Kitchen Makeovers
Kitchen Design
Kitchen of the Week: Party-Friendly Layout With an Upbeat Look
A designer found on Houzz creates a warm and playful contemporary style in an open-plan space fit for hosting guests
For many homeowners, the ideal situation for entertaining allows the host to feel connected to guests whether they’re mingling near the kitchen, hanging out in a dining area or venturing outside for a breath of fresh air. So for this couple who love to entertain, their 1960s midcentury layout with a warren of rooms and hallways wasn’t exactly drawing a crowd.
After two years of dealing with the circuitous routes, the couple turned to Houzz, where they found designer Ellen Weiss. Weiss took down walls to combine the former separate kitchen, breakfast area and dining room into one open space that enjoys a breezy flow and a deep connection to a backyard patio. This also allowed her to greatly expand the size of the kitchen to add an island and increase storage with more cabinets. And a two-tone palette that pairs wood-look and light blue-green cabinets creates a warm, upbeat style fit for lively gatherings.
After two years of dealing with the circuitous routes, the couple turned to Houzz, where they found designer Ellen Weiss. Weiss took down walls to combine the former separate kitchen, breakfast area and dining room into one open space that enjoys a breezy flow and a deep connection to a backyard patio. This also allowed her to greatly expand the size of the kitchen to add an island and increase storage with more cabinets. And a two-tone palette that pairs wood-look and light blue-green cabinets creates a warm, upbeat style fit for lively gatherings.
After: Weiss eliminated the dated components and took down walls to create one open space made possible by a structural beam in the ceiling. This photo was taken from about the same angle as the previous shot. (Notice the garden window in the same spot.)
The new floor plan let Weiss expand the kitchen, creating an L-shaped layout with a central island, improved storage and better flow between the kitchen, dining area and backyard patio to the left.
“They really wanted this open space where they could entertain and have easy flow between the kitchen and dining room,” Weiss says. “It also accentuated the light coming in from the sliding doors and created a good circulation pattern for the whole thing.”
The two-tone cabinets — a mix of wood-look laminate and aqua-colored satin paint — create an energetic, contemporary style. “We wanted to add some interest and that pop of color, rather than a straight wood tone,” Weiss says. “We also wanted to define some of the spaces.”
New stainless steel appliances add modern function.
Cabinets: Modena Grano horizontal laminate door and Matisse door in Fjord paint, Bellmont Cabinet; wall, ceiling and trim paint: White Heron, Benjamin Moore
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The new floor plan let Weiss expand the kitchen, creating an L-shaped layout with a central island, improved storage and better flow between the kitchen, dining area and backyard patio to the left.
“They really wanted this open space where they could entertain and have easy flow between the kitchen and dining room,” Weiss says. “It also accentuated the light coming in from the sliding doors and created a good circulation pattern for the whole thing.”
The two-tone cabinets — a mix of wood-look laminate and aqua-colored satin paint — create an energetic, contemporary style. “We wanted to add some interest and that pop of color, rather than a straight wood tone,” Weiss says. “We also wanted to define some of the spaces.”
New stainless steel appliances add modern function.
Cabinets: Modena Grano horizontal laminate door and Matisse door in Fjord paint, Bellmont Cabinet; wall, ceiling and trim paint: White Heron, Benjamin Moore
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Floating wood shelves in the same aqua color as the adjoining cabinetry sit where part of the peninsula with upper cabinets was. “We wanted to create a little bit of openness around the window instead of having a cabinet go up to the edge of it,” Weiss says. “This gives some airiness and an opportunity to display cookbooks and other items.”
Before: This angle shows how the short peninsula and bank of upper cabinets cut the kitchen off from the breakfast area. The updated kitchen’s wall ovens are now near the sliding glass doors, and the island is about where the former wall ovens were.
