Kitchen of the Week: Classic and Elegant in White and Walnut
A designer upgrades her own kitchen with a rejiggered layout, a new island, a marble backsplash and soapstone counters
Designer Mary Maney has updated countless kitchens for clients over the years. That gave her plenty of time and experience to dream up the right features and materials to improve her own aging kitchen. Maney wanted to bring a traditional look to her suburban Tudor-style home, as well as brighten things up while still creating a warm and inviting feel. White cabinets with a walnut island and range hood, as well as a marble tile backsplash, deliver the elegant and welcoming style she was after. Stained white oak wide-plank flooring adds generous warmth. Soapstone countertops give a bold stroke of drama and contrast. A slightly rejiggered layout improves circulation and frees up room for gathering at the island.
After: Maney stripped the kitchen and started from scratch. “We knocked it down to the studs and added new windows,” she says. “New drywall, flooring, everything.”
Maney placed a new paneled refrigerator on the wall on the right, allowing her to put the new cooktop and statement walnut vent hood on the back wall. That allowed her to create a new walnut island with an uninterrupted soapstone countertop that offers plenty of prep space and encourages gathering. The perimeter countertops are also soapstone, offering a touch of contrast and drama to the white cabinets.
Maney extended the cabinets to the ceiling with crown molding to maximize storage and give the space a loftier appearance. New engineered white oak flooring in wide planks anchors the room in warmth.
Cabinetry: Crystal Cabinets; floor: Expressions in color Sonnet, Shaw Floors; wall paint: Accessible Beige, Sherwin-Williams; trim paint: Super White, Benjamin Moore
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Maney placed a new paneled refrigerator on the wall on the right, allowing her to put the new cooktop and statement walnut vent hood on the back wall. That allowed her to create a new walnut island with an uninterrupted soapstone countertop that offers plenty of prep space and encourages gathering. The perimeter countertops are also soapstone, offering a touch of contrast and drama to the white cabinets.
Maney extended the cabinets to the ceiling with crown molding to maximize storage and give the space a loftier appearance. New engineered white oak flooring in wide planks anchors the room in warmth.
Cabinetry: Crystal Cabinets; floor: Expressions in color Sonnet, Shaw Floors; wall paint: Accessible Beige, Sherwin-Williams; trim paint: Super White, Benjamin Moore
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A pair of metal-and-glass pendant lights hang over the island. The kitchen also includes undercabinet lighting over task areas and new LED recessed ceiling lights. An updated awning window over the sink brings in natural light and views of the backyard.
To the left of the sink stands a storage tower with a glass door and interior lighting that illuminates walnut paneling and Maney’s favorite dishware. “When you walk in my home, this is the part of the kitchen you see first, so I wanted something pretty,” she says. A drawer below the cabinet stores napkins, toothpicks and other items.
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To the left of the sink stands a storage tower with a glass door and interior lighting that illuminates walnut paneling and Maney’s favorite dishware. “When you walk in my home, this is the part of the kitchen you see first, so I wanted something pretty,” she says. A drawer below the cabinet stores napkins, toothpicks and other items.
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A two-door cabinet on the exterior of the island opens to 6-inch-deep storage for canned goods.
12 Clever Kitchen Cabinet Storage Ideas
12 Clever Kitchen Cabinet Storage Ideas
Drawers on the interior side of the island hold a knife block and items such as pot holders, measuring cups and mixing bowls.
The range backsplash consists of hand-cut and water-jet-cut mosaic Calacatta marble tile and brass. The surrounding backsplash is 3-by-12-inch honed marble tiles. The walnut hood matches the island base.
“It’s not a standard hood, it’s a statement,” Maney says. “I love the corbels. I wanted to frame that whole area with the mosaic tiles. And the hood has downdraft, which is ideal.”
Range backsplash tile: Faruza, New Ravenna
10 Tips for Designing a Kitchen That’s Easy to Keep Organized
The range backsplash consists of hand-cut and water-jet-cut mosaic Calacatta marble tile and brass. The surrounding backsplash is 3-by-12-inch honed marble tiles. The walnut hood matches the island base.
“It’s not a standard hood, it’s a statement,” Maney says. “I love the corbels. I wanted to frame that whole area with the mosaic tiles. And the hood has downdraft, which is ideal.”
Range backsplash tile: Faruza, New Ravenna
10 Tips for Designing a Kitchen That’s Easy to Keep Organized
Before: Here’s a closer look at the former kitchen island. “It had the mechanicals for downdraft in there in the middle, with two little cabinets on each side,” Maney says. “It didn’t really hold anything.”
Two wall ovens sat between cabinetry at different depths and heights. “The front cabinets were like 5½ feet high with another cabinet behind it, so it created a ledge where everything ended up,” Maney says. “It might have been handy but didn’t look good.”
Two wall ovens sat between cabinetry at different depths and heights. “The front cabinets were like 5½ feet high with another cabinet behind it, so it created a ledge where everything ended up,” Maney says. “It might have been handy but didn’t look good.”
After: The reconfigured wall now holds the paneled refrigerator, upgraded wall ovens and streamlined cabinetry. A new bar area sits on the far right.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
The bar area features a 24-inch built-in beverage fridge. Drawers hold entertaining and home office supplies. The upper cabinets have doors with glass panels and interior lights. “Both of those cabinets have a walnut interior to help spread that wood grain around the room,” Maney says. “It creates a richer look.”
The kitchen update was part of a larger renovation of the main level of Maney’s home. This view shows how the updated kitchen connects to the family room, where a sliding glass door opens to a back porch. “The appliances are super nice and the layout is great, with nothing on the island now,” Maney says. “The kitchen also feels bigger.”
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Bill and Mary Maney and their Labrador retriever, Maggie
Location: Maple Grove, Minnesota
Size: 275 square feet (26 square meters)
Designer: Mary Maney of Crystal Kitchen + Bath
Before: In the former kitchen, an abundance of basic honey oak cabinets and similarly toned warped wood flooring created a bland look and feel. The low-hung cabinets made the ceiling look lower than it is and resulted in space above that collected dust. Laminate countertops and backsplashes dated the style. The refrigerator impeded the walkway. An electric cooktop in the island left little countertop space and discouraged gathering. “It took up most of the island top,” Maney says. “And since people want to stand around an island, it wasn’t ideal.”