Kitchen Design
New This Week: 3 Amazing Kitchens With Light-Colored Cabinets
Color doesn’t always have to be bold. These kitchens have pale palettes that keep things light but lively
Other special features. Calacatta Gold marble countertops and backsplash. “We searched several stone sources to find these slabs with the beautiful veining,” Tucker says. “They are also 2 inches thick, which is hard to come by, especially in multiple slabs. We used three full slabs for this kitchen.”
Designer secret. “I think it’s important to let certain items really stand out,” Tucker says. “In this case, the countertops and the pendants. The cabinet color, while providing context for the rest of the room, is meant to be a backdrop. The scale of everything also works really well. It’s a large room, so the thick countertops really worked with the scale. Same can be said for the size of the pendants.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “My client is not super tall, and when the cabinet boxes were hung on the wall, we were at a site meeting and she immediately worried she wouldn’t be able to reach the cabinets,” Tucker says. “She was right. We ended up moving the cabinets down 8 inches and then modifying the crown molding to make up the difference.”
Builder: Z Builders
See more photos of this home on Houzz
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Designer secret. “I think it’s important to let certain items really stand out,” Tucker says. “In this case, the countertops and the pendants. The cabinet color, while providing context for the rest of the room, is meant to be a backdrop. The scale of everything also works really well. It’s a large room, so the thick countertops really worked with the scale. Same can be said for the size of the pendants.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “My client is not super tall, and when the cabinet boxes were hung on the wall, we were at a site meeting and she immediately worried she wouldn’t be able to reach the cabinets,” Tucker says. “She was right. We ended up moving the cabinets down 8 inches and then modifying the crown molding to make up the difference.”
Builder: Z Builders
See more photos of this home on Houzz
Shop for kitchen lighting
2. Light Gray and Gregarious
Designer: Elias Polizoes of The Wood Studio
Location: Ilderton, Ontario, Canada
Homeowners’ request. “The homeowners wanted their kitchen to have a farmhouse feel without being rustic,” says designer Elias Polizoes, who used Houzz photos for inspiration. “They love to cook, so the kitchen had to be easy to use and serve as a welcoming space where friends and family can gather.”
Cabinet color. Light gray (Shadow Grey by Farrow & Ball). “It gives the traditional Shaker-style profiles a more modern look,” Polizoes says. “This lighter palette also blends well with the natural color of the hardwood floor and offers a wonderful contrast to the custom-made matte black metal range hood. The cabinet color also offers a perfect backdrop against which the door and drawer hardware can stand out.”
Designer: Elias Polizoes of The Wood Studio
Location: Ilderton, Ontario, Canada
Homeowners’ request. “The homeowners wanted their kitchen to have a farmhouse feel without being rustic,” says designer Elias Polizoes, who used Houzz photos for inspiration. “They love to cook, so the kitchen had to be easy to use and serve as a welcoming space where friends and family can gather.”
Cabinet color. Light gray (Shadow Grey by Farrow & Ball). “It gives the traditional Shaker-style profiles a more modern look,” Polizoes says. “This lighter palette also blends well with the natural color of the hardwood floor and offers a wonderful contrast to the custom-made matte black metal range hood. The cabinet color also offers a perfect backdrop against which the door and drawer hardware can stand out.”
Other special features. Custom black metal range hood by ironworker Mark Deren. “An oversized island was a must,” Polizoes says. “The final product measures more than 12 feet long and 5 feet wide, and the homeowners didn’t want it to feel heavy or imposing. To achieve a lighter feel, and to keep with the modern-farmhouse look of the space, we decided to treat the island as a large piece of furniture with ample sitting room and raised cabinetry.
“There is a spacious pantry to the right of the range, and a larger pantry with its own sink, beverage center and open-shelf storage is just a step away. Storage will never be an issue in this kitchen. There are also more than 30 solid maple dovetailed drawers, many equipped with custom-made dividers for cutlery and utensils.”
“There is a spacious pantry to the right of the range, and a larger pantry with its own sink, beverage center and open-shelf storage is just a step away. Storage will never be an issue in this kitchen. There are also more than 30 solid maple dovetailed drawers, many equipped with custom-made dividers for cutlery and utensils.”
