Kitchen of the Week: Tailored Style With White and Wood Elements
A designer and a contractor help a couple enlarge and update their kitchen to gain more function, storage and style
These homeowners were happy with the Colonial-style home they built in 2000. But 20 years later, they felt it was time to update the kitchen’s aging appliances, dark granite countertops, imposing wood cabinets and G-shaped layout that wasted too much space. They hired designer Amanda Ortendahl and Maynard Construction to help. She pushed the footprint a couple of feet into the backyard and adjoining dining room and eliminated a peninsula to add 200 square feet to the kitchen. This allowed for a more functional U-shaped layout with an 11-foot walnut island. A tapered walnut range hood, creamy white cabinets, a marble-look slab backsplash and gold finishes give the room sophisticated style.
After: Ortendahl and the Maynard Construction crew took the kitchen down to the wall studs and removed the ceiling soffit. Ortendahl bumped out the kitchen 2 feet into the backyard and extended the layout into the former dining area. The team then created a U-shaped layout with creamy white perimeter cabinets and an 11-foot walnut island in the center. The tapered range hood is also walnut. Blue stools complement the rich walnut and the refinished wood floor, and they coordinate with blue knobs on the new range.
“She wanted the opposite of the wood cabinets she had before to keep things light but bring in the wood tones of the hood, island and floor for some warmth,” Ortendahl says.
A custom off-white color with gray undertones lightens up the kitchen walls. A brighter white was used for the ceiling and trim.
Cabinets and hood: Bristol style in maple with Dove White finish (perimeter) and in walnut with Rattan finish (island and hood), Fieldstone Cabinetry
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“She wanted the opposite of the wood cabinets she had before to keep things light but bring in the wood tones of the hood, island and floor for some warmth,” Ortendahl says.
A custom off-white color with gray undertones lightens up the kitchen walls. A brighter white was used for the ceiling and trim.
Cabinets and hood: Bristol style in maple with Dove White finish (perimeter) and in walnut with Rattan finish (island and hood), Fieldstone Cabinetry
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The elegant walnut hood has a tapered design that gives the space a tailored look. “That’s probably the most expensive piece in the kitchen,” Ortendahl says. “The hood is upscale, with wonderful curves. We liked the softer lines of it, versus a bunch of angles.”
Marble-look quartz forms the countertops and slab backsplash, which runs to the ceiling. “It’s a more clean, modern look wrapping it up the wall,” Ortendahl says. “We wanted to go as seamless as possible.”
Brushed gold pendants over the island coordinate with gold finishes for the cabinet hardware and faucet. (Recessed LED lights in the ceiling were removed by the photographer for these photos.)
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Marble-look quartz forms the countertops and slab backsplash, which runs to the ceiling. “It’s a more clean, modern look wrapping it up the wall,” Ortendahl says. “We wanted to go as seamless as possible.”
Brushed gold pendants over the island coordinate with gold finishes for the cabinet hardware and faucet. (Recessed LED lights in the ceiling were removed by the photographer for these photos.)
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The 48-inch freestanding dual oven gas range from Thermador features six burners and a griddle. “She loves to cook and went with larger appliances for this kitchen,” Ortendahl says.
A pot filler with a gold finish and a knurled handle is mounted above the range. “It was something we talked about since the start of the project,” Ortendahl says. “We were looking for a line that would have a pot filler that coordinated with a sink faucet.”
Deep drawers to the left and right of the range have dividers to organize pots, pans and lids. Tip-up cabinets near the ceiling store seasonal items. “We upgraded all the upper cabinets to tip-up for a clean look with no seams,” Ortendahl says.
Pronounced crown molding adds to the buttoned-up style in the kitchen.
Pronounced crown molding adds to the buttoned-up style in the kitchen.
An operable 72-inch window above the sink brings in fresh air and backyard views. A white undermount single-bowl workstation sink includes a gold pull-down faucet with a knurled handle that coordinates with the pot filler over the range. “Because we were doing the full-height backsplash, she wanted to make sure we were showing some of the veining,” Ortendahl says. “We left a bit of a gap between the cabinets and window frame so you could see the backsplash as one continuous piece with no seams.”
A 24-inch stainless dishwasher to the right of the sink has Wi-Fi features, allowing the owners to control the appliances and receive notifications from an app.
Sink: Riverby, Kohler
A 24-inch stainless dishwasher to the right of the sink has Wi-Fi features, allowing the owners to control the appliances and receive notifications from an app.
Sink: Riverby, Kohler
The island’s drop-in white cast iron bar sink provides a spot for washing vegetables and fine glassware. The bar sink’s pull-down faucet coordinates with the other gold details in the kitchen.
The island holds a new stainless 24-inch drawer-style microwave. The homeowners bought the microwave, stainless-steel refrigerator, range and dishwasher as part of an appliance package that helped them save money.
Two pantry cabinets with pull-outs stand to the left of the refrigerator.
The island holds a new stainless 24-inch drawer-style microwave. The homeowners bought the microwave, stainless-steel refrigerator, range and dishwasher as part of an appliance package that helped them save money.
Two pantry cabinets with pull-outs stand to the left of the refrigerator.
The cabinet to the right of the bar sink opens to reveal a stand mixer on a lift. “She’s a big baker, and this is an appliance she uses a lot,” Ortendahl says. “A lot of people don’t want to use a cabinet for this type of appliance, but she works right there at the island, and it made sense.”
After: Looking at the same space from the opposite angle, you can see how the new island extends into the former dining area. (The homeowners converted an unused home office off the front entry into a new dining room.) There was still space left over to create a beverage station with a wine fridge and regular fridge. A blue bench coordinates with the blue island stools and a large blue plate that was a wedding gift to the homeowners.
“We put a lot into this kitchen but kept it as sleek and clean-lined as possible,” Ortendahl says.
Beverage refrigerator: N’Finity
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“We put a lot into this kitchen but kept it as sleek and clean-lined as possible,” Ortendahl says.
Beverage refrigerator: N’Finity
More on Houzz
How to Remodel Your Kitchen
Get more kitchen design ideas
Find a kitchen designer near you
Shop for kitchen products
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional couple with a teenager
Location: Mansfield, Massachusetts
Size: 355 square feet (33 square meters)
Designer: Amanda Ortendahl of Kitchen & Bath Gallery
Builder: Maynard Construction
Before: The G-shaped cabinet layout in the previous kitchen left a wide expanse of wasted floor space in the center. Plus, the amount of wood cabinetry and flooring overwhelmed the look. A soffit pushed the upper cabinets downward, leaving a limited amount of space for the backsplash tile. And the dark granite countertops gave the kitchen a heavy feel. The table and chairs seen in the foreground were the family’s formal dining area.
“I definitely think the layout before was functional for her, but they wanted to enlarge the kitchen, update the style, and gain the functionality of all the accessory options you can get in cabinetry today,” Ortendahl says.