Kitchen of the Week: Renovation Fills a Room With Meaning

Photos by Scott Lowden

Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Artistic couple Wendy and Scott Lowden. She’s owner and creative director of branding agency House of Current and he’s a professional photographer.
Location: Atlanta
Size: 108 square feet (10 square meters)
Designer: Urban Purpose Design

Before. This kitchen had creative Atlanta couple Wendy and Scott Lowden banging their heads in frustration — literally, against a low-hanging cabinet that was hazardously placed. (You can see it on the right side of this photo.) “This kitchen felt closed off from the rest of the house and was challenging to work in. Plus it was just dated and didn’t match our personalities at all,” Scott says. “The layout was odd — it had an entirely unused wall and a cabinet at the entrance blocking the flow.”

The room contained a hodgepodge of appliances with different finishes, the upper cabinets were bulky in the compact space, and the hardwoods had been painted in a checkerboard pattern. And the kitchen was cut off not just from the rest of the house, but from the backyard and grill the couple used almost daily.

Inspired by travels and memories. Bringing their personal style and memories into the room was a priority for the couple. They also wanted the full renovation they were undertaking to respect the period architecture of their house, which was built circa 1923, while balancing it with contemporary lines. They worked with interior designer Micaela Quinton of Urban Purpose Design, who helped them implement their ideas.

The couple were inspired by their travels to New York, Paris and Milan, where they saw designs that Scott describes as modern yet rooted in history. “The clean lines of the shelves and hidden refrigerator and dishwasher are our nods to modern. The unlacquered brass and floral wallpaper give off the homey vintage feeling,” he says. They also like delightful little moments that represent them. “We love the unexpected and little surprises,” Scott says.

Layout. The footprint of the kitchen didn’t change, but, with the exception of the window over the sink, everything else did. A new galley layout and a glass door to the back deck make it functional, bright and a place where the couple enjoy spending time. There’s an easy work triangle between the refrigerator, range and sink.

Function. The couple like to cook together and switch off who cooks and who preps. “It’s a tiny space, but we’ve become accustomed to working together in here,” Scott says. They often use the grill outside, and before they put in the new door, they would had to take a circuitous route to reach it. Now the new door leads directly out to the deck. “Even though our new space is small, it feels big because we added the door,” Scott says.

A splurge. Before, a freestanding stainless steel refrigerator dominated the compact space. Now there’s a panel-front refrigerator that blends in with the cabinetry just past the range. “Wendy did not want to see a giant refrigerator in such a small space, so we made the commitment to go with the counter-depth Sub-Zero. It did push us a bit over budget, but it’s made such a huge difference in the space — it was totally worth the investment,” Scott says.

A save. They were able to save their existing floors, which they had stripped of the checkerboard paint job and refinished to blend in with the rest of the house. They were able to salvage some pieces from under the cabinets to replace damaged planks.

Cabinetry. The inset Shaker-style cabinetry anchors the room in a pleasing blue. The panel-front appliances, such as the dishwasher seen here, create a cohesive, uninterrupted look. Brass pulls and knobs add warmth, shine and patina and play a big role in the updated vintage look the couple were after.

Cabinet paint: Ocean Floor, Benjamin Moore; cabinets: Ashworth Cottage Kitchens

Yes to open shelves. The couple realized there were too many cabinets in the previous kitchen, making it feel closed-in. And they had several other good reasons for choosing open shelves.

“We love details — even in everyday items — so we wanted to see the cool dishes and cooking items we use regularly. We have been collecting Astier de Villatte pieces for years, and we hated having to hide them away in a cabinet,” Scott says. “With the galley kitchen layout, we didn’t want it to feel narrow, and the shelves really help it feel surprisingly open.” They also added shelves next to the vent hood for cookbooks and other items.

“We hate clutter and seeing ugly appliances,” Scott says. “So everything you see we chose to have on display. It represents a place we’ve been or a special memory. Even though they are probably meant to be used only on special occasions, we use the Astier de Villatte pieces every day, along with the espresso machine and the copper pot — it’s all special and we use it all.”