Looking the other way, the former kitchen’s basic wood cabinets and aging white appliances gave the space a lackluster look and feel. “The white against that very orange-y wood is a horrible contrast,” Weiss says. “The excessive white appliances in general was also not very attractive, plus the refrigerator was sticking out from the cabinetry.”
After: A new cooktop sits in the same location as the former appliance. A custom steel vent hood and aqua pantry cabinet in place of the former fridge offer a clean, contemporary look. “I really wanted that warm earthy brown tone, so that took some work with the company that designed it,” Weiss says of the hood. “I wanted it to pull out the warmth of the oil-rubbed bronze in the knobs and pulls. I love how it came out, with the fjord blue and the brown tones of the walnut in there. The contemporary silhouette with that hood was about their love for contemporary design.”
The pantry includes rollout shelves and a hidden coffee station. An integrated cubby wine rack sits to the right. Wide drawers under the new 36-inch cooktop store pots, pans and lids.
A pair of blue-gray pendant lights over the island complement the aqua cabinet color. The kitchen also has recessed LED ceiling lights and a walnut-and-white surface-mount light over the sink.
Custom steel vent hood: Ballard Sheet Metal Works; cabinet hardware: Mushroom knob and Trail pull, Emtek
Pros Share the 8 Biggest Kitchen Remodeling Mistakes
The pantry includes rollout shelves and a hidden coffee station. An integrated cubby wine rack sits to the right. Wide drawers under the new 36-inch cooktop store pots, pans and lids.
A pair of blue-gray pendant lights over the island complement the aqua cabinet color. The kitchen also has recessed LED ceiling lights and a walnut-and-white surface-mount light over the sink.
Custom steel vent hood: Ballard Sheet Metal Works; cabinet hardware: Mushroom knob and Trail pull, Emtek
Pros Share the 8 Biggest Kitchen Remodeling Mistakes
The backsplash features 6-by-6-inch snow white porcelain tiles with a textured and patterned surface, matte finish and snow white grout. “We wanted to keep it simple color-wise but have a surprise element there with the texture,” Weiss says. “I think there’s like five different textures with that tile, randomly placed. That gives the tiles more depth and interest.”
The countertops are warm white quartz with light brown veining.
Backsplash tiles: Sacramento Decor in Snow, 6 by 6 inches, TileBar
The countertops are warm white quartz with light brown veining.
Backsplash tiles: Sacramento Decor in Snow, 6 by 6 inches, TileBar
A single-zone beverage cooler and single-zone wine cooler sit on the interior side of the island across from the sink area. “It’s nice to have them a bit hidden when you look into the kitchen, but you have access to the beverages right there,” Weiss says. “It also fit into the idea of the island as an entertainment center.”
Weiss and the owners discovered original oak beneath the former vinyl flooring and refinished it.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
Weiss and the owners discovered original oak beneath the former vinyl flooring and refinished it.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
White-and-wood stools offer seating at the island. “It’s certainly more comfortable to sit in a stool with a back,” Weiss says.
Island stools: Aubrey in Trento Eggshell, Rove Concepts
Island stools: Aubrey in Trento Eggshell, Rove Concepts
Before: This floor plan of the former layout shows the tight kitchen (bottom right) and its lack of connection to the dining room (upper left) and breakfast area (upper right).
After: Weiss eliminated walls to expand the kitchen into one open space. “Removing those walls allowed all the natural light and greenery to come in and light the whole space,” she says.
More on Houzz
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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 couple
Location: Bellevue, Washington
Size: 215 square feet (20 square meters)
Designer: Ellen Weiss Design
Before: This view of the former kitchen shows a narrow hallway that contained pantry storage and the fridge and connected the kitchen to the dining room on the left. “The dining room felt completely shut off from the kitchen,” Weiss says.
The tight U-shaped cabinet layout included a peninsula with upper cabinets to the left of the garden window, separating the kitchen from the breakfast area. (See “before” floor plan below.)
Also at issue was the dated look of the space: basic white walls, worn wood cabinets, vinyl flooring, aging white appliances.