Kitchen of the Week: Raising the Ceiling Lifts the Mood
A North Carolina kitchen for avid entertainers opens up to a new dining room and outdoor space
Flowing Layout
Before: Except for the odd pass-through window between the kitchen and a sitting area, this wall cut off the kitchen from the rest of the first floor. An eat-in area was just past the kitchen’s peninsula in front of the windows.
To the couple’s dismay, the ceilings were only 8 feet high. “The homeowners disliked the low ceilings so much that they considered moving instead of renovating,” Ryder says.
Before: Except for the odd pass-through window between the kitchen and a sitting area, this wall cut off the kitchen from the rest of the first floor. An eat-in area was just past the kitchen’s peninsula in front of the windows.
To the couple’s dismay, the ceilings were only 8 feet high. “The homeowners disliked the low ceilings so much that they considered moving instead of renovating,” Ryder says.
After: Ryder’s first order of business was ripping down the wall. Fortunately, he was able to weave in wood planks that match the original flooring.
And in another bit of luck, unused attic space above the kitchen allowed him to push the ceiling to over 12 feet high and create architectural detail with exposed beams. This quashed any ideas the couple had about moving.
And in another bit of luck, unused attic space above the kitchen allowed him to push the ceiling to over 12 feet high and create architectural detail with exposed beams. This quashed any ideas the couple had about moving.
Fireside Dining
Once the wall was gone, he moved the dining room from behind the range wall to the former sitting area in a prime spot in front of the fireplace. Although the fireplace is original, the mantel is new.
A brass Sputnik chandelier and Eames shell chairs nod to the home’s mid-20th-century vintage. The wood mantel and dining table lend a modern farmhouse touch.
Browse farmhouse-inspired dining tables in the Houzz Shop
Once the wall was gone, he moved the dining room from behind the range wall to the former sitting area in a prime spot in front of the fireplace. Although the fireplace is original, the mantel is new.
A brass Sputnik chandelier and Eames shell chairs nod to the home’s mid-20th-century vintage. The wood mantel and dining table lend a modern farmhouse touch.
Browse farmhouse-inspired dining tables in the Houzz Shop
Stunning Style and Efficient Zones
Before: The oppressive kitchen had inadequate prep space. Compare this photo to the next one to see what a difference the higher ceiling makes.
Before: The oppressive kitchen had inadequate prep space. Compare this photo to the next one to see what a difference the higher ceiling makes.
After: With the kitchen now so visible from the dining room and the living room beyond it, Ryder needed to create a sight worth seeing. He got a sense of the couple’s style by having them share inspiration photos in Houzz ideabooks. “When I work with couples, they usually come to me with about 150 photos,” he says. “Then I tell them to narrow it down to three that work well for both of them.”
They landed on an elegant transitional look that mixes marble tile, wood shelves, white cabinetry and dark accents.
The custom wood range hood and the herringbone-patterned marble tile around it provide a beautiful focal point. Ryder accentuated this wall with wood floating shelves that match the mantel in the dining room.
The renovations transformed the former dining room into a quiet office and a walk-in pantry, accessed through the door on the left. The door can be closed when Ryder’s clients need a quiet space.
New to Houzz? Here’s How to Create and Use Ideabooks
They landed on an elegant transitional look that mixes marble tile, wood shelves, white cabinetry and dark accents.
The custom wood range hood and the herringbone-patterned marble tile around it provide a beautiful focal point. Ryder accentuated this wall with wood floating shelves that match the mantel in the dining room.
The renovations transformed the former dining room into a quiet office and a walk-in pantry, accessed through the door on the left. The door can be closed when Ryder’s clients need a quiet space.
New to Houzz? Here’s How to Create and Use Ideabooks
Rather than creating a typical work triangle, Ryder planned functional zones centered around a 9¼-by-3¾-foot island. The island is close to the range, has its own prep sink and contains deep drawers for pots and pans. The dark color (Tricorn Black by Sherwin-Williams) emphasizes its role as the hub of the room.
