolph says. “It’s nice to have the microwave and the extra oven for the flexibility.”
Ovens: Jenn-Air; Arlo pendant lights: Possini Euro Design via Euro Style Lighting
The glass panel door in the far corner leads to the side yard. It replaced a sliding glass door that took up valuable wall space, which is now used for cabinetry.
Stools of chrome-plated steel and clear plastic offer island seating. “We originally were thinking of yellow stools but found these by chance,” Finley says. “They’re a great choice because they allow the blue base of the island to shine.”
Stools: CB2
Stools of chrome-plated steel and clear plastic offer island seating. “We originally were thinking of yellow stools but found these by chance,” Finley says. “They’re a great choice because they allow the blue base of the island to shine.”
Stools: CB2
Finley and Randolph did bring yellow to the new banquette area by way of modern chairs with chrome legs. The chairs flank a round pedestal table that allows easy access to the built-in banquette seating. The blue faux-leather cushion lifts up to reveal storage below.
Table: Overstock.com; chairs: Ikea
Table: Overstock.com; chairs: Ikea
The new beverage center allows Randolph to keep wine handy for guests, and have drinks available for Aiyanna and her friends when they visit. The glass-front upper cabinet stores wineglasses and other entertaining essentials.
Beverage center: Summit Appliance
Beverage center: Summit Appliance
BEFORE: This floor plan shows how the previous kitchen felt cramped and isolated from the living room.
AFTER: The new plan shows the wall openings and updated layout that improved flow, and made the kitchen more functional and inviting.
“I can barely get my daughter out of the kitchen now, she loves it so much,” Randolph says.
See more Kitchens of the Week
Learn about remodeling your kitchen
“I can barely get my daughter out of the kitchen now, she loves it so much,” Randolph says.
See more Kitchens of the Week
Learn about remodeling your kitchen
We strive to create spaces that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also functional and comfortable. We work... Read More
Related Products
As a full-service, family-owned remodeling company in New Albany, OH, we strive to bring our clients incredible... Read More
Related Stories
Kitchen Makeovers
Kitchen of the Week: Beer, Shuffleboard and Pizza Bring the Fun
Entertaining features and a warm industrial style create a lively atmosphere in this revamped Craftsman bungalow space
Full Story
Kitchen Makeovers
Kitchen of the Week: Airy Beach Style in a Lake House
By Becky Harris
A designer creates a cottage feel by adding classic architectural elements and mixing white with warm woods
Full Story
Kitchen Makeovers
Kitchen of the Week: Baker’s Dream Kitchen With Two Islands
A kitchen-family room makeover adds happy' aqua cabinetry and a dedicated baking space to a Massachusetts farmhouse
Full Story
Kitchen Makeovers
Kitchen of the Week: Open Feel With White-and-Wood Japandi Style
A design-build firm helps a couple relocate their kitchen to gain space, openness and a warm and welcoming look
Full Story
Kitchen Makeovers
Kitchen of the Week: Bold Black Style With Nods to ‘Star Wars’
A designer helps a young couple create an open kitchen with a large island and a dramatic look with fun sci-fi roots
Full Story
Kitchen Makeovers
Kitchen of the Week: Rich Color and Style in a 19th-Century Condo
A 160-square-foot kitchen in a Chicago three-flat gets a traditional look with dark green cabinets and authentic details
Full Story
Kitchen Makeovers
Kitchen of the Week: Former Barn Gets a Modern Rustic Style
A designer opens up a closed-off kitchen and creates a warm and moody look with walnut cabinets and black details
Full Story
Kitchen Makeovers
Kitchen of the Week: Respecting History in a Seattle Bungalow
By Becky Harris
A designer uses an English-inspired palette in the kitchen to honor the style of the landmark Arts and Crafts home
Full Story
Kitchen Makeovers
Kitchen of the Week: White, Wood and Blue With Cottage Charm
A 181-square-foot kitchen in a 1920s Atlanta bungalow gets a light and airy makeover filled with small-space ideas
Full Story
Kitchen Makeovers
Kitchen of the Week: New Location for an Open Layout With Style
A designer transforms a dining room to create an airy kitchen with an island, natural light and white-and-wood style
Full Story
What is the clear counter side chairs that are complimenting these blue cabinets
The gray cabinets look a lot like Dura Supreme's Silver Mist paint! Light grays look so amazing with so many colors. Mandi @ Dura
Wonderful upgrade, how much space did you leave on each side of the island ?
Any issues after you shut the door into the dining room ? I am thinking of doing the same but worry about the disconnect between dining and kitchen