Kitchen of the Week
Kitchen Design
Kitchen of the Week: Cherry Cabinets and 2 Islands Wow in Indiana
Warm wood cabinets, a reconfigured layout and wave-pattern countertops complement the home’s wooded surroundings
As full-time academic physicians who also practice international medicine, George and Tania Rodgers keep a busy schedule that often has them on the road. So when they come home to their secluded contemporary home tucked into the woods of Georgetown, Indiana, they want a place where they can relax and entertain friends. But their existing kitchen was a crowded space that didn’t inspire enthusiasm. “The kitchen is the room in the house where I spend the most time when I’m home,” Tania says. “It’s where I unwind and it’s our together time.”
The Rodgers hired sister designers Mary Culbertson and Susan Haggblom, whom they had worked with on other projects in their home. Their new kitchen has an organized layout with a second island and gorgeous cherry and bird’s-eye maple cabinets that reflect the couple’s love of nature and natural materials.
The Rodgers hired sister designers Mary Culbertson and Susan Haggblom, whom they had worked with on other projects in their home. Their new kitchen has an organized layout with a second island and gorgeous cherry and bird’s-eye maple cabinets that reflect the couple’s love of nature and natural materials.
The main island has a quartz top with a cherry base and bird’s-eye maple touch-latch drawers for contrast. These coordinate with the custom stools, also made of cherry and bird’s-eye maple. The island offers lots of prep space, with a round bar sink for cleaning vegetables and washing hands.
The main undermount double-bowl sink sits under large casement windows that overlook a small flower garden and trees that frame the property.
Stainless steel dishwasher with pocket handle: Bosch Home Appliances
The main undermount double-bowl sink sits under large casement windows that overlook a small flower garden and trees that frame the property.
Stainless steel dishwasher with pocket handle: Bosch Home Appliances
The 36-inch induction cooktop with downdraft vent replaced an old electric cooktop. The top of the island also includes a round steel in-counter composting bin and a pop-up electrical outlet with USB charger.
This photo also highlights the beautiful low-maintenance quartz used for the countertops and backsplash that mimics the sandstone and riverbeds outside the home. “We really like nature and natural things,” Tania says. “The counters look like waves of sand at the beach, and we thought it completed the natural look of the house.”
Counters and backsplash: Brittanica Gold quartz, Cambria
This photo also highlights the beautiful low-maintenance quartz used for the countertops and backsplash that mimics the sandstone and riverbeds outside the home. “We really like nature and natural things,” Tania says. “The counters look like waves of sand at the beach, and we thought it completed the natural look of the house.”
Counters and backsplash: Brittanica Gold quartz, Cambria
A custom bar top in natural cherry gives George a place to work on his laptop and read and discuss medical journals with Tania while she cooks. It also gives guests a spot to sit and enjoy a drink or appetizers while watching the action at the cooktop. “To keep it all quartz would feel so flat,” Culbertson says. “This helps warm things up, and the natural grain of the cherry wood is beautiful.”
A 48-inch clearance around the island allows for good traffic flow. “I wanted it to be easily passable, but within two steps in between,” Culbertson says. “There’s a nice workable triangle in this kitchen.”
The choice of wood for the cabinets was also inspired by the custom stools, seen at the new center island, that combine cherry and bird’s-eye maple. A paint color that George and Tania previously used in their home (Peach Blossom by Sherwin-Williams) adds warmth to the walls.
The modern-rustic custom metal pot rack above the island has a curved shape that mimics the hull of a boat. “I can reach and bring my pans to the stove instead of bending down and having to open a door,” Tania says. “It’s not only for my pots and pans. I also have the colander and strainer up there within my reach.”
The choice of wood for the cabinets was also inspired by the custom stools, seen at the new center island, that combine cherry and bird’s-eye maple. A paint color that George and Tania previously used in their home (Peach Blossom by Sherwin-Williams) adds warmth to the walls.
The modern-rustic custom metal pot rack above the island has a curved shape that mimics the hull of a boat. “I can reach and bring my pans to the stove instead of bending down and having to open a door,” Tania says. “It’s not only for my pots and pans. I also have the colander and strainer up there within my reach.”
The floor tile was existing, and is a mix of 18-by-18-inch and 12-by-12-inch porcelain tiles that were patched where needed for the renovation. “It has a slate look with coppery tones and grays, all that natural stone you see in a riverbed,” Culbertson says.
The 48-inch built-in side-by-side stainless steel refrigerator stands next to a microwave drawer.
A couple of upper cabinets in the back corner of the kitchen, used for everyday dishes and glasses, feature satin etched glass doors that help lighten things up.
A couple of upper cabinets in the back corner of the kitchen, used for everyday dishes and glasses, feature satin etched glass doors that help lighten things up.
A pantry cabinet with five rollout shelves above the microwave holds tea, cereals and other items the couple use for making breakfast.
Looking into the kitchen from a corner just off the home’s entry offers a look at this tall built-in cabinet with shelves for decorative items and books.
The cabinet below the shelves includes a charging station with USB ports and slots to organize magazines and mail.
This wider view, also taken from off the home’s entry, shows the added second island with its natural cherry top. Previously this area included a stand-alone table that had become a drop zone. “It was really a wasted space, so we made it a more functional space where people could sit and be a part of the activity in the kitchen,” Culbertson says. “Adding the second island was a lifesaver, because it added storage for what she doesn’t use often, as well as a place for cat food.”
A corner by the second island includes skylights that were replaced and large windows that overlook the woods and a deck that wraps around the entire house. “The addition of the second island with the storage and seating allows you to enjoy the sunroom aspect of it, while also having the kitchen right there,” Culbertson says.
Before: This floor plan of the previous kitchen shows the limitations of the layout. “They didn’t take advantage of what they had,” Culbertson says. “It was like a tiny kitchen crammed into one corner of a giant room.”
After: This plan of the renovated kitchen shows how adding the second island and including designated storage helped get the chaos under control. “It’s absolutely lovely to look at with all of the wood that complements the floor we already had, but it’s much more functional,” Tania says.
More on Houzz
How Much Room Do You Need for a Kitchen Island?
See more Kitchens of the Week
Get kitchen design ideas
Find a kitchen designer in your area
Shop for kitchen and dining products
More on Houzz
How Much Room Do You Need for a Kitchen Island?
See more Kitchens of the Week
Get kitchen design ideas
Find a kitchen designer in your area
Shop for kitchen and dining products
Sponsored
Unparalleled Design & Dedicated to Quality in Loudoun County, Virginia
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Academic physicians George and Tania Rodgers
Location: Georgetown, Indiana
Size: About 500 square feet (46 square meters)
Designers: Mary Culbertson and Susan Haggblom of Centered Interiors
The previous kitchen featured outdated appliances, worn cherry cabinets and laminate counters. There was also a breakfast area that the couple rarely used and which had become a crowded landing zone. “They were tired of the chaos and needed a place where Tania could come in, work and make her amazing meals,” Culbertson says.
While the designers kept the general layout mostly the same and didn’t remove any walls, they created lots of personalized storage in the new custom cherry cabinets, which have full rollouts and soft-close drawers. “Tania and George live in the woods, so to do anything other than a wood finish would not work in their space,” Culbertson says. “They wanted to bring the outdoors inside.”
Find a kitchen designer near you