Craftsman Kitchen Design in Kensington, Maryland

The clients had a long, narrow kitchen which was in the middle of the house but did not easily flow from one room to the next. Their immediate objective was to create a space that was more inviting for the family to gathering, but not necessarily expanding the kitchen. We realized the biggest obstacle that closed the kitchen in, making it a dark and narrow space, was the wall separating the kitchen and dining room. By removing that wall, we weren’t expanding the kitchen footprint, but it did allow us to create a wider island with seating that flowed from the dining room to the main hallway and into the living space. This also allowed the light to pour in from the front of the house and the square island created a functioning work zone as well as a social gathering spot. In addition to the functionality of the space, we needed to keep in mind details of their historic Kensington home. The home already had warm wood features throughout the house, so we decided on rift white oak that has a low sheen, oiled finish giving the wood a more natural look and blending with the rest of the home. The countertop is a Lagos Blue Caesarstone and the backsplash is a mix of plank board and Calcutta marble tile. The clients also had a leaded glass art piece with a gorgeous pattern that we replicated for the double entry glass cabinet above the sink. By creating glass doors on the front and the back of the cabinet, we were able to capture the light coming in from the back door, but still take advantage of the space above the sink as useful storage.