Kitchen of the Week: Dark Green Cabinets and Family Function
A design-build firm found on Houzz updates a couple’s kitchen with rich color, a roomy island and a statement range
Michael Robin and Carlin Thomas purchased their 1920s Mediterranean Revival home in Oakland, California, knowing that the home needed structural repairs and a makeover for modern living. They thought the changes could wait, but Carlin became pregnant about a year after they moved in. “We weren’t going to do the kitchen right away so we could save up some money,” Carlin says. “But the sink was falling through the subfloor, and we had the baby on the way.”
So they got to work planning an update to the aging room. The chopped-up kitchen was closed off from the dining and living rooms and separated from the backyard by a small, recessed porch, creating the opposite of the bright, cohesive and open space they wanted for entertaining and family togetherness. The couple found HDR Remodeling on Houzz and worked with the design-build firm and architect Milton Tong to remove the wall between the kitchen and dining room and incorporate the porch into the layout, gaining more square footage and creating a roomier layout with a walnut island. Dark green cabinets and a statement range add serious style.
So they got to work planning an update to the aging room. The chopped-up kitchen was closed off from the dining and living rooms and separated from the backyard by a small, recessed porch, creating the opposite of the bright, cohesive and open space they wanted for entertaining and family togetherness. The couple found HDR Remodeling on Houzz and worked with the design-build firm and architect Milton Tong to remove the wall between the kitchen and dining room and incorporate the porch into the layout, gaining more square footage and creating a roomier layout with a walnut island. Dark green cabinets and a statement range add serious style.
After: The remodeling team took the former kitchen to the studs and addressed some dry rot and structural issues. They enclosed the porch, removed a wall between the kitchen and dining and living areas and rejiggered the layout, all of which helped add 32 square feet to the kitchen.
The couple color-matched the dark green paint on the Shaker-style cabinets to Studio Green by Farrow & Ball. “Studio Green was the very first choice we made for the kitchen,” Carlin says. “I’m in love with that color and love how it changes with the light.”
The expanded footprint allowed room for a large custom island with a walnut base that offsets the green cabinets. “It’s a focal point, and it’s definitely a working island,” architect Tong says. “It also allows there to be open shelves in this kitchen.”
Carlin’s mother, Diane Lumiere, an artist, helped create the custom greige color used on the kitchen walls and ceiling. “Mom has access to extra paint with her work,” Carlin says. “We had 25 gallons of a cream paint and spent hours adding a little blue, then a little red and so on, until we had the right color.”
Custom cabinets: Precision Cabinets; trim paint: Pointing, Farrow & Ball
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The couple color-matched the dark green paint on the Shaker-style cabinets to Studio Green by Farrow & Ball. “Studio Green was the very first choice we made for the kitchen,” Carlin says. “I’m in love with that color and love how it changes with the light.”
The expanded footprint allowed room for a large custom island with a walnut base that offsets the green cabinets. “It’s a focal point, and it’s definitely a working island,” architect Tong says. “It also allows there to be open shelves in this kitchen.”
Carlin’s mother, Diane Lumiere, an artist, helped create the custom greige color used on the kitchen walls and ceiling. “Mom has access to extra paint with her work,” Carlin says. “We had 25 gallons of a cream paint and spent hours adding a little blue, then a little red and so on, until we had the right color.”
Custom cabinets: Precision Cabinets; trim paint: Pointing, Farrow & Ball
Find a home design and remodeling team
The countertops are marble-look sintered stone. “We wanted something we could do school projects on, or even spill wine on,” Carlin says. “It’s so durable and doesn’t feel synthetic. It can stand up to a toddler and a clumsy mom.”
The distressed black chandelier, from Houzz, was a housewarming gift from Michael’s parents. “There are touches of our family everywhere,” Carlin says.
Solid American ash stools in a black finish complement the chandelier.
The new white oak floor was stained to match the wood floors found throughout the home.
Chandelier: Culpepper, Currey & Co.; stools: Paula, SOBU
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The distressed black chandelier, from Houzz, was a housewarming gift from Michael’s parents. “There are touches of our family everywhere,” Carlin says.
Solid American ash stools in a black finish complement the chandelier.
The new white oak floor was stained to match the wood floors found throughout the home.
Chandelier: Culpepper, Currey & Co.; stools: Paula, SOBU
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The statement Lacanche range in Anthracite, a dark charcoal color, creates another focal point in the upgraded kitchen. The high-end appliance was also a gift from Michael’s parents. “We actually sent a photo of it to them when they were looking for a range for themselves,” Carlin says. “We were floored when they gave it to us as a gift. It was not in our budget and what we planned to do, but it has totally changed the kitchen. We picked Anthracite because it has nuance to it, and it’s also reflective and pulls in the color of the cabinets.”
Michael took cues from the living room fireplace and had Tong design a custom hood with a drywall surround and a powerful remote-controlled fan inside. Subtle curves where the hood meets the ceiling coordinate with the kitchen’s new arched opening to the dining room. “The clients wanted it to have a strong presence,” Tong says. “We debated other designs, like a steel industrial-style surround. But this one was a way to add a lot of drama, and also stay in budget.”
