As a family that enjoys cooking and entertaining, they wanted an open concept kitchen as a place to gather and act as the hub of the home. Their goal was to allow those in the kitchen a better sightline to the living room and backyard so all are included when hosting family and friends.

Our client’s dining room was also separated from the kitchen in a more secluded northern corner of the home, so they wanted to convert the former dining room to a bedroom and create a dining area closer to the kitchen. This would require the main stairway access to be moved from the new bedroom into the living room.

A big highlight of the home is it’s spacious backyard with ample room for their kids and dogs to play in. However, it was disconnected from the kitchen by another small bedroom and a nook. The kitchen was cramped with limited countertop space and small appliances. Because zoning setbacks did not allow for an addition to the house, we were restricted to remodeling within the existing footprint.

We combined the small bedroom, nook, and kitchen to create an open floor plan for the kitchen and dining room. Working with a structural engineer, we created a layout that worked with the existing structural beams to open up the kitchen to the living room, and added two sets of french doors that overlook the backyard from the kitchen and dining room.

The kitchen maintains a casual and contemporary farmhouse style with two tone cabinets in White Dove for the perimeter cabinets, dramatically contrasting with a rustic walnut island, floating walnut shelves and trim band surrounding the hood over the industrial range. The window and door trims were stained to match.

A backsplash of zellige tile—a handmade glazed terra cotta tile in Weathered White by Clé—offers a subtle color variation and lends an informality to the space. The countertops by Caesarstone in London Grey, a soft light grey, add lightness to the space. Vintage pendant and sconce lights in satin brass were chosen for the island and over the sink. Satin brass is also mixed in through the dining pendant, faucet, and hardware knobs and pulls.

The new layout was spacious enough to add a large island for a workspace and casual seating, it also houses the microwave. The refrigerator is flanked by a pantry cabinet on the left and a mudroom cabinet on the right. Large kitchen windows and french doors provide ample lighting that spills into the center of the home, creating warmth and providing a communal space for the family to spend time together.