Kitchen of the Week: Open Floor Plan With a Pantry
Designers connect a kitchen to living and dining rooms, add storage and create a sophisticated bar
Once closed off and pantry-less, this kitchen now serves as the heart of an open space that includes the dining room and living room. To make it more functional within its existing footprint, Audrey Scheck Design created space for a large island, added a pantry and boosted storage with a sophisticated dining room bar.
The team also tailored the style to reflect its clients’ personalities. “These clients were really fun to work with because they liked traditional design, with a lean toward Victorian and just a touch of farmhouse thrown in,” interior designer Audrey Mehrl says.
The team also tailored the style to reflect its clients’ personalities. “These clients were really fun to work with because they liked traditional design, with a lean toward Victorian and just a touch of farmhouse thrown in,” interior designer Audrey Mehrl says.
Before Photo
After: The renovation was part of a whole-house remodel, which created a more open feel between the kitchen, the dining room and the living room. Removing the peninsula and partial wall allowed for a much bigger island and ample room to move around it. The large window to the left is new and brings lots of natural light into the space.
In addition, the team borrowed some space from the garage and placed a new laundry room there. This left room to create a pantry where the laundry room had been. The opening to the right marks the pantry. It has pocket doors on either end that close it off from the kitchen and laundry room when desired.
The existing floors were black concrete. Replacing them with engineered hardwood in a maple color added warmth to the room.
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In addition, the team borrowed some space from the garage and placed a new laundry room there. This left room to create a pantry where the laundry room had been. The opening to the right marks the pantry. It has pocket doors on either end that close it off from the kitchen and laundry room when desired.
The existing floors were black concrete. Replacing them with engineered hardwood in a maple color added warmth to the room.
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“The jump-off point for the design was a special backsplash tile that our clients fell in love with,” Mehrl says. The handmade, hand-painted terra-cotta tile is from Tabarka Studio. “The room has a lot of neutrals, but the tile brings in color,” Mehrl says. “We decided to use it to make a focal point.” Along with the tile, the custom vent hood and walnut accents establish the range area as a focal point. Tongue-and-groove paneling above the tile brings in a touch of the farmhouse style the homeowners like.
While the color scheme is neutral, the dark-stained walnut, also seen on the island, creates strong contrast. “It was exciting to us that they wanted to go dark with the wood, because that’s not what most people want these days,” Mehrl says.
A peek at one of the pantry’s pocket doors is visible on the right. These custom white oak doors with reeded glass panes nod to Victorian-era style.
While the color scheme is neutral, the dark-stained walnut, also seen on the island, creates strong contrast. “It was exciting to us that they wanted to go dark with the wood, because that’s not what most people want these days,” Mehrl says.
A peek at one of the pantry’s pocket doors is visible on the right. These custom white oak doors with reeded glass panes nod to Victorian-era style.
The wall on the right houses the fridge, a microwave drawer, countertop space for a coffee station and cabinet space. Getting the refrigerator off the focal wall provides a nicer view from the living room. “In speaking with our clients, they told us they like to grab something from the fridge and put it right into the microwave, so we designed this wall around that,” Mehrl says. The opening to the dining room is just out of frame on the right.
“Our clients didn’t want the kitchen to be too white. We went with tones that leaned more toward earthy neutrals,” Mehrl says. The walls are painted Benjamin Moore’s White Dove, which is creamy, and the cabinets are painted Drop Cloth by Farrow & Ball. “These colors don’t skew too warm or too cold,” Mehrl says. The countertops are quartz. “They have veining that’s similar to Calacatta Oro, which has warm and cool tones and is not too stark,” Mehrl says.
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“Our clients didn’t want the kitchen to be too white. We went with tones that leaned more toward earthy neutrals,” Mehrl says. The walls are painted Benjamin Moore’s White Dove, which is creamy, and the cabinets are painted Drop Cloth by Farrow & Ball. “These colors don’t skew too warm or too cold,” Mehrl says. The countertops are quartz. “They have veining that’s similar to Calacatta Oro, which has warm and cool tones and is not too stark,” Mehrl says.
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Mehrl placed tall cabinets in this corner. Their doors conceal an appliance garage and are retractable. “This was the best spot for an appliance garage in terms of moving easily through the space,” Mehrl says.
The cabinet style is flush inset with Shaker-style details. Note that the top drawers on the lower cabinets have simple slab fronts. Leaving the Shaker rails off these drawers keeps the cabinetry from looking too busy or distracting.
Open shelves on either side of the range provide display space for some of the homeowners’ favorite things. They’re lit by hurricane sconces overhead. “The candle look brings in some Victorian style,” Mehrl says.
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The cabinet style is flush inset with Shaker-style details. Note that the top drawers on the lower cabinets have simple slab fronts. Leaving the Shaker rails off these drawers keeps the cabinetry from looking too busy or distracting.
