Kitchen of the Week
Before and Afters
Kitchen of the Week: Japandi Inspiration in a North Carolina Home
A designer found on Houzz reconfigures a kitchen layout to create a light-filled, functional flow for a family of three
While living out of the country, this couple wanted to remodel their home in Cary, North Carolina, remotely. They looked to Houzz to find a local design professional and found design-build firm Clearcut Construction. They communicated with owner Richard Ryder through emails and inspiration photos, and he sent them full renderings of the kitchen that included details like stone options for the countertops and backsplash.
“They were able to come back a few times to shop for appliances and check out the quartz we’d chosen for them in person, but most of the design process was done remotely,” Ryder says. The result is a transitional kitchen that leans warm contemporary, with Japandi inspiration.
“They were able to come back a few times to shop for appliances and check out the quartz we’d chosen for them in person, but most of the design process was done remotely,” Ryder says. The result is a transitional kitchen that leans warm contemporary, with Japandi inspiration.
After: Comparing this photo to the previous one, you can see that the center of the range alcove is where the left edge of the opening used to be. (See “before” and “after” floor plans at the end of the story.) By building out the wall and shifting the opening to the right end of the kitchen, Ryder was able to turn the left side into the work zone. An island with seating was better suited to the family of three’s lifestyle than a kitchen table would have been.
The large windows were existing, and the glass doors on the bottom left lead to an existing screened-in porch. Now both the eat-in and working parts of the kitchen enjoy the light and views. While the kitchen is technically 300 square feet, about a third of that is open area in front of the porch, between the kitchen and the living room. So if you’re trying to get ideas for a 200-square-foot kitchen, the layout of the main portion of the kitchen will be helpful.
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The large windows were existing, and the glass doors on the bottom left lead to an existing screened-in porch. Now both the eat-in and working parts of the kitchen enjoy the light and views. While the kitchen is technically 300 square feet, about a third of that is open area in front of the porch, between the kitchen and the living room. So if you’re trying to get ideas for a 200-square-foot kitchen, the layout of the main portion of the kitchen will be helpful.
Find a local design-build firm on Houzz
One of the challenges was scaling the elements in the kitchen to stand up to the room’s 11-foot ceilings. A large custom slatted vent hood extends up to the ceiling and curves around the left side. The wood is white oak with a custom medium stain. This wood was also used on other accents in the kitchen.
One of those accents is very clever. The two wood items that look like drawers above the wall ovens are actually custom serving trays. They pick up on the other white oak finishes in the room and can be pulled out when needed.
From the homeowners’ inspiration photos, Ryder determined they were drawn to Japandi style. This style mixes the quiet minimalism of Japanese design with a Scandinavian modern palette that contrasts a base of white with deeper colors and warm wood. The home’s architecture is a modern take on Arts and Crafts without the heavier interior details that style is known for. So a room that focuses on materials and custom craftsmanship fits right into the home.
Cabinet, wall and trim paint: Snowbound, Sherwin-Williams
Browse kitchen lighting in the Houzz Shop
One of those accents is very clever. The two wood items that look like drawers above the wall ovens are actually custom serving trays. They pick up on the other white oak finishes in the room and can be pulled out when needed.
From the homeowners’ inspiration photos, Ryder determined they were drawn to Japandi style. This style mixes the quiet minimalism of Japanese design with a Scandinavian modern palette that contrasts a base of white with deeper colors and warm wood. The home’s architecture is a modern take on Arts and Crafts without the heavier interior details that style is known for. So a room that focuses on materials and custom craftsmanship fits right into the home.
Cabinet, wall and trim paint: Snowbound, Sherwin-Williams
Browse kitchen lighting in the Houzz Shop
To the right of the range alcove are an oven and a steam oven. The kitchen island has a waterfall counter on both sides, creating clean, minimalist lines. While the scale of the pendant lights fits with the high ceilings, the clear glass keeps the views open and maintains the uncluttered look of the kitchen.
The island base paint matches the cabinet wall across the room. An outlet placed on the side of the island is handy and out of the way. The other side of the island has a bank of three drawers, a trash-recycling pullout and doors under the sink. The island also has a bar sink. This makes it easy to do prep work when someone else is using the main sink.
The island base paint matches the cabinet wall across the room. An outlet placed on the side of the island is handy and out of the way. The other side of the island has a bank of three drawers, a trash-recycling pullout and doors under the sink. The island also has a bar sink. This makes it easy to do prep work when someone else is using the main sink.
The countertop cabinet on the left extends to the ceiling. It has a drawer for utensils, and the middle section is for oils and spices.
The cabinet hardware throughout the space has a honey bronze finish. (These are Kinney pulls in various sizes from Top Knobs.) Along with the white oak, the metal adds warm contrast to all the white in the room.
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The cabinet hardware throughout the space has a honey bronze finish. (These are Kinney pulls in various sizes from Top Knobs.) Along with the white oak, the metal adds warm contrast to all the white in the room.
Find a cabinet pro
To maintain a minimalist look and material palette, Ryder continued the quartz from the countertop up the backsplash. He added small white oak shelves for display and for keeping things handy without taking up space on the counter.
