Kitchen of the Week: Cherry Cabinets Bring Warmth in Vermont

A couple work with their designers to build a transitional kitchen with lots of storage, natural light and rich wood

Jeannie Matteucci March 15, 2019

Houzz Contributor. Home design writer and lifestyle reporter with a love for stylish spaces, smart lighting and a good decaf dry cappuccino.

Houzz Contributor. Home design writer and lifestyle reporter with a love for stylish... More

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Ken and Monica Gragg have lived in their two-story Colonial home in Burlington, Vermont, for 35 years. After raising their two kids and becoming empty nesters, they decided to renovate and stay put instead of moving and downsizing. They knocked the 75-year-old house back to the studs and spent lots of time discussing the kitchen. “If we’re going to be here, we might as well build the kitchen we want,” Ken remembers telling Monica.

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Photos by Mark Bayer Photography

Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Ken and Monica Gragg
Location: Burlington, Vermont
Size: About 193 square feet (18 square meters)
Designers: Brittny Mee of Bouchard-Pierce (kitchen design) and Jovana Guarino (interior design)

The couple worked with kitchen designer Brittny Mee and interior designer Jovana Guarino to create a transitional kitchen with great flow and lots of natural light that showcases the beauty and warmth of cherry cabinets and a classic red oak floor.

Ken, an avid woodworker who has built custom furniture and has experience in home restoration, acted as the general contractor. Mee helped Ken and Monica put the layout of the kitchen on paper, confirm measurements and choose the cabinets, counters and appliances. The semicustom Shaker-style cherrywood cabinets with a natural lacquer factory finish add lots of warmth. “Shaker was something we agreed on from day one,” Ken says. “I think cherry is the prettiest thing and takes on character as it ages.”

The frameless cabinets go all the way to the ceiling. Transom cabinets with LED strip lights display vases Ken and Monica found during their travels to India and the Dominican Republic.

An expanded 5-foot window over the natural quartz sink allows lots of natural light inside. The medium green walls (Adirondack Green by Benjamin Moore) with a white ceiling (Cloud White by Benjamin Moore) keep things light.

Seen at right in the photo, the opening to a side hallway that leads to the family and living rooms was expanded by 5 feet. The fiberglass composite door with glass inserts is the rear entrance to the house.

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Ken and Monica spent lots of time on the shape and position of the island. Their old kitchen had an oversize rectangular island that impeded traffic flow. Ken built mock-ups in plywood and cardboard so the couple could find the right shape for their kitchen. “Because of the angles, there’s a larger flow area and smooth transitions now,” Mee says.

The island includes storage on two sides, an electrical outlet, a trash pullout across from the sink and room for three people with poplar stools custom-made by Ken. The base of the island features a very light gray factory finish that complements the white ceramic subway tile backsplash. The island top is Calypso quartz, while the perimeter counters are Ocean Jasper quartz.

In addition to helping the couple with some of the finishes, Guarino supported Ken’s idea of expanding the opening from the kitchen to the dining room from a tight 3 feet to 8 feet.

The kitchen’s prefinished classic red oak floor complements the wood floor in the dining room. “In the dining room and other spaces in our home, I laid the wood in a 45-degree angle that offers contrast for the kitchen floor,” Ken says.

Seen partially on the far-left side of this photo, a flat-screen TV hangs over a drink station with two shelves inside for cookbooks.

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Drawers on the island make grabbing things easier for the couple. “Drawer storage is really popular now, because it’s annoying to have to get down on the ground to get things,” Mee says. “It’s easy to pull out and see everything, and they’re great for organization.”

The Pros and Cons of Kitchen Islands

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Two upper drawers keep utensils handy near the range. The four deep drawers below store everyday dishes, plastic containers and serving pieces.

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The cabinet above the range has two shelves for storing oils and vinegars, with racks on the inside of the cabinet doors for spices. “The shelves are a little shallower, so you can find things easily and have the space for the spice racks on the doors,” Ken says.

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Between the kitchen sink and range sits a blind corner cabinet with a pullout for the couple’s small appliances, including a slow cooker, toaster and hand mixer. “This can often be a dead area, so this was the most efficient use of space,” Mee says. “They’re long and pull all the way out, so you don’t have to dig around back there.”

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A pantry pullout cabinet sits below a built-in countertop microwave. The cabinet keeps all the dry goods in a handy central location, with organized shelves for canned goods, cereals, mixes and more.

Kitchen of the Week: Cherry Wood Cabinets are the Star in Vermont

This floor plan shows how the island design creates good traffic flow in the kitchen and from the kitchen to the dining room, top, and hallway, left.

The new kitchen is a hit. “Our families have always migrated to the kitchen when we’ve had them over for dinners, but now we have to drag them to other spaces,” Ken says.

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