Cheerful Kitchen in Blue, White and Wood With an Open Layout
Smart layout changes swap awkward angles for a custom island, a hidden command center and a scullery-style pantry
This Texas couple, who previously teamed up with designer Tara Lenney to refresh their kids’ bathrooms, were ready for the next phase of their ranch home renovation: a full kitchen overhaul to banish dark corners and awkward angles.
Using Houzz Pro, Lenney reimagined the disjointed kitchen, breakfast area, laundry room and dining room. She removed walls, reshaped spaces and carved out a new laundry room and walk-in pantry, expanding the kitchen by 120 square feet. A breezy palette of soft blue, white and wood brings the space to life, anchored by a white oak island that contrasts beautifully with blue-and-white perimeter cabinetry. Marble counters and backsplash add elegance, while engineered hardwood floors bring warmth and durability. The result is a calm, charming kitchen that supports family life and effortless entertaining.
Using Houzz Pro, Lenney reimagined the disjointed kitchen, breakfast area, laundry room and dining room. She removed walls, reshaped spaces and carved out a new laundry room and walk-in pantry, expanding the kitchen by 120 square feet. A breezy palette of soft blue, white and wood brings the space to life, anchored by a white oak island that contrasts beautifully with blue-and-white perimeter cabinetry. Marble counters and backsplash add elegance, while engineered hardwood floors bring warmth and durability. The result is a calm, charming kitchen that supports family life and effortless entertaining.
After: The reimagined space, seen here from nearly the same vantage point as the previous shot, reveals the dramatic scale of the reconfiguration. (Note the far right window — the same one formerly above the sink — to help orient the new layout.)
Lenney took the first floor down to the studs, stripping away restrictive walls to build a dedicated cooking zone for the rangetop and wall ovens. Behind this new anchor wall she carved out a walk-in pantry and a relocated laundry room. The kitchen now flows seamlessly into the dining area and a neighboring living room. “The main goal was not to have the kitchen so dark and isolated,” Lenney says. “We combined it with the dining room and then opened it to the living room to create that great-room vibe.”
Custom Shaker-style cabinetry in a midtone blue-gray (Water’s Edge by Benjamin Moore) lends an air of calm elegance. “We wanted a little color for personality but something that our clients wouldn’t get tired of in five years,” Lenney says. “A blue-gray always fits the bill.” White storage towers with glass fronts break up the cabinetry run and complement white appliances, including the cooktop, wall ovens and an undercounter microwave.
To foster a social atmosphere, Lenney situated the main sink in the white oak island, allowing the homeowners to face guests while prepping. This placement also creates a clean line of symmetry with the rangetop and its custom wood vent hood.
To keep the complex project organized, Lenney managed the renovation using Houzz Pro software. “Logistically, for all the ordering we do, having one spot for collecting payment and tracking all the information is so important,” she says. “We couldn’t function without it.”
Other paint colors: Snowbound (walls and ceiling) and Pure White (trim), Sherwin-Williams
See why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software
Lenney took the first floor down to the studs, stripping away restrictive walls to build a dedicated cooking zone for the rangetop and wall ovens. Behind this new anchor wall she carved out a walk-in pantry and a relocated laundry room. The kitchen now flows seamlessly into the dining area and a neighboring living room. “The main goal was not to have the kitchen so dark and isolated,” Lenney says. “We combined it with the dining room and then opened it to the living room to create that great-room vibe.”
Custom Shaker-style cabinetry in a midtone blue-gray (Water’s Edge by Benjamin Moore) lends an air of calm elegance. “We wanted a little color for personality but something that our clients wouldn’t get tired of in five years,” Lenney says. “A blue-gray always fits the bill.” White storage towers with glass fronts break up the cabinetry run and complement white appliances, including the cooktop, wall ovens and an undercounter microwave.
To foster a social atmosphere, Lenney situated the main sink in the white oak island, allowing the homeowners to face guests while prepping. This placement also creates a clean line of symmetry with the rangetop and its custom wood vent hood.
