Kitchen of the Week: Latte-Colored Cabinets Perk Up an L-Shape

“After” photos by Larry Porter

Kitchen of the Week
Who lives here: Larry and Joan Porter
Size: About 338 square feet (31 square meters)
Location: Diablo, California
Designer: Pamela Lehman of Kitchens of Diablo

Larry and Joan Porter of the San Francisco East Bay community of Diablo thought the existing footprint of their L-shaped kitchen was fine, but they wanted to update appliances, have more functional storage and make the space feel more light, airy and welcoming.

Before. After 14 years in the home, the Porters were over their existing cherry cabinets and the dust-collecting space above.

The tall, slim swinging door to the left of the refrigerator connected the kitchen to the dining room.

After. The kitchen now includes traditional framed cabinets with plywood box construction and painted maple doors. The semicustom cabinets go all the way to the ceiling to enhance the height of the room and eliminate the dust-collecting storage area.

A lovely latte color brightens the room while maintaining warmth. “We wanted to lighten things up without going too bright,” designer Pamela Lehman says. “It’s warm and gives you a bit of color without going over the top.” They kept the walls the same cream color as before.

Lehman replaced the swinging door with a wider, arched opening that improves flow between the kitchen and dining room. A new, heftier island features a honed white Calacatta Michelangelo marble top.

Cabinets: Crestwood in Latte finish, Dura Supreme Cabinetry; cabinet pulls: transitional brushed nickel, Richelieu Hardware; see more cabinet hardware options

Before. This photo shows the patterned beige tile backsplash and black-and-brown granite countertops that the Porters felt brought down the energy in the kitchen.

After. The new marble counters join a marble backsplash and new appliances for an elegant, updated look. Joan requested the marble shelf to keep cooking oils and spices nearby and to break up the expanse of material. “We don’t have a vent hood up there, so I wanted to have something so it just doesn’t look like a big, blank piece of marble there,” she says. The cooktop includes a downdraft vent.

Before. Prior to the remodel, the couple had a desk area with a short peninsula that separated the kitchen from the family room; it often ended up as a drop zone and created an eyesore. “That’s the first thing you saw when you walked into the kitchen,” Lehman says.

Before. This floor plan shows what the original kitchen and desk area, top left, looked like before the renovation. The dining room is on the right, entered through the narrow door near the top.

After. The narrow door to the dining room was replaced, the short peninsula that separated the kitchen and family room was removed, the location of the wall ovens was changed and the former desk area was converted into an attractive hutch. These key changes and more helped create a brighter, user-friendly space with transitional style.

“The kitchen and family room look so much bigger without that peninsula,” Joan says. “I just feel much better and happy in there now.”

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