A Fresh Traditional Kitchen With Room for the Grandkids
Durable finishes, a new open layout and a warming drawer make this kitchen work for homeowners who entertain often
Before: Here’s how the kitchen looked after the unfortunate second-story leak. Due to asbestos present in the drywall joint compound, almost everything was ruined or contaminated and needed to be replaced.
The window on the back wall is the wall with the window in the previous photo.
The window on the back wall is the wall with the window in the previous photo.
The homeowners moved to California many years ago from the East Coast and have retained a preference for traditional style, Ross says. They chose a classic raised-panel style for the cabinetry, in a pale robin’s egg blue with a sepia glaze.
You can see the effect of the glazing in this photo. The blade used to cut the cabinets’ raised panels leaves grooves in the wood. The cabinetmaker paints on the glaze with a brush and then wipes it off, leaving glazing only in the grooves, Ross says. The result is a pretty edging of the panels in a contrasting color. “That little bit of sepia-toned glaze relates back to all the other warm colors in the kitchen,” Ross says.
The backsplash is a mosaic composed of polished Crema Marfil marble with colored inserts that create dark spots. The pattern comes mounted on a mesh sheet rather than in individual pieces that must be installed one by one.
The perimeter countertop is engineered quartz that looks like limestone, a quiet material that Ross chose to balance the drama of the island counter. The perimeter counter has an ogee edge, which is like an S-curve.
Pro tip: For this remodel, Ross created an ideabook on Houzz to share her cabinet color suggestions with the client. She also encourages her clients to collect images of photos and spaces that inspire them in order to communicate their preferences in a visual way. Here’s more information on how to create an ideabook on Houzz that you can share with your designer.
You can see the effect of the glazing in this photo. The blade used to cut the cabinets’ raised panels leaves grooves in the wood. The cabinetmaker paints on the glaze with a brush and then wipes it off, leaving glazing only in the grooves, Ross says. The result is a pretty edging of the panels in a contrasting color. “That little bit of sepia-toned glaze relates back to all the other warm colors in the kitchen,” Ross says.
The backsplash is a mosaic composed of polished Crema Marfil marble with colored inserts that create dark spots. The pattern comes mounted on a mesh sheet rather than in individual pieces that must be installed one by one.
The perimeter countertop is engineered quartz that looks like limestone, a quiet material that Ross chose to balance the drama of the island counter. The perimeter counter has an ogee edge, which is like an S-curve.
Pro tip: For this remodel, Ross created an ideabook on Houzz to share her cabinet color suggestions with the client. She also encourages her clients to collect images of photos and spaces that inspire them in order to communicate their preferences in a visual way. Here’s more information on how to create an ideabook on Houzz that you can share with your designer.
“The real starting point for the color scheme was the slab on the island,” Ross says. The slab is quartzite, a natural stone, with colors that remind Ross of an old map: blue-grays, greens, sepias and browns. Here you can see how well the cream of the backsplash pairs with the lighter tones in the island top.
The slab was also a good choice in terms of durability. “Quartzite is harder than granite; it’s very worry-free,” Ross says.
The flooring is wide-plank white oak with a matte finish, which the homeowners chose over a glossy one for its hardworking qualities. “It really is very forgiving even though it’s natural wood,” Ross says.
The kitchen had no island prior to the renovation and the homeowner wanted a place where the kids could sit. She found the counter stools on Houzz.
The Roman shade over the sink is in a natural linen fabric.
Placing the cooktop on the island allows the homeowner to visit with someone sitting there while she works. The client chose an induction cooktop that doesn’t get as hot as an electric burner and won’t heat up unless a pan is on it — a nice safety feature when little kids are around. Instead of a range hood over the island, Ross installed a pop-up downdraft range hood.
How to Get Your Range Hood Right
The slab was also a good choice in terms of durability. “Quartzite is harder than granite; it’s very worry-free,” Ross says.
The flooring is wide-plank white oak with a matte finish, which the homeowners chose over a glossy one for its hardworking qualities. “It really is very forgiving even though it’s natural wood,” Ross says.
The kitchen had no island prior to the renovation and the homeowner wanted a place where the kids could sit. She found the counter stools on Houzz.
The Roman shade over the sink is in a natural linen fabric.
Placing the cooktop on the island allows the homeowner to visit with someone sitting there while she works. The client chose an induction cooktop that doesn’t get as hot as an electric burner and won’t heat up unless a pan is on it — a nice safety feature when little kids are around. Instead of a range hood over the island, Ross installed a pop-up downdraft range hood.
How to Get Your Range Hood Right
This area of the kitchen is opposite the window and gives the homeowners the table they wanted for their grandchildren to be able to sit and work on projects.
Pro tip: Ross says that compatibility with a designer’s personality and working style is a better way to choose a pro than simply picking one based on his or her portfolio. “My projects are all over the board style-wise because I’m working with clients with very different tastes,” she says. And because her job is discerning what the clients want and then creating it, the clients might get exactly what they want even if some of the designer’s portfolio examples are not the clients’ style.
More
Cabinets 101: How to Get the Storage You Want
A Baker’s Dozen Colors for Kitchen Cabinets
Pro tip: Ross says that compatibility with a designer’s personality and working style is a better way to choose a pro than simply picking one based on his or her portfolio. “My projects are all over the board style-wise because I’m working with clients with very different tastes,” she says. And because her job is discerning what the clients want and then creating it, the clients might get exactly what they want even if some of the designer’s portfolio examples are not the clients’ style.
More
Cabinets 101: How to Get the Storage You Want
A Baker’s Dozen Colors for Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with young grandchildren
Location: San Jose, California
Size: 266 square feet (25 square meters)
Designer: Karen E. Ross Interior Design
A burst pipe on this home’s second story leaked for days while the homeowners were away on vacation, and by the time it was discovered, the kitchen was so damaged that a renovation was necessary. The homeowners used that as an opportunity to open their kitchen to the adjacent family room, shown in the foreground of this photo. They entertain large groups often and felt that a more open layout would be better for hosting and visiting with guests while they cooked.
The homeowners also considered their 13 grandchildren as they planned for the remodel. They wanted a kitchen island with a place for the grandchildren to sit, and they also wanted to keep their dining nook as a separate location where the kids could sit and work on projects.
They also wanted the layout to accommodate the wife, who is rather short and has back trouble. Designer Karen Ross placed the ovens in the cabinetry area against the window wall so the homeowner wouldn’t need to bend over to reach into them. Beneath the two ovens, Ross placed a warming drawer, which helps keep all the items in a meal at the appropriate temperature. “I always recommend a warming drawer — it brings peace. It takes out the stress of the timing,” Ross says.
The family room starts to the right of the ovens, and the refrigerator caps off the other end, leaving a maximum amount of counter space between these two tall features.
Browse ovens in the Houzz Shop