Kitchen of the Week: Organic and Earthy Style in California
Living finishes, soft colors and natural materials make this space warm and inviting
“These homeowners are so much fun and they love to entertain, so it was important that their kitchen reflected their style,” says Jada Gilbert, their interior designer. Their existing Sacramento, California, kitchen was a sea of cabinets and neutral colors, and a hefty vent hood dominated the space. None of it reflected their style. “They wanted it to feel casual, warm and comfortable yet elevated,” the designer says. So she created a more open and welcoming space using a palette of beautiful organic materials along with soft white.
After: The way the room is tucked in a corner creates a work triangle within a literal triangle, with the island on the longest side.
“Placing the island at an angle is unusual, but it made sense here because of the way the kitchen relates to the dining and living rooms,” Gilbert says. She designed a new island that complements all three spaces. With its earthy green V-groove paneling, soapstone counter, handmade brass light fixture and wicker counter stools, it’s beautiful to look at from all angles.
Within the island, the kitchen-facing side contains the dishwasher and trash and recycling pullouts. The side seen in this photo contains extra storage. The wicker counter stools add organic texture. “And I love this light fixture,” Gilbert says. “I wanted to bring in some curves here and on the vent hood because the room has so many sharp angles.”
The counters are soapstone, a living finish that will change over time. “My clients are choosing not to oil the counters to let the soapstone become more ash gray over time,” Gilbert says. “This soapstone also has green veining in it that works very well with the green paint on the island.”
Wall color: Wevet; island color: Treron, both Farrow & Ball
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“Placing the island at an angle is unusual, but it made sense here because of the way the kitchen relates to the dining and living rooms,” Gilbert says. She designed a new island that complements all three spaces. With its earthy green V-groove paneling, soapstone counter, handmade brass light fixture and wicker counter stools, it’s beautiful to look at from all angles.
Within the island, the kitchen-facing side contains the dishwasher and trash and recycling pullouts. The side seen in this photo contains extra storage. The wicker counter stools add organic texture. “And I love this light fixture,” Gilbert says. “I wanted to bring in some curves here and on the vent hood because the room has so many sharp angles.”
The counters are soapstone, a living finish that will change over time. “My clients are choosing not to oil the counters to let the soapstone become more ash gray over time,” Gilbert says. “This soapstone also has green veining in it that works very well with the green paint on the island.”
Wall color: Wevet; island color: Treron, both Farrow & Ball
Browse counter stools in the Houzz Shop
Gilbert introduced another living finish, unlacquered brass, through the light fixture, faucets and cabinet hardware. The brass will patina with age.
“There isn’t a ton of countertop space in here so we wanted to keep it clear of small appliances,” Gilbert says. To that end, she installed two appliance garages. The countertops extend inside them and the doors slide in, out of the way. “They can use that additional countertop space when the appliance garage doors are open,” Gilbert notes. Both appliance garages have electrical outlets inside.
To the right, Gilbert created a small beverage bar under the window. There’s a beverage fridge beneath it.
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“There isn’t a ton of countertop space in here so we wanted to keep it clear of small appliances,” Gilbert says. To that end, she installed two appliance garages. The countertops extend inside them and the doors slide in, out of the way. “They can use that additional countertop space when the appliance garage doors are open,” Gilbert notes. Both appliance garages have electrical outlets inside.
To the right, Gilbert created a small beverage bar under the window. There’s a beverage fridge beneath it.
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The focal point of the space is the beautiful custom range hood that extends to the ceiling. “I worked with the carpenter on this — we drew different shapes on plywood to get it right,” Gilbert says. The finish on the hood is plaster.
The handmade zellige tiles on the backsplash are another organic element in the room. The glaze and variation in color and texture add warmth to the space.
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The handmade zellige tiles on the backsplash are another organic element in the room. The glaze and variation in color and texture add warmth to the space.
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Before, the area around the range had made the room feel closed in, but now it’s a showstopper. The new range hood and surrounding white oak open shelves make the room feel more open and light.
The island storage makes up for the cabinet space lost around the range. And there’s a pantry around the corner, so storing food within the kitchen wasn’t an issue.
The island storage makes up for the cabinet space lost around the range. And there’s a pantry around the corner, so storing food within the kitchen wasn’t an issue.
The homeowners use the shelves to store everyday items worthy of display. “It was another opportunity to add organic touches to the room,” Gilbert says. Many of the pieces are from iconic California company Heath Ceramics.
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Browse kitchen photos
Hire a kitchen remodeler
Shop for kitchen products
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Sacramento, California
Size: 300 square feet (28 square meters)
Designer: Jada Gilbert of Design Shop Interiors
Before: The kitchen is part of an open floor plan that includes the dining and living room areas. The number of cabinets and the large vent hood made it feel closed in. While the layout worked well for the homeowners, they were craving something that felt more open, warm and organic.
Gilbert had previously helped the couple choose furniture for their home. “We already had a great working relationship, and I had a good sense of their style,” she says.
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