They Entertain the Day Away in Their Updated Kitchen
An open layout makes this kitchen-great room combo the perfect place for spending time with family and friends
Open and closed shelving: Jaworski has a design secret for anyone renovating a kitchen: Add open shelves. She does this as often as she can because she finds that it’s a good way to balance a room. With both open and closed shelving, you can display art and decor on the open shelves and still have a place to hide dishes and appliances.
“I just think they are a great way to elevate the look of your kitchen,” she says.
Island counter: Torquay, Cambria; faucet: Trinsic collection, Delta; ceramic pendant lights: Relief Drip, Jonathan Adler; paint on walls: White Wisp, Benjamin Moore
“I just think they are a great way to elevate the look of your kitchen,” she says.
Island counter: Torquay, Cambria; faucet: Trinsic collection, Delta; ceramic pendant lights: Relief Drip, Jonathan Adler; paint on walls: White Wisp, Benjamin Moore
Butcher block countertops: The homeowners requested butcher block countertops, which excited the project team because they add a warm, natural element.
“While everyone likes the look of them, not many people want the maintenance and hassle,” Jaworski says.
Butcher block countertops usually aren’t sealed, so they require a little more maintenance than most other counter materials. They’re cleaned with warm water and mild soap. Experts recommend sanding out imperfections and conditioning with a protective oil twice a year.
Shelf accessories: HomeGoods, Target and Cost Plus World Market
How to Clean and Care for Your Butcher Block
“While everyone likes the look of them, not many people want the maintenance and hassle,” Jaworski says.
Butcher block countertops usually aren’t sealed, so they require a little more maintenance than most other counter materials. They’re cleaned with warm water and mild soap. Experts recommend sanding out imperfections and conditioning with a protective oil twice a year.
Shelf accessories: HomeGoods, Target and Cost Plus World Market
How to Clean and Care for Your Butcher Block
Home bar: The homeowners asked for a bar because they wanted an additional sink for food prep and room to fix drinks when they host parties.
Butcher block here makes the counter just as functional as the counter near the stove, and a mix of open shelves and closed cabinetry below maximizes storage in the narrow space. Additionally, the bar’s proximity to the refrigerator makes mixing drinks and preparing garnishes easier.
The project team stocked and styled the bar so that it’s ready for the next party.
Cabinet hardware: Rejuvenation; bar backsplash: white subway tile, Floor & Decor
Shop for a bar sink
Butcher block here makes the counter just as functional as the counter near the stove, and a mix of open shelves and closed cabinetry below maximizes storage in the narrow space. Additionally, the bar’s proximity to the refrigerator makes mixing drinks and preparing garnishes easier.
The project team stocked and styled the bar so that it’s ready for the next party.
Cabinet hardware: Rejuvenation; bar backsplash: white subway tile, Floor & Decor
Shop for a bar sink
Fireplace: Jaworski supported the homeowners’ request to keep the original fireplace, designing the great room around this focal point.
The project team built a wall to the left of the fireplace to extend the working area of the kitchen, and put the refrigerator and bar there. Jaworski was nervous that the bar might not naturally flow into the great room’s fireplace, but her contractor assured her that the cabinets, counters, shelves and backsplash would “melt” into the stone, she says. The contractor cut the stones on that side of the fireplace surround so that the subway tile, counters and cabinets would fit right into it.
Laminate flooring: White Wash Oak color, Reclaimé collection, Quick-Step; art: Minted
Contractor: Dedrick Construction
Cabinet and countertop maker: SMG Custom Cabinets
Structural planning and engineering: Linda Panattoni
More: How to Create a Built-In Home Bar
The project team built a wall to the left of the fireplace to extend the working area of the kitchen, and put the refrigerator and bar there. Jaworski was nervous that the bar might not naturally flow into the great room’s fireplace, but her contractor assured her that the cabinets, counters, shelves and backsplash would “melt” into the stone, she says. The contractor cut the stones on that side of the fireplace surround so that the subway tile, counters and cabinets would fit right into it.
Laminate flooring: White Wash Oak color, Reclaimé collection, Quick-Step; art: Minted
Contractor: Dedrick Construction
Cabinet and countertop maker: SMG Custom Cabinets
Structural planning and engineering: Linda Panattoni
More: How to Create a Built-In Home Bar
Kitchen-Great Room at a Glance
Who lives here: A married couple and their daughter
Location: Sacramento, California
Size: 255 square feet (23.7 square meters)
Designer: Leyla Jaworski, owner of and principal designer at Design Shop Interiors
The backstory: The 2,500-square-foot midcentury home was completely remodeled with the goal of creating a modern, up-to-date version of the original house. Leyla Jaworski served as the interior designer of the remodel, which included this kitchen and great room. The homeowners love to cook and host get-togethers, so Jaworski worked with the rest of the project team to make the space both functional and fun.
Style: The owners have an eclectic style and an appreciation for midcentury architecture. It was important to them and the team to keep as much of the house’s original character as possible, and they did that in two ways.
First, the team used some of the home’s original fixtures: brass lights and door hardware. Second, the team used materials from the midcentury time period, such as Marmoleum flooring and flat-panel cabinets.
“While we love midcentury, you need to be careful not to turn your home into a time capsule,” Jaworski says. “We knew we wanted something light, bright and open that spoke to the original midcentury time period of the house without feeling kitschy.”
The homeowners and design team settled on a mix of white, wood and stone for most of the palette. Jaworski uses this combination frequently in her designs because she loves its clean and organic look.