Quartz: Calacatta Glide, Mogastone
Quartz: Calacatta Glide, Mogastone
Ryder placed the main sink under the large bank of windows. The window on the left is operable and the others are fixed. The sink is white Silgranit, a durable granite-composite material made of about 80% natural granite blended with acrylic.
Sink: Diamond Silgranit, Blanco; faucet: Trinsic in Champagne Bronze, Delta
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Sink: Diamond Silgranit, Blanco; faucet: Trinsic in Champagne Bronze, Delta
Shop for a kitchen faucet
Before: This was the working side of the kitchen before Ryder moved the staircase-hallway opening. It was surrounded by interior walls, so it was dark.
The stairs that lead to the formal dining room on the right will be in the same spot in the next photo.
The stairs that lead to the formal dining room on the right will be in the same spot in the next photo.
After: Ryder created a thick wall of cabinets that also houses the fridge. The dark color of the storage wall (Black Fox by Sherwin-Williams) helps it recede into the background while providing strong contrast to the kitchen’s white finishes.
Ryder packed this wall with storage. He flanked the main fridge with a pantry cabinet on the left and a small-appliance cabinet on the right. He also placed a wine fridge on the right side of the opening to the dining room.
Ryder packed this wall with storage. He flanked the main fridge with a pantry cabinet on the left and a small-appliance cabinet on the right. He also placed a wine fridge on the right side of the opening to the dining room.
The small-appliance cabinet has doors that slide back into the wall. It has a quartz countertop that matches the rest of the kitchen, and the wood is white oak stained to match the vent hood. This kind of cabinet is a good spot to hide items like a microwave or blender. Here it serves as an elegant espresso bar.
These cabinets are 26 inches deep. The pantry cabinet on the other side of the fridge has adjustable shelves on top and large drawers on the bottom.
These cabinets are 26 inches deep. The pantry cabinet on the other side of the fridge has adjustable shelves on top and large drawers on the bottom.
“The glass portion at the top of the storage wall was a way to address the high ceilings,” Ryder says. They’re lined in white oak, and lighting inside enhances the open look. These high cabinets brighten up the storage wall and prevent it from looking oppressive.
The floors are new, but Ryder matched them to the existing hardwood floors throughout the first floor. The frosted door beyond the pantry cabinet leads to the laundry room.
The floors are new, but Ryder matched them to the existing hardwood floors throughout the first floor. The frosted door beyond the pantry cabinet leads to the laundry room.
Before: To the right of the dining room steps, there was a jumble of wine-related storage.
After: Now a sleek wine fridge with cabinets over it looks like a cohesive continuation of the cabinet wall.
Before: The laundry room was lacking in style. Reconfiguring and remodeling it was part of the scope of the project.
After: Ryder expanded the laundry room’s footprint by eliminating a small pantry that was no longer needed and reworking the back hallway.
The color palette is similar to that of the kitchen, with a checkerboard floor of white and deep gray. The backsplash above the utility sink is about 1½ feet high, and a wood shelf over it coordinates with a butcher block folding counter over the washer and dryer.
Check out our beginner’s guide to get started on your home project
The color palette is similar to that of the kitchen, with a checkerboard floor of white and deep gray. The backsplash above the utility sink is about 1½ feet high, and a wood shelf over it coordinates with a butcher block folding counter over the washer and dryer.
Check out our beginner’s guide to get started on your home project
There’s tongue-and-groove paneling behind the washer-dryer. Ryder added a drying rod over the machines.
Before: These before-and-after plans illustrate the importance of the new kitchen wall. The main changes can be seen on the left side, with the existing L-shaped working part of the kitchen at the top of the plan.
The laundry room was in the top left corner above the pantry. The existing opening from the back hallway to the kitchen is toward the bottom left corner of the plan, near the stairs.
The laundry room was in the top left corner above the pantry. The existing opening from the back hallway to the kitchen is toward the bottom left corner of the plan, near the stairs.
After: The most impactful change to the kitchen layout was moving the opening between the back hallway and the kitchen. This allowed for the new wall where the range alcove is. Now the working part of the kitchen enjoys the existing large bank of windows.
The laundry room occupies the entire area in the top left corner. Ryder put up a wall to separate it from the entry hall on the left.
The central kitchen area from the kitchen windows (bottom center) straight up to the storage cabinet wall is about 10½ by 19 feet. This will give you good ideas for a 200-square-foot kitchen layout.
More on Houzz
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The laundry room occupies the entire area in the top left corner. Ryder put up a wall to separate it from the entry hall on the left.
The central kitchen area from the kitchen windows (bottom center) straight up to the storage cabinet wall is about 10½ by 19 feet. This will give you good ideas for a 200-square-foot kitchen layout.
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: A family of three
Location: Cary, North Carolina
Size: 300 square feet (28 square meters)
Designer-builder: Richard Ryder of Clearcut Construction
Before: The main working part of the kitchen is to the right in this photo and the eat-in area is to the left. Ryder reconfigured the location of this wide opening to the back hall to create more wall space for a better kitchen layout.
The eat-in area was next to a large bank of windows (just out of view to the left). While this made sense, it meant the working side of the kitchen was dark.