Kitchen of the Week: A Fearless Sense of Style
Bold stripes, patterned tiles and mixed metals create an individual look for this Illinois kitchen
Becky Harris
March 3, 2017
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
“It’s important to me to determine my clients’ personal home DNA before we get started,” says interior designer Amy Storm. In this case, it was a mix of her client’s eclectic tastes and Foursquare house’s historic style. “I’d say the result is part French bistro and part old farmhouse with some industrial thrown in,” Storm says. “She has a unique sense of style and wanted the kitchen to be high-quality and unlike anything else.”
Photos by Joe Kwon
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of four
Location: Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Size: 328 square feet (30.5 square meters)
Designer: Amy Storm of Designstorms
As it turns out, Storm had scouted this house with other clients when they were thinking about buying it, to give them ideas on how to renovate. Those clients didn’t wind up purchasing it, but another woman Storm happened to know did. “I ran into her and told her I’d figured out how to redo her kitchen and that she should call me,” she says. The woman did, and the designer proposed taking down a wall that used to stand where the beam by the vent hood is.
Her client wanted radiant floor heating, so they ripped out the existing flooring and installed this patterned tile. The tile looks like encaustic cement tile but is porcelain. “It’s incredibly durable,” Storm says. She then picked up on the charcoal hues, which have slightly blue undertones, when working on the palette for the rest of the kitchen. The cabinet paint is a custom mix that matches the tile.
Tile: Marca Corona
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of four
Location: Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Size: 328 square feet (30.5 square meters)
Designer: Amy Storm of Designstorms
As it turns out, Storm had scouted this house with other clients when they were thinking about buying it, to give them ideas on how to renovate. Those clients didn’t wind up purchasing it, but another woman Storm happened to know did. “I ran into her and told her I’d figured out how to redo her kitchen and that she should call me,” she says. The woman did, and the designer proposed taking down a wall that used to stand where the beam by the vent hood is.
Her client wanted radiant floor heating, so they ripped out the existing flooring and installed this patterned tile. The tile looks like encaustic cement tile but is porcelain. “It’s incredibly durable,” Storm says. She then picked up on the charcoal hues, which have slightly blue undertones, when working on the palette for the rest of the kitchen. The cabinet paint is a custom mix that matches the tile.
Tile: Marca Corona
BEFORE: A desk area was located to the left of the beam, but because the home already had an office, it wasn’t needed. As you can see, the stained-glass transoms were original to the historic home.
AFTER: “My client’s middle school-aged daughter loves to bake. She wanted her daughter to have her own special spot in the room for baking,” Storm says.
So this end of the kitchen — the space gained from taking down the wall — serves as a baking area. The long drawers house baking sheets and other tools, and the bottom drawers have bins for ingredients like flour. The cabinet atop the counter on the right conceals the mixer. The countertops are a Zodiaq engineered quartz that resembles Carrara marble but is more durable.
So this end of the kitchen — the space gained from taking down the wall — serves as a baking area. The long drawers house baking sheets and other tools, and the bottom drawers have bins for ingredients like flour. The cabinet atop the counter on the right conceals the mixer. The countertops are a Zodiaq engineered quartz that resembles Carrara marble but is more durable.
AFTER: The two tall cabinets on the left flank a beverage refrigerator and serve as the pantry. “It was better to get more space for the room than to create a separate walk-in pantry,” Storm says.
Paint: Brushed Aluminum (walls) and custom mix (cabinets), Benjamin Moore; cabinets: Hoosier House
Paint: Brushed Aluminum (walls) and custom mix (cabinets), Benjamin Moore; cabinets: Hoosier House
Mixing in walnut pieces also nods to the Foursquare’s history; kitchens of the time were often composed of free-standing pieces. This chrome-and-walnut shelving unit was the homeowner’s idea. It keeps things open and holds all the everyday dishes.
“When they are plating food, they can place them on the counter next to the range,” Storm says. “When they are unloading the dishwasher, they place them on the counter and then put them away here.”
Because they use these items every day, they gather no dust.
“When they are plating food, they can place them on the counter next to the range,” Storm says. “When they are unloading the dishwasher, they place them on the counter and then put them away here.”
Because they use these items every day, they gather no dust.