The clean and simple backsplash is budget-friendly matte white ceramic subway tiles with a light gray grout. Carlin added the matte black pot filler behind the range. “I wanted a pot filler for vanity — I thought it would look cool,” she jokes. “But I also didn’t want to schlep big pots of hot water with a toddler running around.”
Champagne gold cabinet pulls stand out against the deep green.
Cabinet hardware: Cyprus bar pulls in Golden Champagne, Amerock Hardware
Michael took cues from the living room fireplace and had Tong design a custom hood with a drywall surround and a powerful remote-controlled fan inside. Subtle curves where the hood meets the ceiling coordinate with the kitchen’s new arched opening to the dining room. “The clients wanted it to have a strong presence,” Tong says. “We debated other designs, like a steel industrial-style surround. But this one was a way to add a lot of drama, and also stay in budget.”
The clean and simple backsplash is budget-friendly matte white ceramic subway tiles with a light gray grout. Carlin added the matte black pot filler behind the range. “I wanted a pot filler for vanity — I thought it would look cool,” she jokes. “But I also didn’t want to schlep big pots of hot water with a toddler running around.”
Champagne gold cabinet pulls stand out against the deep green.
Cabinet hardware: Cyprus bar pulls in Golden Champagne, Amerock Hardware
Incorporating the porch to expand the kitchen also allowed space for a hardworking pantry wall. The tall cabinets have doors that open and slide into the cabinets to save space. “This area became a nice coffee nook,” Carlin says.
The slim window above the shelves replaced a larger window that looked into a neighbor’s kitchen. “It was so awkward,” Carlin says.
New to home remodeling? Click here to learn the basics
The slim window above the shelves replaced a larger window that looked into a neighbor’s kitchen. “It was so awkward,” Carlin says.
New to home remodeling? Click here to learn the basics
Carlin’s brother, Brian Thomas, an arborist and woodworker in Hawaii, handcrafted all the shelves in the kitchen as a gift to the couple. They’re made of Monkeypod wood. “There are a lot of elements that are very symmetrical and formal in this house,” Tong says. “I wanted these shelves to bring some casualness and asymmetry into the kitchen.”
A frosted glass window allows in light while maintaining privacy.
A frosted glass window allows in light while maintaining privacy.
Before: The cramped nook in the previous kitchen. The white door on the right led to the staircase to the lower level of the home, adding to the awkward circulation in the space.
After: The design team relocated the sink to the former nook and replaced the garden window with a fixed window that looks out to the backyard.
The top of the backsplash lines up with one of the window mullions for symmetry.
The top of the backsplash lines up with one of the window mullions for symmetry.
After: Taken from about the same angle, this photo shows how removing the wall gave the kitchen a much better connection and flow with the dining room and living room. The new arched opening to the kitchen repeats the arched opening between the living room and dining room for a cohesive look.
The relocated stairs, to the right of the kitchen, replaced the staircase that once sat inside the kitchen. The move diverted traffic away from the kitchen to other areas of the home.
The relocated stairs, to the right of the kitchen, replaced the staircase that once sat inside the kitchen. The move diverted traffic away from the kitchen to other areas of the home.
After: With both the recessed porch and the old concrete steps gone, the kitchen enjoys a better connection with the backyard. “We have big windows now, so I can see my son in the backyard,” Carlin says.
The couple chose to keep the new porch compact to maximize yard space. “The way the steps go down, the second step across becomes a bench,” Tong says. “It’s a place people can congregate and hang out near the kitchen.”
The French doors on the left connect to the master bedroom.
The couple chose to keep the new porch compact to maximize yard space. “The way the steps go down, the second step across becomes a bench,” Tong says. “It’s a place people can congregate and hang out near the kitchen.”
The French doors on the left connect to the master bedroom.
After: Incorporating the porch, removing the wall between the kitchen and dining room and reworking the layout gave the homeowners the more open and cohesive kitchen they wanted.
“It’s the room we live in,” Carlin says. “We put a lot of energy into how it looks, but it’s also really durable.”
Project manager: Alfredo Landaverde of HDR Remodeling
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“It’s the room we live in,” Carlin says. “We put a lot of energy into how it looks, but it’s also really durable.”
Project manager: Alfredo Landaverde of HDR Remodeling
More on Houzz
Read more kitchen stories
Browse kitchen photos
Hire a kitchen remodeler
Shop for kitchen products
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Michael Robin and Carlin Thomas and their young son
Location: Oakland, California
Size: 202 square feet (19 square meters)
Design-build firm: HDR Remodeling
Architect: Milton Tong
Before: A wall closed off the previous kitchen from the dining and living rooms. The kitchen layout was broken up into different work areas that created a dysfunctional flow, with lots of floor space to cover between the sink, on the left, and the range across the room from it.
The white door with glass panels led to the small porch that separated the kitchen from the backyard. A nook and pantry area with storage cabinets and a garden window in the back right corner sat by a door that opened to an awkward staircase to the lower level of the home. The confusing kitchen lacked good flow and felt disconnected from the rest of the home. “I love to cook and wanted my child to know how to cook, and there was no prep space before,” Carlin says. “Having no space to entertain in the kitchen was big too.”