Kitchen Makeovers
Kitchen of the Week
Kitchen of the Week: Entertainment-Friendly in Wood and Green
A designer expands a family kitchen to create a more efficient layout with improved storage and an inviting style
For this Colorado family of five that loves to entertain, its existing 1980s kitchen wasn’t helping things. Too much same-tone wood — cabinets, flooring and a small island — gave the space a bland look. And the tight layout and lack of efficient storage couldn’t handle large gatherings.
The homeowners saved their money, did some research and hired designer Beth Parker to update the space. Parker took down walls to expand the kitchen into an unused formal dining room, adding 180 square feet to the layout and allowing her to create a spacious walk-in pantry and a larger central island with seating and storage. Two-tone cabinets combine rich green with white oak and join a white marble tile backsplash, quartzite countertops and warm brass details for an elegant, crowd-pleasing style.
The homeowners saved their money, did some research and hired designer Beth Parker to update the space. Parker took down walls to expand the kitchen into an unused formal dining room, adding 180 square feet to the layout and allowing her to create a spacious walk-in pantry and a larger central island with seating and storage. Two-tone cabinets combine rich green with white oak and join a white marble tile backsplash, quartzite countertops and warm brass details for an elegant, crowd-pleasing style.
Before: Here’s another look at the former kitchen. The doorway to the left of the fridge leads to the infrequently used formal dining room. A built-in desk in the kitchen on the left also sat unused and attracted clutter. Beyond that stood the double wall ovens next to a small pantry with bifold doors.
After: Parker knocked the kitchen back to the studs, ditched the dropped ceiling and pushed the footprint into the dining room, absorbing that space for a new 70-square-foot walk-in pantry that sits behind the family photo wall seen here. A hidden structural beam supports the expansion.
The extra square footage also allowed Parker to add a larger central island with seating and storage. A new wall oven and microwave combo sit a couple of feet over from their previous spot on a new pantry storage wall on the left. The new 42-inch French door fridge is also along the left-side wall. And the new range sits on the wall to the right.
The pantry wall, island base and upper cabinets have MDF inset doors painted a medium green. Rift-cut white oak in a neutral light brown finish for the lower perimeter cabinets adds warmth and creates a two-tone look. “It was driven by the homeowner,” Parker says. “It looks great with the golds we have here.” The existing oak floor was resanded and stained for a warm, contemporary look.
Paint colors: Agreeable Gray (walls), Eminence (ceiling) and Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel (trim), Sherwin-Williams
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The extra square footage also allowed Parker to add a larger central island with seating and storage. A new wall oven and microwave combo sit a couple of feet over from their previous spot on a new pantry storage wall on the left. The new 42-inch French door fridge is also along the left-side wall. And the new range sits on the wall to the right.
The pantry wall, island base and upper cabinets have MDF inset doors painted a medium green. Rift-cut white oak in a neutral light brown finish for the lower perimeter cabinets adds warmth and creates a two-tone look. “It was driven by the homeowner,” Parker says. “It looks great with the golds we have here.” The existing oak floor was resanded and stained for a warm, contemporary look.
Paint colors: Agreeable Gray (walls), Eminence (ceiling) and Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel (trim), Sherwin-Williams
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The countertops are Casablanca quartzite from Brazil and feature a cool white background with subtle gray veining. A teak-and-brass towel bar keeps towels handy. A dimmable four-light chandelier adds an energetic burst over the island. The kitchen also includes new recessed LED ceiling lights.
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A long countertop spans the length of the wall to the left of the range and wraps along the rear wall, providing abundant work space. The backsplash is 2-by-8-inch marble tiles with creamy tones, a satin finish and white grout. The door on the left leads to the new walk-in pantry. “We did a different cabinet finish there, and it has a lot of open shelving and an overflow refrigerator,” Parker says.
Backsplash: Royal Satin White marble, 2 by 8 inches, The Tile Shop; cabinet hardware: Exeter pulls in Honey Bronze, Top Knobs
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Backsplash: Royal Satin White marble, 2 by 8 inches, The Tile Shop; cabinet hardware: Exeter pulls in Honey Bronze, Top Knobs
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This view shows the generous traffic paths and abundant counter surfaces. A custom hood above the range has a stained wood band that matches the lower cabinets. “It expands across the front and on each side,” Parker says.
Range: Rise 36-inch dual-fuel professional, JennAir
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The back of the island has 8-by-8 inch patterned porcelain tiles with a matte finish. “Above the tile, there’s an opening with a ledge that the wife designed,” Parker says. “It gives them a hideaway for laptops.”
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This wide view shows the updated kitchen’s substantial footprint, which includes seating at the island, the peninsula and a breakfast nook on the right.
This floor plan of the new kitchen shows the new walk-in pantry at the lower left. The peninsula countertop (right middle) wraps around the rear wall to the pantry entrance. The central island offers seating and a work surface, and a storage wall (bottom) features lots of storage, as well as the refrigerator and other appliances. “The openness and additional work areas are great,” Parker says. “We added functionality and openness.”
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of five that loves to entertain
Location: Golden, Colorado
Size: 420 square feet (39 square meters)
Designer: Beth Parker of Caruso Kitchens
Builder: Miguel Ramos of Adobe Construction
Before: The former 240-square-foot kitchen had an abundance of aging oak cabinets that blended in with the flooring to create a subdued look. Black granite countertops and stainless steel appliances did little to perk up the style. “It was very dark and had the dropped-down ceiling and the large fluorescent light,” Parker says.
The compact island offered limited storage, and the gas cooktop took up most of the counter surface. “That island just felt in the way,” Parker says. “There wasn’t good workflow there.”