Kitchen of the Week: Beauty and Function in 140 Square Feet
A designer helps a couple set up their dream kitchen with a chic palette of blue, wood, white and black
This San Diego couple’s galley kitchen had been the same for 30 years, and as they neared retirement, they were more than ready for a change. “She is a passionate chef, and we went over how she works in the kitchen in great detail,” says their designer, Melissa Prevost. A large island, a concrete sink, a special range and room for many cookbooks checked every item off her wish list. And while the kitchen is the wife’s domain, she wanted to be sure she included her husband in the design process. “He loves blue, so we brought that in for him,” the designer says.
As for style, they liked transitional, and the wife had a clear wish list. In addition to the island, she wanted splashes of blue for her husband and a concrete sink. She also loves strong contrast. Prevost took it from there, suggesting rift white oak cabinetry with a natural water-seal finish, mixed with blue painted cabinets. “The beauty of this kitchen is in its simplicity,” she says.
Find a local interior designer on Houzz
Find a local interior designer on Houzz
“Originally my client had chosen the white range, but in person the finish was matte — not at all what she’d imagined when she saw it online. So she immediately said ‘No! We need to do black,’” Prevost says.
Knowing she was going with blue on some of the cabinetry, the designer adeptly made a change, knowing that black and dark blue can be chic together but that the wrong pairing of colors could go very wrong. “We had a lighter blue picked out originally, but once we changed the range color to black, I knew we’d need a blue paint with charcoal and black undertones so that the blacks and blues would complement each other,” she says. Iron cabinet hardware and the honed granite countertops also add black to the color palette.
“The range is the only matte-black appliance, because we didn’t want the appliances to overwhelm the room. This way it creates an intense pop of interest in that area and is special,” she says. Another special feature is a drawer outfitted for herbs and spices next to the range.
Browse range hoods in the Houzz Shop
Knowing she was going with blue on some of the cabinetry, the designer adeptly made a change, knowing that black and dark blue can be chic together but that the wrong pairing of colors could go very wrong. “We had a lighter blue picked out originally, but once we changed the range color to black, I knew we’d need a blue paint with charcoal and black undertones so that the blacks and blues would complement each other,” she says. Iron cabinet hardware and the honed granite countertops also add black to the color palette.
“The range is the only matte-black appliance, because we didn’t want the appliances to overwhelm the room. This way it creates an intense pop of interest in that area and is special,” she says. Another special feature is a drawer outfitted for herbs and spices next to the range.
Browse range hoods in the Houzz Shop
The homeowners were thrilled when they realized taking down the wall would allow space for the kitchen island they’d always wanted. This one measures 4¼ by 6 feet. “As a designer I love mixing finishes, like using a different color and countertop on an island,” Prevost says. The perimeter cabinets are oak topped with honed black granite countertops. The island is painted what Prevost describes as “a very very moody blue” with a porcelain slab countertop that looks like marble. “She really liked the idea of marble, but knowing how hard she’d said she is on surfaces, the durability of porcelain was a much better choice for her. I knew it would give her the freedom she needed to work the way she wanted to,” the designer says. She also anchored the perimeter cabinets with blue — the fridge surround on the left and the pantry cabinet on the right.
Prevost sized the island to allow for four 12-inch cabinets on this side. “This kitchen is not large, and we needed to capture as much storage space as possible,” she says. As a chef, the homeowner had numerous cookbooks, so the designer added shelves for them on the end of the island. The island also contains the microwave and a trash pullout.
Prevost also likes to mix metal finishes. The cabinet hardware is black iron, the faucet is polished nickel, the range knobs are brushed brass, the globe sconces over the sink have brass accents and the island pendants are a mix of brass and nickel. There is also task lighting in the form of recessed can lights in the ceiling.
Shop for counter stools
Prevost sized the island to allow for four 12-inch cabinets on this side. “This kitchen is not large, and we needed to capture as much storage space as possible,” she says. As a chef, the homeowner had numerous cookbooks, so the designer added shelves for them on the end of the island. The island also contains the microwave and a trash pullout.
Prevost also likes to mix metal finishes. The cabinet hardware is black iron, the faucet is polished nickel, the range knobs are brushed brass, the globe sconces over the sink have brass accents and the island pendants are a mix of brass and nickel. There is also task lighting in the form of recessed can lights in the ceiling.
Shop for counter stools
One item that was an absolute must-have for the homeowner was a concrete sink. Prevost informed her of the potential for eventual chipping, etching and staining over time, but she was firm in her decision. “Sometimes it’s very important to have that thing that’s really special to you in the room no matter what, and that was the case here,” Prevost says. “Usually I’m the one pushing the envelope for my clients, but here it was the other way around, which I loved.” She happily specified a concrete sink by Native Trails that is well sealed. “It really is the icing on the cake in this room,” she says.
Once they took down the wall, they needed new floors. Prevost found them a budget-friendly luxury vinyl tile that looks like light wood. It is softer underfoot than hardwood and is waterproof.
Hire a kitchen remodeler
Once they took down the wall, they needed new floors. Prevost found them a budget-friendly luxury vinyl tile that looks like light wood. It is softer underfoot than hardwood and is waterproof.
Hire a kitchen remodeler
Another special feature in the kitchen is the backsplash of handmade Moroccan terra-cotta tile. It shimmers and catches the light, and the subtle variations in color play off the concrete sink. “As gorgeous as it looks in the pictures, it is even more stunning in person,” Prevost says.
The tiles are 4-by-4-inch squares. “I like to find backsplashes that are not like the ones everyone else has,” Prevost says. “There are only so many ways you can switch up subway tile.”
“She is so happy and is planning to teach cooking classes after she retires,” the designer says. “And he doesn’t cook but gets to enjoy the fruits of her labor.”
More on Houzz
Read more Kitchen of the Week stories
Browse kitchen photos
Hire a cabinet pro
Shop for kitchen products
The tiles are 4-by-4-inch squares. “I like to find backsplashes that are not like the ones everyone else has,” Prevost says. “There are only so many ways you can switch up subway tile.”
“She is so happy and is planning to teach cooking classes after she retires,” the designer says. “And he doesn’t cook but gets to enjoy the fruits of her labor.”
More on Houzz
Read more Kitchen of the Week stories
Browse kitchen photos
Hire a cabinet pro
Shop for kitchen products
Kitchen at a Glance
Who uses it: A couple who are nearing retirement
Location: San Diego
Size: 140 square feet (13 square meters)
Designer: Melissa Prevost of M Prevost Design
Before: The couple’s galley kitchen was closed off from the rest of the house. “They were struggling to envision how the kitchen would look if we took down the wall between it and the living room,” Prevost says. Once she showed them a 3D rendering of what the kitchen could be, her formerly trepidatious clients were fully on board. She had a load-bearing wall removed and replaced with a structural beam to open up the space. “My clients had always dreamed of having a kitchen island but didn’t think they could fit one in. Removing the wall allowed us to do that,” she says.