Dated White Kitchen Gains Warmth, Calm and Smart Storage
Sleek alder cabinets, a large island and polished porcelain surfaces make this kitchen efficient, welcoming and elegant
This 2008 Colonial Revival home in Vienna, Virginia, had a kitchen that felt stuck in the past. Short white cabinets and a busy tile backsplash clashed with the home’s updated interiors. The homeowners, who had previously worked with Winn Design + Build on a spacious screened-in porch, returned to the firm to transform the heart of the home.
The result is a warm, modern kitchen with custom alder cabinetry that rises to the ceiling, maximizing storage with sleek slab doors and drawer fronts. A relocated refrigerator creates perfect symmetry around the new rangetop, while an oversize island offers seating, storage and prep space. Polished ultracompact slabs with a natural stone look unify the countertops, backsplash and range hood, combining durability with understated elegance. Integrated appliances, refinished white oak floors and a reimagined wet bar complete a space that’s now calm, clean and effortless — perfect for daily living and entertaining.
The result is a warm, modern kitchen with custom alder cabinetry that rises to the ceiling, maximizing storage with sleek slab doors and drawer fronts. A relocated refrigerator creates perfect symmetry around the new rangetop, while an oversize island offers seating, storage and prep space. Polished ultracompact slabs with a natural stone look unify the countertops, backsplash and range hood, combining durability with understated elegance. Integrated appliances, refinished white oak floors and a reimagined wet bar complete a space that’s now calm, clean and effortless — perfect for daily living and entertaining.
After: Winn removed the existing appliances, backsplash, cabinets, countertops, island, pantry and workstation to start fresh. Shifting the upgraded 30-inch-wide double electric oven about 2 feet created space for a new paneled 36-inch refrigerator with honey bronze appliance pulls. The move also established symmetry between the rangetop and a new contemporary island with seating and storage. “I think most people like visual symmetry,” Winn says. “It’s visually pleasant to walk in a space and see the range and hood centered on the island. The rangetop, of course, is also a focal point.”
Custom alder cabinetry now reaches the ceiling, maximizing storage. Sleek slab doors and drawer fronts and a warm medium brown stain highlight the wood grain, while slim champagne bronze finger pulls add a contemporary hint of glam. A new pantry cabinet to the left of the range, detailed with the same appliance pulls as the refrigerator, includes rollouts for easy access to dry goods. “We also have an appliance garage to the left of the double oven,” Winn says. The refinished white oak floor has a custom stain designed to blend with the floors in adjacent rooms.
Cabinets: Metro door style in alder with Bristle stain, Crystal Cabinets; wall paint: Ultra White, Benjamin Moore; ceiling paint: Waterborne, Benjamin Moore; trim paint: Extra White, Sherwin-Williams
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Custom alder cabinetry now reaches the ceiling, maximizing storage. Sleek slab doors and drawer fronts and a warm medium brown stain highlight the wood grain, while slim champagne bronze finger pulls add a contemporary hint of glam. A new pantry cabinet to the left of the range, detailed with the same appliance pulls as the refrigerator, includes rollouts for easy access to dry goods. “We also have an appliance garage to the left of the double oven,” Winn says. The refinished white oak floor has a custom stain designed to blend with the floors in adjacent rooms.
Cabinets: Metro door style in alder with Bristle stain, Crystal Cabinets; wall paint: Ultra White, Benjamin Moore; ceiling paint: Waterborne, Benjamin Moore; trim paint: Extra White, Sherwin-Williams
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Durable, low-maintenance polished slabs made from glass, porcelain and quartz form the backsplash, countertops and range hood. The ultracompact surface has a light cream-toned base with fine, pale veining that mimics natural quartzite and offers strong resistance to heat, scratches and stains. The island top is thicker than the perimeter counters. “It provides a visual link to the island,” Winn says. “Since the island top extends to allow for seating with the bar stools, I think it would have looked odd if it was as thin at the island.”
Visually, the material “simplifies the space,” Winn says, “minimizing the materials used in the kitchen.” Used above the new 48-inch, six-burner gas rangetop, it “also provides ‘white space’ or a mental break when you’re looking at a space,” Winn says. “The hood breaks it up instead of cabinets running straight across.”
Glass-front upper cabinets flank the rangetop, lightening the cooking wall and helping break up the cabinetry. “We have lighting inside those cabinets, so at night there’s a lovely visual effect,” Winn says. Brass-and-glass pendant lights over the island coordinate with the cabinet hardware. LED ceiling lights on dimmers provide general illumination, while undercabinet lighting brightens task areas.
Backsplash, counters and range hood: Limbo, Dekton by Cosentino
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Visually, the material “simplifies the space,” Winn says, “minimizing the materials used in the kitchen.” Used above the new 48-inch, six-burner gas rangetop, it “also provides ‘white space’ or a mental break when you’re looking at a space,” Winn says. “The hood breaks it up instead of cabinets running straight across.”
Glass-front upper cabinets flank the rangetop, lightening the cooking wall and helping break up the cabinetry. “We have lighting inside those cabinets, so at night there’s a lovely visual effect,” Winn says. Brass-and-glass pendant lights over the island coordinate with the cabinet hardware. LED ceiling lights on dimmers provide general illumination, while undercabinet lighting brightens task areas.
