90-Square-Foot Kitchen Packs In Coastal Charm and Convenience
Brass finishes, a blue range and floating shelves create a chic vibe for a Nantucket kitchen with water views
Every square inch mattered in this small coastal kitchen. The designers had to balance the size of the appliances with how much the homeowners would likely be cooking, considering there are so many great restaurants within walking distance. They sourced a scaled-down 30” Sub-Zero fridge and a 28” Lacanche range, and they gave up a range hood to preserve the window, inserting a Faber vent in the ceiling instead.
Aesthetically, the place needed to feel ethereal, open and breezy, so they wanted the furniture and finishes to blend in with the striking view of Nantucket Harbor a mere 40 feet outside the front door. During the project, the couple’s daughter dubbed the project “the land yacht” because when you’re in it, you feel like you’re on a boat. Jonathan jokes that the only thing missing is a button you press to make the house sway. “Being on the waterfront, we wanted it to feel very boat-like and nautical without being trite,” Elizabeth says.
Countertop: Honed White Haze marble
Aesthetically, the place needed to feel ethereal, open and breezy, so they wanted the furniture and finishes to blend in with the striking view of Nantucket Harbor a mere 40 feet outside the front door. During the project, the couple’s daughter dubbed the project “the land yacht” because when you’re in it, you feel like you’re on a boat. Jonathan jokes that the only thing missing is a button you press to make the house sway. “Being on the waterfront, we wanted it to feel very boat-like and nautical without being trite,” Elizabeth says.
Countertop: Honed White Haze marble
The designers wanted the kitchen to be “traditional with a twist,” as Jonathan calls it. “Designs and styles ebb and flow,” he says, so he was cautious not to create anything too sleek and modern that might date itself quickly. Tiling the kitchen in glass tile created a cohesive and pleasing symmetry on all surfaces not taken up by cabinetry.
Beyond the kitchen is a balcony that overlooks Easy Street, a one-way corridor bordered with a public seawall and beautiful benches along a brick sidewalk. This is an ideal location for the homeowners to drink their morning coffee and then wind down with a sunset cocktail in the evening.
Beyond the kitchen is a balcony that overlooks Easy Street, a one-way corridor bordered with a public seawall and beautiful benches along a brick sidewalk. This is an ideal location for the homeowners to drink their morning coffee and then wind down with a sunset cocktail in the evening.
Open to the kitchen is a built-in dining nook with crisp, beachy linen upholstery and a light driftwood-colored table that picks up the tones in the floors. A designated bar area maximizes space in the far corner of the room and is illuminated by organic LEDs integrated into the shelving. Above the table is a photograph by 24-year-old local artist Dan Lemaitre, whose work is featured throughout the condo and is represented in the gallery space on the first floor.
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More
10 Inspiring Design Recipes for Coastal Kitchens
10 Ideas for a Breezy Coastal Kitchen
Read about other small kitchens
Find kitchen designers near you
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: This is a couple’s vacation home
Location: Nantucket, Massachusetts
Size: About 90 square feet (about 8.4 square meters)
Designers: Jonathan and Elizabeth Raith
A pair of urban dwellers wanted their vacation condo’s kitchen to have a casual chic vibe that drew on natural materials and the colors of the water seen off their second-floor balcony. Located in a mixed-use building (retail downstairs, living upstairs), the condo sits right across the street from the wharf, inviting daily breezes, people-watching and the serenity of the sea.
Functionally, the kitchen is all about convenience and ease. To that end, designers Jonathan and Elizabeth Raith paired conventional cabinetry with open shelving on the range wall, which shows off a beautiful collection of Anthropologie dishware in a light-washed stone. With the shelves open, when it’s time to eat, the homeowners can just grab a plate and go. Elizabeth acknowledges that some clients are hesitant about using open shelves for fear of dust; however, “they can be very clean and utilitarian,” she says. “You cycle through plates and glasses so quickly, they don’t really have time to get dusty.”
Find floating wood shelves and bar pulls in gold and brass finishes