Washington, DC

The original kitchen was very, very dark, regardless (in spite of) of the large window at the breakfast table.  The cabinets were a dark cherry, which exacerbated this problem.  A pantry jutted out into the room quite a bit, which inhibited the ability to have an island of any usable size .  As a result, in this grand space, a dark kitchen with a small island housing the cooktop with very little counter space, the room was very underutilized and was completely out of proportion with the size and elegance of the house.

We decided to first cut the pantry back, which was possible by moving some ductwork around.  I then suggested that we add windows in the corner of the kitchen to grab more outdoor light, and, to get a view of their gorgeous back yard and pool.  Now, we were able to get a nice sized island.  We moved the cooking to the back wall, which is the main focal wall.  By centering the island on the range, the eye is drawn into the space and ends at the custom made hood and stone tile.  We separated the refrigerator from the freezer so that we could go with a 30” wide all refrigerator.  This freed up room for counter space and wall cabinet space on the window wall.  The microwave was placed just opposite the refrigerator in the island and close to the dining table for ease of use.

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The client wanted a “Colorado” look, and, wasn’t interested in going with white cabinets.  We decided to go with a combination of a medium stained birch mixed with very light yellow painted cabinets.  To make up for the loss of wall cabinets, we made the oven cabinets double as additional pantry and placed this on a wall that was easily accessed from the work triangle.  

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The countertops add to the Colorado feel with the Wasabi granite feeling very earthy and blending with the stone backsplash.  We wanted to break up the continuous counter by adding darker and thicker Soapstone counter at the sink.  This is reminiscent of the dry sinks of olden days, and, adds a punch of detail to make the sink area another gorgeous focal wall.

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This kitchen functions so well, and, she has more storage than she thought she would have.  This kitchen was featured in the most recent Washingtonian magazine.

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Designed by #JGKB. Photography by Robert Radifera Photography.