Kitchen of the Week: A Designer Navigates Her Own Kitchen Remodel
Plans quickly changed during demolition, but the Florida designer loves the result. Here's what she did
A few months after purchasing her home, designer Nicole White started planning out her dream kitchen — or at least the dream kitchen she could imagine in this space. She spent two to three weeks working on a design that would give her a large island and a kitchen sink under the window. In the end, she got only one of those dreams because of an unexpected obstacle during demolition. But today, as she mills around the kitchen, she couldn’t imagine the space any other way.
During the design phase, White wanted a large kitchen island. To add this, a wall needed to be removed. She had the all-clear to remove the wall, but on demolition day, the contractor halted the job because the wall was load-bearing.
“I remember collapsing in tears,” White says. “This cannot be happening in my own home.”
She had no choice but to redraw the plans with a peninsula. With a new design in hand, she called the cabinet company to alter her custom cabinets before they were produced.
Today, the load-bearing wall displays her son’s growth chart, which looks like a giraffe.
The final design includes a peninsula with room for food prep and table space. The orange bar stools, a first kitchen purchase, greet guests when they walk in the front door and add dashes of White’s favorite color.
Paint: Serious Gray, Sherwin-Williams; appliances: Home Depot; flooring: Floor & Decor; cabinets: custom, Panda Kitchen and Bath; backsplash: marble and glass penny round tile, TileBar; bar stools: Wayfair
“I remember collapsing in tears,” White says. “This cannot be happening in my own home.”
She had no choice but to redraw the plans with a peninsula. With a new design in hand, she called the cabinet company to alter her custom cabinets before they were produced.
Today, the load-bearing wall displays her son’s growth chart, which looks like a giraffe.
The final design includes a peninsula with room for food prep and table space. The orange bar stools, a first kitchen purchase, greet guests when they walk in the front door and add dashes of White’s favorite color.
Paint: Serious Gray, Sherwin-Williams; appliances: Home Depot; flooring: Floor & Decor; cabinets: custom, Panda Kitchen and Bath; backsplash: marble and glass penny round tile, TileBar; bar stools: Wayfair
Much to White’s delight, she can look out the front window while she does dishes. Before, the sink stood about where the stove stands now. White knew this would be the biggest project in the room, but it was worth it to her. She doesn’t use her dishwasher all the time, so she’s happy she made the change.
“I am in love with my farmhouse sink,” she says.
Sink: Overstock; faucet: Fresco, Giagni; dish towels: Target; pink watering can: Ikea
“I am in love with my farmhouse sink,” she says.
Sink: Overstock; faucet: Fresco, Giagni; dish towels: Target; pink watering can: Ikea
White included her social media followers when making design choices. She would post photos of options, such as the granite countertop, and have people pick a favorite. In the granite debate, the right option won.
“Lots of people look to social media, even if they don’t hire me,” she says. “When I can, I want to make them feel like they are a part of my process.”
“Lots of people look to social media, even if they don’t hire me,” she says. “When I can, I want to make them feel like they are a part of my process.”
Around the corner, White has a wine/beverage station. The space includes a wine rack between the cabinets and a fridge underneath the countertop to keep wine chilled for immediate pouring.
One regret in her kitchen found its way into the wine area: the trash can. During her quick redesign because of the load-bearing wall, she didn’t include a cabinet near the kitchen sink as she usually does. When guests come over, she says, they always have a hard time finding the trash can.
Still, “It works out for me in the end because I take it right out the door to the garage,” she says.
One regret in her kitchen found its way into the wine area: the trash can. During her quick redesign because of the load-bearing wall, she didn’t include a cabinet near the kitchen sink as she usually does. When guests come over, she says, they always have a hard time finding the trash can.
Still, “It works out for me in the end because I take it right out the door to the garage,” she says.
White designed the wine area with shorter upper cabinets. These cabinets are 36 inches tall, compared with the rest of the upper cabinets, which are 42 inches tall.
“This way, we have more prep room for making drinks,” she says. “No one notices, but I know.”
Besides having differing cabinet heights, White also likes to use big drawers for storing pots and pans. “The drawers will cost a little more, but it’s worth it,” she says.
Wine sign: HomeGoods
“This way, we have more prep room for making drinks,” she says. “No one notices, but I know.”
Besides having differing cabinet heights, White also likes to use big drawers for storing pots and pans. “The drawers will cost a little more, but it’s worth it,” she says.
Wine sign: HomeGoods
Her son, Xavier, got his own place in the kitchen. The wall by the island showcases some of his most recent artwork. White wanted him to be able to swap images in and out as he got older.
Xavier also likes to help his mom in the kitchen. He has his own stool, White says, and he pulls it out so he can help prepare meals.
Plumber: Almazan Plumbing Service
Tile installer: Luis Quispe
Electrician: DS Lighting
Browse more Kitchens of the Week
Plumber: Almazan Plumbing Service
Tile installer: Luis Quispe
Electrician: DS Lighting
Browse more Kitchens of the Week
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Designer Nicole White and her 5-year-old son, Xavier
Location: Sunrise, Florida
Size: 198 square feet (18.4 square meters)
The kitchen sits right inside the front door, which didn’t thrill White. She had never remodeled a kitchen at the front of the home and didn’t understand why it was located here. Now, she says it makes so much sense. When her son comes home from school, he can come directly to the kitchen to work on homework. And when guests come over, they flow right into the kitchen for wining and dining.