To keep the complex project organized, Lenney managed the renovation using Houzz Pro software. “Logistically, for all the ordering we do, having one spot for collecting payment and tracking all the information is so important,” she says. “We couldn’t function without it.”
Other paint colors: Snowbound (walls and ceiling) and Pure White (trim), Sherwin-Williams
See why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software
At the island, four Parsons-style counter stools with woven rattan over solid mahogany frames provide tactile, casual seating. “We definitely wanted texture but wanted it to be neutral and not a color,” Lenney says. Brass end caps on the legs add a refined touch.
For added utility, the designer tucked base cabinets behind the stools to house seasonal items. The island sides are finished with Shaker-style end panels for a cohesive look. Overhead, a pair of large, conical pendant lights in a hand-rubbed antique brass finish offer stylish illumination without weighing down the room. “This is an older part of the house with 8-foot ceilings,” Lenney says. “We chose these oversized clear pendants hung close to the ceiling to make the ceiling feel taller.”
The layered lighting scheme also includes undercabinet LED strips and ceiling lights, the latter of which were digitally removed in these photos by the photographer to help highlight other design features. Beneath it all, wide-plank, wire-brushed engineered hardwood floors bring visual warmth and durability to the high-traffic hub. “They have a labradoodle named Ginger, that’s why we went with the engineered floor,” Lenney says. “True hardwood tends not to be hard enough. Engineered floors are more protective against dog paws.”
Pendant lights: Katie conical in hand-rubbed antique brass, Visual Comfort; stools: Balboa in Perennials white basketweave fabric, Serena & Lily
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For added utility, the designer tucked base cabinets behind the stools to house seasonal items. The island sides are finished with Shaker-style end panels for a cohesive look. Overhead, a pair of large, conical pendant lights in a hand-rubbed antique brass finish offer stylish illumination without weighing down the room. “This is an older part of the house with 8-foot ceilings,” Lenney says. “We chose these oversized clear pendants hung close to the ceiling to make the ceiling feel taller.”
The layered lighting scheme also includes undercabinet LED strips and ceiling lights, the latter of which were digitally removed in these photos by the photographer to help highlight other design features. Beneath it all, wide-plank, wire-brushed engineered hardwood floors bring visual warmth and durability to the high-traffic hub. “They have a labradoodle named Ginger, that’s why we went with the engineered floor,” Lenney says. “True hardwood tends not to be hard enough. Engineered floors are more protective against dog paws.”
Pendant lights: Katie conical in hand-rubbed antique brass, Visual Comfort; stools: Balboa in Perennials white basketweave fabric, Serena & Lily
10 Kitchen Projects That Deliver Big Results
The backsplash area serves as a sophisticated focal point, blending high-end materials with smart budgeting. The upper section features 2-by-8-inch brushed Carrara marble subway tiles, while a polished marble slab and matching shelf anchor the lower section, mirroring the countertops. “Our client loved the look of a slab backsplash, but that can get really expensive,” Lenney says. “We were strategic and used a slab in that focal point above the rangetop but used the less expensive subway marble tile everywhere else. I love the texture it brought in.”
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The island’s 30-inch stainless steel workstation sink features integrated ledges for accessories and is paired with a polished nickel pull-down faucet. For a seamless look, a 24-inch custom panel-ready dishwasher is tucked to the sink’s right, while a trash and recycling center sits to the left.
A hand-knotted Turkish wool rug introduces a soft layer of pattern and color. From this vantage point, the kitchen now flows openly into the updated sunken living room, where glass doors offer a direct connection to the patio and pool. “The kitchen has so much natural light now,” Lenney says. “There’s a gorgeous creek out there too, so you also have a view of that now from the kitchen.”
