Yellow Pantry Door Steals the Show in a Modern Farmhouse Kitchen
Pre-aged floors, vintage hardware and rough-hewn materials add an old-world feel to this new Los Angeles kitchen
When a young couple with one child and another on the way purchased their home in Los Angeles’ Cheviot Hills neighborhood nearly a decade ago, they faced a tough question: tear down and start over or upgrade the house over time? “In L.A., once you have a piece of property, it can be easier and cheaper to tear it down,” interior designer Alison Kandler says.
But this couple wasn’t looking for easy solutions. After a stop-gap renovation that held them over for many years, the couple were ready for a major overhaul. So they brought in their trusted designer to create a large open floor plan centered on a beautiful farmhouse kitchen where these two entertainment-industry professionals now gather, cook and entertain with their two children and large network of friends.
But this couple wasn’t looking for easy solutions. After a stop-gap renovation that held them over for many years, the couple were ready for a major overhaul. So they brought in their trusted designer to create a large open floor plan centered on a beautiful farmhouse kitchen where these two entertainment-industry professionals now gather, cook and entertain with their two children and large network of friends.
To give the central kitchen a little distinction from the rest of the floor plan, designer Alison Kandler added traditional transoms that come down from the nine-foot ceilings on two sides of the room, plus an 11-foot door opening facing the stairs.
In selecting the refrigerator, Kandler used the “Goldilocks principle,” choosing a 42-inch model that was neither too big nor too small with just the right amount of storage.
Lights: Rejuvenation
In selecting the refrigerator, Kandler used the “Goldilocks principle,” choosing a 42-inch model that was neither too big nor too small with just the right amount of storage.
Lights: Rejuvenation
Kandler’s clients love the look of mixing glass-front and solid cabinet doors. Kandler has found that most people have a few things they want to display, and a lot of things they want to hide, so when mixing cabinet styles, she recommends determining which wall will be more of the focal point of the room and installing your glass-front cabinets there.
Here, the cabinetry on the window wall holds the family’s attractive display pieces. It also boasts interior cabinet lights that can be illuminated in the evening for instant ambiance. More practical, mundane items are stored behind closed doors along the refrigerator wall.
Browse metal counter stools
Here, the cabinetry on the window wall holds the family’s attractive display pieces. It also boasts interior cabinet lights that can be illuminated in the evening for instant ambiance. More practical, mundane items are stored behind closed doors along the refrigerator wall.
Browse metal counter stools
Since the rest of the house is done primarily in black and white with bursts of color sprinkled throughout, Kandler saw an opportunity to get playful with the pantry door.
There’s an exercise the designer does with almost every client: She’ll send the couple to the paint store separately, asking them to pull colors they like. In this case, both clients picked very similar colors, pulling almost all whites, grays, blacks and just a couple primary colors mixed in. Together, they landed on a primary yellow for their pop of color in the kitchen, which Kandler used to cover an old screen door. A vintage door knob and creaky hinges add a little old-fashioned authenticity.
Another authentic design move was the tiling: Instead of specifying standard 3-by-6 glossy subway tile, Kandler went a step further and selected a rough-textured subway tile in true brick dimensions with dark grout for contrast.
Additionally, she treated the floors as if they were old barn floors. Her crew painted long strips of black paint directly onto the floors before sanding them down so that the paint would slide into the cracks, resulting in new floors that look pleasantly rusticated before their time.
There’s an exercise the designer does with almost every client: She’ll send the couple to the paint store separately, asking them to pull colors they like. In this case, both clients picked very similar colors, pulling almost all whites, grays, blacks and just a couple primary colors mixed in. Together, they landed on a primary yellow for their pop of color in the kitchen, which Kandler used to cover an old screen door. A vintage door knob and creaky hinges add a little old-fashioned authenticity.
Another authentic design move was the tiling: Instead of specifying standard 3-by-6 glossy subway tile, Kandler went a step further and selected a rough-textured subway tile in true brick dimensions with dark grout for contrast.
Additionally, she treated the floors as if they were old barn floors. Her crew painted long strips of black paint directly onto the floors before sanding them down so that the paint would slide into the cracks, resulting in new floors that look pleasantly rusticated before their time.
The window behind the range was a “big deal” for the clients; they had never seen it done before, and indeed it is not common. It is, however, immensely practical: “Nothing happens behind the range anyway,” says Kandler. If you want a window in your kitchen, better to install it there in an otherwise wasted pocket of wall space than to sacrifice cabinets. This way, “you get all that natural light while you’re cooking, and you don’t have to worry much about splashes and spray from cooking,” since glass wipes down just as easily as any backsplash. Kandler added an 8-inch bay for keeping oils and salts readily at hand while cooking.
The kitchen island is made of oak and finished with casein paint rubbed into the grain. This technique results in a reverse-grain pattern with a lighter grain on a darker background, almost like a photo-negative of how we’re accustomed to seeing wood.
The decision to add bookshelves to the front was part form and part function. The couple are avid cooks who had accumulated a lot of cookbooks that needed storing. Plus, Kandler thought the shelving would add warmth and some extra charm. “No matter how ‘farmhouse-y’ the design is, if it’s not warm, it won’t feel like a farmhouse,” she said. The humble corbels that hold up the island overhang are another nod to simple farmhouse detailing.
More
Everything You Need to Know About Farmhouse Sinks
Kitchen Workbook: 8 Elements of a Farmhouse Kitchen
The decision to add bookshelves to the front was part form and part function. The couple are avid cooks who had accumulated a lot of cookbooks that needed storing. Plus, Kandler thought the shelving would add warmth and some extra charm. “No matter how ‘farmhouse-y’ the design is, if it’s not warm, it won’t feel like a farmhouse,” she said. The humble corbels that hold up the island overhang are another nod to simple farmhouse detailing.
More
Everything You Need to Know About Farmhouse Sinks
Kitchen Workbook: 8 Elements of a Farmhouse Kitchen
Who lives here: A couple of Hollywood professionals and their two children
Location: Los Angeles, California
Size: 200 square feet (18.6 square meters)
Designer: Alison Kandler
The couple loved the idea of creating a contemporary farmhouse kitchen. Their somewhat conservative tastes favored simple elements like brick tile and creamy white cabinets with contrasting black window sashes and glass hardware – nothing too flashy or trendy.
Even the bar stools lean somewhere between modern-industrial and old farmhouse, bridging the gap between vintage and contemporary.