The kitchen’s modern farmhouse touches include the wood shelves, the tractor seat-inspired counter stools and the X details on the ends of the island.
Kitchen Evolution: Work Zones Replace the Triangle
The kitchen’s modern farmhouse touches include the wood shelves, the tractor seat-inspired counter stools and the X details on the ends of the island.
Kitchen Evolution: Work Zones Replace the Triangle
Food storage, including the refrigerator and the walk-in pantry, is off one end of the island. Ryder used the wall cavity to recess the full-depth fridge, making it flush with the cabinets. He placed a coffee zone on the left.
Cabinets: Masterworks Custom Cabinets
Find a local cabinet pro
Cabinets: Masterworks Custom Cabinets
Find a local cabinet pro
The area off the other end of the island contains the everyday dish and glassware storage and the washing zone. Ryder designed the tall cabinet with the seeded-glass door and placed it next to the dishwasher.
Concentrating storage in the base cabinetry and along the fridge wall left room for expanses of the marble backsplash tile, which extends to the ceiling.
Concentrating storage in the base cabinetry and along the fridge wall left room for expanses of the marble backsplash tile, which extends to the ceiling.
Brass on the faucets, hardware and light fixtures warms the room. The glass shades on the sconces and pendant lights keep the views of the marble tile clear.
Shop for glass-and-brass sconces
Shop for glass-and-brass sconces
Better Indoor-Outdoor Connection
Before: The existing eat-in area looked over the backyard, but the homeowners weren’t fond of the view of the air-conditioning unit.
Before: The existing eat-in area looked over the backyard, but the homeowners weren’t fond of the view of the air-conditioning unit.
They love to spend time outdoors, playing with their dogs and entertaining, so they wanted easy access to the yard. Two sets of sliding doors open to a new deck.
Ryder replaced the eat-in area with a bar counter, complete with an awning window that flips up to serve the grilling deck. The wine fridge is conveniently located underneath.
The midcentury modern architecture of the house inspired the horizontal lattice fence, which blocks the view of the air-conditioning unit.
The midcentury modern architecture of the house inspired the horizontal lattice fence, which blocks the view of the air-conditioning unit.
The kitchen countertop (Eternal Statuario by Silestone) continues seamlessly beneath the pass-through window to form the outdoor bar. This lets the homeowners easily pass the kebabs and hot dog buns to the grillmeister.
Read about more pass-through window options
Read about more pass-through window options
Before: The patio was a sea of concrete with a haphazard furniture arrangement.
Now pavers and pea gravel delineate the outdoor dining area and fireplace lounge. The design of the fireplace, pictured on the left, was inspired by a photo the homeowners admired on Houzz. String lights create an alluring atmosphere the couple can enjoy after the kids have gone to bed.
Browse more outdoor fireplace photos
Browse more outdoor fireplace photos
Here is a floor plan of the kitchen, dining room and backyard. The new office and walk-in pantry are in the lower left corner.
Takeaways
Takeaways
- When renovating with a partner, find the inspiration photos you both admire and pinpoint what you like about them.
- If low ceilings feel oppressive, explore what’s going on over them to see if you can raise them. Even if you can’t vault them, there may be some precious inches between floors to play with.
- If a kitchen is open to other spaces, make sure the view into it is one you will enjoy.
- There’s no rule that says you must have a work triangle in the kitchen. Think about how you function day to day and plan accordingly.
More on Houzz
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A young couple with one child
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
Size: 300 square feet (28 square meters), including the walk-in pantry
Designer: Richard Ryder of Clearcut Construction
A North Carolina couple expecting their first child wanted a bigger, airier, more functional kitchen suitable for raising a family and hosting gatherings of 30 or more people indoors and out. They found the man who made the project happen, Richard Ryder of Clearcut Construction, on Houzz. The owner of the design-build firm opened up the floor plan, relocated the dining room and gave them more storage and prep space with a large kitchen island. He also improved the family’s access to a redesigned backyard.
Find a local design-build firm on Houzz