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A hand-knotted Turkish wool rug introduces a soft layer of pattern and color. From this vantage point, the kitchen now flows openly into the updated sunken living room, where glass doors offer a direct connection to the patio and pool. “The kitchen has so much natural light now,” Lenney says. “There’s a gorgeous creek out there too, so you also have a view of that now from the kitchen.”
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Looking the other direction, this side of the kitchen acts as a dedicated beverage zone. A stainless steel nugget ice maker and a 42-bottle French door wine cooler sit beneath a countertop cabinet tower, which houses glassware and entertaining supplies.The large cabinet to the right serves as a hidden command center for managing mail and daily reminders. “The beverage zone lets the island and main cooking area stay clear of the clutter that builds up from daily living,” Lenney says.
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The new walk-in pantry extends the charm of the main kitchen with custom Shaker-style cabinetry painted a light, powdery blue (Moonmist by Sherwin-Williams) and blue-and-white plaid ceramic tile flooring. “We wanted to bring some personality into this room,” Lenney says.
The highly functional space includes a mix of open and closed storage for dry goods, paper products and small appliances. By relocating the pantry and laundry room to where the breakfast area once stood, Lenney was able to square off the floor plan and eliminate the original weird angles from the main living areas. “It allowed us to keep all those funky angles out of the new great room,” Lenney says. “It’s almost like having a scullery kitchen where all the dirty stuff can live back here.”
The highly functional space includes a mix of open and closed storage for dry goods, paper products and small appliances. By relocating the pantry and laundry room to where the breakfast area once stood, Lenney was able to square off the floor plan and eliminate the original weird angles from the main living areas. “It allowed us to keep all those funky angles out of the new great room,” Lenney says. “It’s almost like having a scullery kitchen where all the dirty stuff can live back here.”
A bar sink with a smaller version of the kitchen faucet offers a convenient spot for washing hands and rinsing items. The family repurposed its former dishwasher in this space. Glazed white ceramic subway tile with a glossy finish provides a clean backdrop for gold-framed canvas wall art. Above the art, a small hand-rubbed antique brass wall sconce with a layered glass shade provides soft illumination over the sink. The pantry also includes LED ceiling lights (not shown).
This wide view highlights the now effortless flow and connection between the kitchen, dining room and living room. By stripping away the former barriers, Lenney transformed the entire floor plan into a cohesive, inviting retreat. “They actually use the dining room now,” Lenney says. “And the kitchen is somewhere they enjoy being in instead of a chore zone.”
These before-and-after floor plans illustrate the dramatic structural changes at the heart of the home. The former layout on the left highlights the disconnect between the kitchen, laundry room and dining room. The new layout, on the right, shows how removing walls and relocating the laundry and walk-in pantry opened up the floor plan to accommodate the central island and improve the overall flow. “What they needed for this stage of life was to create a more inviting eating and living situation for their family,” Lenney says. “They wanted this great-room zone where the whole family could spend time together.”
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two kids — one in college and one still at home — and a labradoodle
Location: Richardson, Texas
Size: 430 square feet (40 square meters)
Designer: Tara Lenney Design
Before: The dreary, chopped-up, 310-square-foot kitchen had dark oak-stained cabinetry, granite countertops in brown, tan and black, and a beige ceramic tile floor. It also had what Lenney describes as “the world’s weirdest shape.” A black electric cooktop sat on an angled wall to the right, while a stainless steel double-bowl sink was positioned beneath two windows. (Take note of the window near the sink to help orient the view in the following “after” photo.)
A large stainless steel refrigerator protruded past surrounding cabinetry along a wall backed by a centrally located laundry room (see the before-and-after floor plans below) and was squeezed next to a pair of wall ovens. The laundry room further divided the kitchen from the closed-off dining room and sunken living room.
In the background, a short peninsula cut the kitchen off from the breakfast area and a den. “It was very uninviting,” Lenney says. “Everything was spread out in weird locations. It was also like a hallway. You’re trying to get your cooking done and there are literally people walking through your cooking area. If you were in the kitchen, you couldn’t be where anyone else was because of the layout.”
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