Kitchen Design
Kitchen of the Week
Kitchen of the Week: French Bistro Flair Enlivens an Ohio Kitchen
A French range and bold blue wallpaper set the tone for an open, inviting, family-friendly kitchen
A love affair with a French range helped kick off a remodel of this 1980s kitchen in Cincinnati. The homeowners had lived in the house for a year after relocating from out of state, and they found the kitchen’s lack of storage and nearly 40-year-old aesthetic hard to deal with.
The couple hired designer Christina Temple to design a new kitchen around the range and within the existing footprint. “The rest of the home is pretty transitional, but this room ended up with a French bistro flair,” Temple says.
The couple hired designer Christina Temple to design a new kitchen around the range and within the existing footprint. “The rest of the home is pretty transitional, but this room ended up with a French bistro flair,” Temple says.
Centering the sink and dishwasher under the windows was a given, Temple says. The original island was awkwardly small for the kitchen, so she created a new one that’s 5 feet wide and almost 8 feet long. She kept 42 inches of space between the island and perimeter countertops, except on the side opposite the sink, where there’s a 36-inch span.
The countertops are quartz that looks like Calacatta Gold marble.
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The countertops are quartz that looks like Calacatta Gold marble.
Shop for blue wallpaper
The French Lacanche range inspired the new kitchen design. “I knew the range would have to be a major focal point, so I didn’t want to pair that with too many other kitchen-like items,” Temple says. “I wanted it to stand on its own.”
A square of accent tile featuring white Thassos and Bianco Carrara marble threaded with brass punctuates the range wall even more.
A square of accent tile featuring white Thassos and Bianco Carrara marble threaded with brass punctuates the range wall even more.
The client’s vision for open shelves on either side of the stove came to life thanks to images she pulled together on Houzz and a custom metal fabricator Temple knew. “We worked together on what these brass pieces would look like,” Temple says. “We started with an overall eclectic feel. The challenge was to narrow the ideas down so there was some consistency but so the little pops of interest like this made sense.”
Removing the wall that separated the kitchen from the sunroom created space for more seating. Temple wrapped a countertop overhang from the kitchen into the sunroom so “you can be sitting in there and still feel like you’re sitting in the kitchen,” she says.
The designer and the homeowners talked about putting a bistro table in this bump-out area but decided instead that the view of the pool out back was worth staring at. Temple created steel supports to float a tabletop in the opening.
Wall paint: Railings, Farrow & Ball
Shop for counter stools
Wall paint: Railings, Farrow & Ball
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The stainless steel undermount sink allows for a cutting board and tray with six prep bowls.
Sink: Stages, Kohler
Sink: Stages, Kohler
A recessed paper towel holder is conveniently tucked away to the right of the sink.
The paper towel holder sits in a walnut drawer that also stores dish towels. Below that are the trash and recycling bins.
Read more about out-of-sight paper towel holders
Read more about out-of-sight paper towel holders
Across from the sink, deep drawers with pegs organize dishes. “Usually when we start the design process, I ask the client to put together an inventory of all their kitchen items,” Temple says. “I ask about the morning routine, how you cook, etc. That’s how we figure out where everything needs to go.”
Wall paint: Alabaster, Sherwin-Williams
Wall paint: Alabaster, Sherwin-Williams
On the side of the island that faces the range, cabinets with pullouts create a tucked-away baking center with a lift stand for the mixer and storage for dry goods, measuring cups and bowls.
A tall, shallow cabinet to the left of the paneled refrigerator stores spices, cooking oils and calendars and a bulletin board on the door. The same wallpaper that’s on the ceiling above the island lines the back of this cabinet.
To the right of the refrigerator is a slim pullout featuring cereal dispensers.
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More on Houzz
See more Kitchens of the Week
Get kitchen design ideas
Find a kitchen designer to help with your project
Shop for kitchen and dining products
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A husband and wife with two small children
Location: Cincinnati
Size: 350 square feet (33 square meters)
Designer: Christina Temple of Neal’s Design Remodel
The wife drove the decision to add a bright splash of color to the room with a bold wallpaper. “She has a really great sense of style and taste,” Temple says. “She was itching for some extra pop of interest and came to me with several wallpaper samples. That one really stood out.”
The homeowner originally wanted to wallpaper the bump-out seating area (at right in this photo), but she and Temple agreed it would be “a little much.” Instead, they created a rectangular section of wallpaper above the island and framed it with chair rail molding.
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