This is the working side of the kitchen. Although it isn’t a typical triangle, the island makes it work for the family — they can take things out of the refrigerator, place them on the island, and then wash, chop, mix and access the range. There are counter stools on the other side of the island for hanging out with the cook.
Both client and designer wanted to keep the wall of windows open, with minimal upper cabinets. Extending the classic subway tile from floor to ceiling is fitting for the historic Foursquare’s architecture. It also helps keep the kitchen light and bright. Storm made up for the lack of upper cabinet storage by using lots of efficient drawers on the lower cabinetry.
Both client and designer wanted to keep the wall of windows open, with minimal upper cabinets. Extending the classic subway tile from floor to ceiling is fitting for the historic Foursquare’s architecture. It also helps keep the kitchen light and bright. Storm made up for the lack of upper cabinet storage by using lots of efficient drawers on the lower cabinetry.
The client wanted to incorporate a toaster oven with a built-in look, so Storm came up with a pullout shelf (the oven slides out so that it doesn’t get too hot inside the cabinet when in use).
Beneath it is another handy pullout, a cutting board shelf. The cutting board is easy to remove for cleaning.
Beneath it is another handy pullout, a cutting board shelf. The cutting board is easy to remove for cleaning.
Lighting lends a lot of style to the room. “These pendants were the first thing that she chose and really helped us figure out the design DNA for the room,” Storm says. “The lighting adds so much style to this kitchen.” In addition to the gold seen on these pendants, the metal palette in here includes oil-rubbed bronze, shiny chrome and stainless steel. “There are so many metals in here, but it all still looks cohesive,” Storm says.
In addition to the oil-rubbed bronze sconces, the faucet and stainless steel appliances add an industrial feel to the space.
Toe-kick drawers make the most of a few inches.
From this view, you can get a glimpse of the eat-in area and how it relates to the rest of the kitchen.
The client’s flair for bold style inspired the eat-in area, a twist on French bistro style. “It’s funny, we had picked out a pink tweed for the back of the banquette, and I was lying in bed one night and thought, ‘That’s just too plain for her,’” Storm says. “I got up and immediately started sorting through my fabric samples and brought her this floral the next day — she loved it.” The bottom of the banquette is a navy linen, and the tabletop is bluestone. Storm picked up on the golden tones in the island pendants on the inside of the pendant light here.
A horizontal striped wallcovering delineates the eat-in area. Squint and you’ll see the light switch on the left. “That’s a sign of a really good wallpaper hanger!” Storm says.
Table and chairs: Four Hands; light: Circa Lighting; floral fabric: Romo
A horizontal striped wallcovering delineates the eat-in area. Squint and you’ll see the light switch on the left. “That’s a sign of a really good wallpaper hanger!” Storm says.
Table and chairs: Four Hands; light: Circa Lighting; floral fabric: Romo
The existing butler’s pantry is tucked between the kitchen and the dining room. “This space was awkward and had old 30-inch cabinets. We tried to restore them, but it turned out it just wasn’t worth the effort; they were not functional,” Storm says. “My clients wanted a place to set up a bar when they were entertaining.” These new cabinets include wine racks, a trash bin, and plenty of storage for platters, liquor and other bar supplies.
On the other side of the butler’s pantry, she cleverly built in recessed cabinets around a vintage-looking metal cabinet with glass doors. The one on the right recesses into the wall, underneath a staircase. This allows it to house refrigerator and freezer drawers, completing the convenience of the bar.
The wall is covered in navy grasscloth. The folk art belonged to her client. “I walked in one day, and she’d hung it from the ceiling, and I just love it,” the designer says. This was the final proof that she and her client were a perfect match.
Cabinet: Noir; wallcovering: Pacific Designs
Builder: Jama Construction
Browse more Kitchens of the Week
The wall is covered in navy grasscloth. The folk art belonged to her client. “I walked in one day, and she’d hung it from the ceiling, and I just love it,” the designer says. This was the final proof that she and her client were a perfect match.
Cabinet: Noir; wallcovering: Pacific Designs
Builder: Jama Construction
Browse more Kitchens of the Week
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LOL is anybody else seeing those pendant lights and thinking "Pokémon"?
Otherwise, great -looking kitchen.
I think the toe kick drawers are such a great space saving idea, but if I’ve already redone the kitchen are they still doable?