Transitional Kitchen Design in Bethesda, Maryland
This kitchen was simply oriented in the wrong direction which created a somewhat disjointed kitchen with limited counter space and inferior storage. By pushing out the wall into the family room, it allowed us to reorient the banquette. We also centered the door to the dining room and moved the door to the Butler’s pantry/Rec room for a more clear path to this back area.
The back door was a large slider, and, not necessary since it wasted room on the back wall, so, this was changed to a single door. Now, with these adjustments to the space, the kitchen was easily reoriented. This allowed us to turn the island and to make it longer. With the main sink in the island, the client can talk to people sitting at the banquette or at the breakfast bar while cooking.
Rather than placing the breakfast bar predictably on the back of the island, we decided that for comfort and so as not to block the traffic flow, we placed it at the end of the island facing the dining room. Since the main sink requires more counter space for prep and clean up, this solved the counter space issue as well. We reused the existing Sub Zero refrigerator and placed it in the outside wall corner, getting it out of the way so as to keep the working part of the kitchen open and spacious.
The client wanted to have a prep sink, so, the perfect location was between the refrigerator and the 36” Wolf Range where we managed to place a small window above it. Rather than going with a standard hood, we designed a very simple custom hood with rivets in a bronze finish which compliment the unique cabinet knobs. The client wanted to have a second Wolf oven and a separate Wolf microwave, so, we flanked the dining room door with 60” high cabinets which were perfect for housing these appliances. By not using tall oven cabinets, we were able to retain the open feeling.
The client also needed storage for serving dishes and bowls, so, by placing open shelving above the oven cabinets, we were able to do this in an aesthetically pleasing way, again, retaining the open feeling. We decided not to “turn the corner” with cabinets on the left of the dining room door. Instead, we left some wall space and put an accent furniture style cabinet there. This houses her baking goods, a compost drawer and an additional under counter Sub Zero refrigerator/freezer drawer unit. This design choice is reminiscent of the unfitted English kitchen design which is such a classic.
The client wasn’t interested in having another white kitchen, nor, did she want it to be a dark wood. We opted for gray cabinets with a milk paint finish and the accent cabinet is in an earthy yellow with red undertones. The soapstone countertop added just the right amount of contrast and drama.