Backsplash, counters and range hood: Limbo, Dekton by Cosentino
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Before: This view from the dining room shows the former kitchen. Upper cabinets flanked the aging window above a double-bowl stainless steel sink, making the area feel cramped. The homeowners also disliked the open shelves at the base of the island. “It just looked very busy,” Winn says. “They wanted things tucked away. They’re active entertainers and were aiming for a space that didn’t feel cluttered. We did an inventory of all the items in their kitchen and had a discussion of what items would be purged and then identified a space in the kitchen for everything.”
After: A new picture window now has clearance on each side of the upper cabinets. A deep drawer beneath the cooktop provides easy access to pots and pans, while numerous island drawers offer out-of-sight storage for other kitchen essentials. The backsplash on the sink wall extends to the ceiling. “We were trying to maintain clean lines and simplicity,” Winn says.
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A 24-inch built-in wine cooler with a 42-bottle capacity in the island keeps favorite selections within easy reach.
The new undermount 33½-inch white granite composite single-basin sink provides ample space for rinsing, soaking, washing and more. “A lot of our clients have found a double bowl isn’t as practical as they hoped,” Winn says. “Large pots and sheet pans don’t fit, so having a larger single bowl is preferable.” The sink pairs with a modern luxe gold faucet featuring a magnetic docking system and a two-function pull-down wand with aerated stream and spray.
A 24-inch built-in paneled dishwasher sits to the right of the sink, while a pullout trash and recycling center is positioned to the left. A black 30-inch dimmable LED picture light above the sink adds a sleek, modern touch.
Light: Plural picture light by Sean Lavin in Nightshade Black, Visual Comfort; faucet: Odin in Brilliance Luxe Gold, Brizo
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A 24-inch built-in paneled dishwasher sits to the right of the sink, while a pullout trash and recycling center is positioned to the left. A black 30-inch dimmable LED picture light above the sink adds a sleek, modern touch.
Light: Plural picture light by Sean Lavin in Nightshade Black, Visual Comfort; faucet: Odin in Brilliance Luxe Gold, Brizo
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This wide view partially shows the new breakfast table just off the kitchen to the right. “That table is acting as the transition piece to the family room,” Winn says.
A 24-inch built-in microwave drawer oven (not shown) now sits in the island across from the sink. “We wanted to minimize visual clutter,” Winn says. “We discussed a variety of locations, including behind paneled doors, and decided placing it on the side of the island was a good location that wasn’t immediately visible but still a practical space.”
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A 24-inch built-in microwave drawer oven (not shown) now sits in the island across from the sink. “We wanted to minimize visual clutter,” Winn says. “We discussed a variety of locations, including behind paneled doors, and decided placing it on the side of the island was a good location that wasn’t immediately visible but still a practical space.”
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Before: A wet bar in the family room off the kitchen had the same busy backsplash, along with dark, heavy upper cabinets and an integrated wine rack. “The old bar felt very busy and cluttered,” Winn says. “It was fussy. There was also a wine fridge there and a drop-in stainless steel sink. All the raised panel cabinets had big, chunky knobs.”
After: The reimagined wet bar features floating alder shelves that coordinate with the kitchen and provide easy access to spirits. Bookmatched slabs of the same ultracompact material used in the kitchen wrap the niche. “It’s just cleaner and simpler,” Winn says. “The heavier weight of those shelves also gives them visual weight.”
A new bar sink and faucet are smaller versions of the main kitchen fixtures. LED downlights illuminate the counter, while a pair of sconces flank the area. “There’s also a LED light strip under each of those two shelves,” Winn says.
Cabinets below, equipped with finger pulls, include adjustable shelves for glassware and entertaining supplies. “There’s also a small paneled beverage refrigerator there,” Winn says.
Now this elevated, fully functional kitchen with seamless flow gives the homeowners the daily living and entertaining space they wanted. “Given that we weren’t moving substantial plumbing or electrical, we were able to make a drastic change,” Winn says. “It’s a very clean and transitional space.”
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A new bar sink and faucet are smaller versions of the main kitchen fixtures. LED downlights illuminate the counter, while a pair of sconces flank the area. “There’s also a LED light strip under each of those two shelves,” Winn says.
Cabinets below, equipped with finger pulls, include adjustable shelves for glassware and entertaining supplies. “There’s also a small paneled beverage refrigerator there,” Winn says.
Now this elevated, fully functional kitchen with seamless flow gives the homeowners the daily living and entertaining space they wanted. “Given that we weren’t moving substantial plumbing or electrical, we were able to make a drastic change,” Winn says. “It’s a very clean and transitional space.”
More on Houzz
Read more stories
Browse photos for ideas
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A family
Location: Vienna, Virginia
Size: 256 square feet (24 square meters)
Designer-builder: Winn Design + Build
Before: Heavy traditional-style white cabinets stopped short of the ceiling and didn’t provide the storage the family needed. An abundance of stainless steel appliances overwhelmed the room, while a dated, busy tile backsplash created visual clutter. Dark granite countertops along the perimeter and a lighter granite on the island also felt out of step with the homeowners’ goals. They did want to keep the white oak flooring and have it refinished. “It continues into adjacent rooms,” says design-build pro Michael Winn.
The sink on the right and the rangetop on the back wall worked well but the left wall felt disjointed. A cramped grouping of wall ovens, a hulking microwave and a toaster oven sitting on the countertop crowded an awkward run of cabinetry. “They also had a workstation there that ends up for most people being a gathering space for papers,” Winn says. “We did away with that and cleaned things up.”
The large stainless steel refrigerator also made the cooking area feel tight. “To the left of that was the pantry closet,” Winn says. “It was a step-in pantry that simply consisted of deep shelves, so things would get lost in the back.”