Ellen Lopez

All-White – With Just the Right Amount of Walnut

The end result of this transformation has the kitchen pass the structural boundaries to redefine the space and reinvent a home!

On our initial site visit and consultation, we found the kitchen as a dated cramped space that was completely separated from the rest of the adjoining rooms. As today's lifestyles call for open concept plans, we found a way to make that happen for this lovely family in their charming tudor home. As in many renovations, there were a few structural elements that could have hindered the layout. However, we chose to make the most of them. First, we moved the fridge to fit right under the soffit that was hiding the duct work. Doing this created a visual transition from the deeper appliance into the rest of the space.

The next step was to move the appliance hood to the center of the back wall and balance the wall cabinets right and left of the range to give the new kitchen rhythm and symmetry. Finally, you’ll notice that the structural header supporting the second floor remained in place almost as if we ignored it. That’s probably because we did! By leaving the header, we kept the continuity from one space to the next which made for a more functional and interesting layout.

We were able to create a working island by taking down the walls between the kitchen and the dining room, and added a second level to the island to create a visual barrier. The use of the waterfall edges gave clear boundaries to the space and gave us a place to to add some drama with that beautiful walnut panel. The icing on the cake for this transformation is how all the natural light from the back of the house comes gushing through!