Backsplash. Elongated subway tiles (4 inches by 12 inches) add to the vintage-modern look. The tiles reflect light, so tiling the wall from counter to ceiling brightened up the space.

Tile: West Shore, Trinity Tile; dishwasher: 800 Series, Bosch

Sink. The sink stayed in the same spot, centered beneath the window. A classic Shaws Original fireclay apron-front sink and a bridge faucet have vintage style that suits the home’s age.

Faucet: Fairfield in unlacquered brass, Newport Brass; see more farmhouse-style kitchen faucets

Counters. Trips to Italy, in particular to Pietrasanta, inspired the choice of Carrara marble. The couple are well aware of the potential for chipping, scratching and staining that comes with this material and embrace it. They see it as part of the patina that will tell the stories of their kitchen over the years.

“Even knowing the limitations of the material, we love it anyway,” Scott says. “In Pietrasanta we were inspired by the Carrara marble everywhere. Seeing it in the mountains where they quarry it while driving into town is inspiring. It felt like we had a personal connection to that material, and we love the way it ages.”

Small appliances. Down on the right you can see the espresso machine. “We make cortados or Americanos most mornings,” Scott says. They keep the espresso-making supplies in the cabinet above the machine. There’s a standard microwave in a cabinet below; the cabinet doors that conceal it help reduce the visual clutter and keep a streamlined look that makes the space feel bigger.

Range. The 30-inch range is by Bertazzoni. A simple walnut detail ties the custom vent hood to the shelving. And the simple rectangular shape of the hood keeps things unfussy and modern.

New main pantry. Scott and Wendy used the back wall for a tall, wide and shallow pantry with a sliding door. “The shallow pantry has been such a great way to make cooking much more efficient. No more digging to the back of a deep cabinet to find thyme,” Scott says.

You can see in this photo that they keep their mixer tucked in a small recess to the left of the pantry. A stairwell behind this area provided room for the nook.

In addition to functionality, the new pantry is a design asset. Wendy came up with the idea of covering the sliding door with a magnetic chalkboard. “It’s a great way to post the recipe we are making and to leave notes for each other. It’s also become a place for guests to leave us notes for us to see after parties,” Scott says.

The door keeps one side of the pantry revealed at all times, usually the right side, which is filled with glassware and contains a small TV.

Another unexpected detail. “We wanted to leave some clues to the age of the house, so we backed the pantry with wallpaper from House of Hackney out of London. This is totally Wendy — she loves, loves, loves patterns and prints. Not having wallpaper wasn’t an option!” Scott says. “The added bonus is it’s her favorite flower — peonies.” The push-button light switch also nods to the home’s era and picks up on the brass hardware and faucet in the kitchen. Like the kitchen’s open shelves, the pantry shelves are walnut.

The coordinating walnut shelves make the half-open pantry visually pleasing as well.

“The design was very important in making a nearly unusable kitchen into a beautiful space we wanted to spend time in,” Scott says. “Adding a door from the kitchen to the deck was a huge change — it makes it simple to get to the grill as well as helping us to feel less trapped in our galley layout. It’s now the best space in the house.”

Takeaways

• The biggest takeaway from this story is to use what you love. Scott and Wendy made personal choices for their kitchen.
• Sometimes a galley can look and feel larger than a U-shaped kitchen.
• A glass door is a great way to let light into the kitchen. Opening up to outdoor views makes the space feel larger.
• Create a dedicated station for your morning brews. It will make it easy to get yourself caffeinated when you’re bleary-eyed.
• Panel-front appliances will give a kitchen a cohesive look. And a counter-depth fridge is a good choice for a small space.
• A magnetic chalkboard in the kitchen is as fun for adults as it is for kids.
• Wallpaper in the pantry — why not?

Contractor: Brindley Brothers

More: See other Kitchens of the Week