Open shelves on either side of the range provide display space for some of the homeowners’ favorite things. They’re lit by hurricane sconces overhead. “The candle look brings in some Victorian style,” Mehrl says.
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Mehrl kept the pendant lights over the island simple, smaller and more modern than the other elements in the room. “These bridge the gap between styles and eras,” she says. “Also, with the three rooms open to one another, it was important to keep the lighting in each space from competing too much.” There’s also undercabinet LED strip lighting.
“Because the style of the room is traditional, we wanted a bridge faucet,” Mehrl says. “We were able to find one with the modern convenience of a pull-down sprayer.” The island also contains a trash pullout, a cutting board pullout and extra storage on the work side.
When choosing the counter stools, Mehrl kept the new open plan in mind. “In order to keep a comfortable amount of space between the sectional sofa in the living room and the island, we needed stools that would tuck under the counter,” she says. These stools have simple, traditional style, and their padded leather seats provide comfort.
Faucet: Weymouth bridge pull-down, Moen
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“Because the style of the room is traditional, we wanted a bridge faucet,” Mehrl says. “We were able to find one with the modern convenience of a pull-down sprayer.” The island also contains a trash pullout, a cutting board pullout and extra storage on the work side.
When choosing the counter stools, Mehrl kept the new open plan in mind. “In order to keep a comfortable amount of space between the sectional sofa in the living room and the island, we needed stools that would tuck under the counter,” she says. These stools have simple, traditional style, and their padded leather seats provide comfort.
Faucet: Weymouth bridge pull-down, Moen
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Here’s a view of the living room, which is now open to the kitchen. You can catch a glimpse of the range wall in the mirror.
The paned pocket door slides open to reveal the pantry. “This pantry was a challenge but it was really fun to design,” Mehrl says. “We needed to add a lot of storage, but it also needed to have a clear path through it to the new laundry room.”
Lower cabinets run along one side of the pantry, and light streams in from a window above them. The cabinets, countertop and tongue-and-groove paneling match the kitchen finishes.
Mehrl also repeated the kitchen backsplash tile in the pantry and added walnut shelves for display. “We wanted the pantry space to feel special,” she says.
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“The other side of the pantry is a powerhouse, with lots of shelves for storage,” Mehrl says. “We found a really fun rolling ladder that elevates things. Our contractor, Martin Armenta, did a fantastic job of custom-welding the bar to fit the length of the shelves.” The ladder is retractable and can be stored up against the shelves when not in use.
The firm used Houzz Pro software throughout the project. “We used it for things like invoicing and procurements, and our clients really liked the way they could approve items with it,” Mehrl says. “We also love using the Mood Boards to present the styling. We can give our clients a good idea of how their rooms will be styled and they can approve the items they see on the Mood Boards.”
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The firm used Houzz Pro software throughout the project. “We used it for things like invoicing and procurements, and our clients really liked the way they could approve items with it,” Mehrl says. “We also love using the Mood Boards to present the styling. We can give our clients a good idea of how their rooms will be styled and they can approve the items they see on the Mood Boards.”
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Before Photo
Before: This photo shows the peninsula and partial wall that divided the kitchen from the living room on the right, as well as the small opening to the dining room. The designer removed the peninsula and partial wall to open up the floor plan.
After: With the peninsula wall gone, the kitchen is much more open to this view of the dining room. “Our clients love to entertain, so the new bar provides a spot to pour drinks and serve food,” Mehrl says.
The built-ins have plenty of space for glassware, linens, platters and other items. “The husband loves his special bottles of mezcal and whiskey, so we gave him shelves to display those,” the designer says. The open shelves are walnut and have brass rails. In order to keep the lighting from competing with lighting in the other rooms, Mehrl recommended a brass art light over the shelves and a simple traditional chandelier over the table.
The built-ins have plenty of space for glassware, linens, platters and other items. “The husband loves his special bottles of mezcal and whiskey, so we gave him shelves to display those,” the designer says. The open shelves are walnut and have brass rails. In order to keep the lighting from competing with lighting in the other rooms, Mehrl recommended a brass art light over the shelves and a simple traditional chandelier over the table.
With things opened up, Mehrl created a cohesive feel between the rooms. Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy on the built-ins picks up on the color in the kitchen’s backsplash tile. She also repeated the use of brass cabinet hardware, walnut and reeded glass on the upper cabinets.
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Shop for your kitchen
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A young couple
Location: Austin, Texas
Size: 250 square feet (23 square meters)
Designer: Audrey Mehrl of Audrey Scheck Design
Contractor: Crafted Hills Construction
Before: “The kitchen was very closed off,” Mehrl says. “It had a long peninsula and a very small island with not much space to walk in between them. Also, there wasn’t much storage and there wasn’t a pantry.”
The peninsula on the left divided the kitchen from the living room. Just beyond this photo’s frame to the left was a bar-height countertop that ran along the peninsula, and a partial wall off the end of it further divided the rooms. (There’s a better view of these elements in another “before” photo below.)