Kitchen of the Week: Exposed Brick Arches in Illinois

A careful restoration of a surprising discovery lends an unexpected accent to this contemporary kitchen

Vanessa Brunner

Houzz Editorial Staff

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Most homeowners want a kitchen with more light and an open connection to main living spaces. Since the kitchen has become the main hub of activity in modern homes, most families gravitate toward centrally located spaces that are easy to access from the rest of the home. The problem is, creating this setup isn't always easy.

This Wilmette, Illinois, kitchen was originally completely closed off from the rest of the home. The homeowners wanted to connect it to the adjoining family room, but a thick wall blocked off the space. Great Rooms Designers & Builders pared down the drywall from the wall, exposing beautiful brick, and reworked the wall into an open and unique design.

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This wall between the kitchen and the family room had been an exterior wall in the house's original design. The family room was added later on (before this kitchen remodel), and the brick was furred out and drywalled.

Great Rooms' Heath Siebert and his team realized that this once-brick wall would add a unique textural element, so they restored it and added arches and pillars.

Cabinetry: Monarch; backsplash: white crackle tile, Chadwicks; countertop: Brazilian soapstone; flooring: refinished red oak hardwood; sink: Rohl Shaws Apron; faucet: Franke Triflow

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To connect the kitchen with the living space, Siebert and his team removed the drywall, framing and old brick from the previous wall. They cleaned the brick and used it with a few matching new bricks to create the new wall and pillars.

The soapstone countertop was pulled out through the largest arch for a casual eat-in bar.

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Classic white subway tile in a crackle finish was installed in a herringbone pattern for a backsplash. Pieces of soapstone matching the countertop frame it.

Pot filler: Danze Opulence; lighting: homeowner's; hood: Savona, Zephyr; range: Wolf 36-inch

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Storage was a priority, so Siebert and his team incorporated shelving into every nook and cranny. Integrated wine shelving, a display case for china, tall cabinetry for pantry items and open cabinetry on the island are a few of the solutions.

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A window at the far end of the kitchen and an open doorway to the rest of the home keeps the space casual, connected and filled with natural light. "Before we started the project, the brick wall was simply a doorway from the family room to the kitchen," says Siebert. "The homeowner never realized that this could be opened up and that we could use an exterior element with interior elements seamlessly."

Refrigerator: Sub-Zero; dishwasher: Bosch

More Kitchens of the Week:
A Fresh Combination of New and Old
Vintage Elegance, Pocket Size
Warm Luxury in San Francisco