Designer secret. “The success of this room derives from what we can call Shaker minimalism,” Polizoes says. “We let the authenticity of the period style speak for itself without the need of additional ornamentation.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “We were working with a standard-depth KitchenAid refrigerator and wanted to achieve an integrated installation,” Polizoes says. “To achieve this, we measured the swing of the doors and their angle when open, and built the surrounding gables to accommodate these dimensions. The gap between the edges of refrigerator doors and the adjacent gables was finished with a recessed filler piece, and the final look is almost seamless. The front of the refrigerator is flush with the gables for an integrated look.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “We were working with a standard-depth KitchenAid refrigerator and wanted to achieve an integrated installation,” Polizoes says. “To achieve this, we measured the swing of the doors and their angle when open, and built the surrounding gables to accommodate these dimensions. The gap between the edges of refrigerator doors and the adjacent gables was finished with a recessed filler piece, and the final look is almost seamless. The front of the refrigerator is flush with the gables for an integrated look.”
3. Faint Blue and Beautiful
Designers: Sarah Kahn Turner (kitchen) and Christian Zapatka (architecture)
Location: Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Size: 220 square feet (20 square meters); 20 by 11 feet
Homeowners’ request. Take down a wall to turn an isolated kitchen into a larger, more open kitchen with a central island.
Cabinet color. One light blue shade on the island (Manor Blue by Benjamin Moore) and another on the perimeter cabinets (Gray Mist by Benjamin Moore). One of the homeowners “sent me photos of cabinets she liked from Houzz,” Turner says. “It was pretty clear from the start what we were doing, and Christian, the architect, had definite ideas on moldings. The choice to use different shades of blue came from matching the tones of the natural light as it shifted through the day.”
Designers: Sarah Kahn Turner (kitchen) and Christian Zapatka (architecture)
Location: Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Size: 220 square feet (20 square meters); 20 by 11 feet
Homeowners’ request. Take down a wall to turn an isolated kitchen into a larger, more open kitchen with a central island.
Cabinet color. One light blue shade on the island (Manor Blue by Benjamin Moore) and another on the perimeter cabinets (Gray Mist by Benjamin Moore). One of the homeowners “sent me photos of cabinets she liked from Houzz,” Turner says. “It was pretty clear from the start what we were doing, and Christian, the architect, had definite ideas on moldings. The choice to use different shades of blue came from matching the tones of the natural light as it shifted through the day.”
Other special features. Paneled fridge and pantry flanking the range for symmetry. Backsplash of mother-of-pearl and marble. “It just reflects the light so beautifully,” Turner says.
Designer secret. “There isn’t that much cabinetry in this kitchen since we took the wall down, but small spaces can still have good organization,” Turner says. “Maximize your cabinet inserts to take advantage of all the space you have.”
More
8 Blue Paint Colors to Consider for a Beautiful Kitchen Island
Cooking Up Color: 8 Kitchens That Bring the Green
Cooking Up Color: 5 Ways to Bring Blue Into the Kitchen
Other Resources on Houzz
Find a kitchen designer near you
Get kitchen design ideas
Shop for kitchen products
Designer secret. “There isn’t that much cabinetry in this kitchen since we took the wall down, but small spaces can still have good organization,” Turner says. “Maximize your cabinet inserts to take advantage of all the space you have.”
More
8 Blue Paint Colors to Consider for a Beautiful Kitchen Island
Cooking Up Color: 8 Kitchens That Bring the Green
Cooking Up Color: 5 Ways to Bring Blue Into the Kitchen
Other Resources on Houzz
Find a kitchen designer near you
Get kitchen design ideas
Shop for kitchen products
Designers: Emily Tucker Design (interiors) and Patrick M. Croke (architecture)
Location: Bedford, New York
Size: 350 square feet (33 square meters)
Homeowners’ request. A bright kitchen with plenty of counter and cabinet space.
Cabinet color. Pale green (Light Blue by Farrow & Ball). “Because this room opens to the family room, we wanted it to have an airy quality and not weigh down one end of the space,” designer Emily Tucker says. “We had also already selected the fabrics for the family room upholstery and window treatments, and this color was a perfect complement to those tones.”
Find a kitchen designer near you