Kitchen of the Week
Before and Afters
Kitchen of the Week: Warm and Welcoming in Beige and Blue
A designer found on Houzz helps a couple create a bright and functional space with a fresh look and improved storage
This couple lived in their upscale Carlsbad, California, tract home for nearly 25 years wondering what to do about their aging kitchen. They just couldn’t decide on the style and layout changes they should make to create the warm and welcoming look and feel they wanted. Eventually, they went on Houzz in search of a local professional designer who could help them make the right choices. Impressed with the projects and reviews on Lori Ramsay’s Houzz profile, the couple hired her and got to work.
Ramsay brightened and softened the space with warm creamy beige perimeter cabinets that increased storage and organization. A large navy blue island adds storage, style, work surface and seating for three people on three sides, which allows for face-to-face conversation. Incorporating a small butler’s pantry helped streamline the cabinetry layout. Ditching a dining table loosened up the space, while relocating a built-in desk let Ramsay add French doors that improve connection with the yard.
Ramsay brightened and softened the space with warm creamy beige perimeter cabinets that increased storage and organization. A large navy blue island adds storage, style, work surface and seating for three people on three sides, which allows for face-to-face conversation. Incorporating a small butler’s pantry helped streamline the cabinetry layout. Ditching a dining table loosened up the space, while relocating a built-in desk let Ramsay add French doors that improve connection with the yard.
Before Photo
After: Ramsay stripped the kitchen back and incorporated the space from the butler’s pantry, straightening out that corner and streamlining the cabinet layout. She also replaced the former walk-in pantry with pantry cabinets to the left of the fridge, turning that wall into a hardworking storage bank. “This allowed us to have one fluid line of cabinetry,” Ramsay says. “It gave us clean lines, something I always strive for.”
Removing the dining table gave her room to create a 5-by-8-foot island with seating on three sides, making up for the lost dining seating and allowing guests to face each other. “By having the big island, she has all these great drawers and the seating,” Ramsay says.
Navy blue paint on the island base (Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore) anchors the room in deep color. The counter stools are upholstered in complementary blue-and-white chambray performance fabric. “They are actually using that as their daily dining table, and [the stools] needed to be comfortable to sit in,” Ramsay says.
The perimeter cabinets are paint-grade maple with beaded inset Shaker-style fronts in a creamy warm beige (Dumpling by Sherwin-Williams). Wood-look luxury vinyl flooring adds more warmth. “The homeowners are warm and welcoming and that is what they wanted their home to reflect,” Ramsay says.
Substantial crown molding near the 10-foot ceiling cleverly conceals the HVAC system. “I really wanted the kitchen to be visually calming,” Ramsay says.
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Removing the dining table gave her room to create a 5-by-8-foot island with seating on three sides, making up for the lost dining seating and allowing guests to face each other. “By having the big island, she has all these great drawers and the seating,” Ramsay says.
Navy blue paint on the island base (Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore) anchors the room in deep color. The counter stools are upholstered in complementary blue-and-white chambray performance fabric. “They are actually using that as their daily dining table, and [the stools] needed to be comfortable to sit in,” Ramsay says.
The perimeter cabinets are paint-grade maple with beaded inset Shaker-style fronts in a creamy warm beige (Dumpling by Sherwin-Williams). Wood-look luxury vinyl flooring adds more warmth. “The homeowners are warm and welcoming and that is what they wanted their home to reflect,” Ramsay says.
Substantial crown molding near the 10-foot ceiling cleverly conceals the HVAC system. “I really wanted the kitchen to be visually calming,” Ramsay says.
Find kitchen remodelers near you
The base of the island legs have gold caps that add “a little bit of elegance and protection for the legs,” Ramsay says. The caps coordinate with cabinet pulls in a champagne finish and two 18-inch ring chandeliers in antique burnished brass. Ramsay also re-positioned LED ceiling lights and added new ones, all on dimmers.
Chandeliers: Connery in antique burnished brass, 18 inches, Visual Comfort
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Chandeliers: Connery in antique burnished brass, 18 inches, Visual Comfort
Shop for your kitchen
A pro-style gas rangetop with raised pedestal burners leaves space below for soft-close drawers that offer easy access to pots and pans. Wood trim on the range hood adds a touch of warmth at eye level.
The backsplash is Perle Blanc limestone tile with a kaleidoscopic pattern. Taj Mahal quartzite countertops throughout the kitchen have creamy white tones with subtle gold and beige veining that complement the cabinet color.
Backsplash: Solstice tile in Perle Blanc limestone, Artisan Stone Tile, StoneImpressions
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The backsplash is Perle Blanc limestone tile with a kaleidoscopic pattern. Taj Mahal quartzite countertops throughout the kitchen have creamy white tones with subtle gold and beige veining that complement the cabinet color.
Backsplash: Solstice tile in Perle Blanc limestone, Artisan Stone Tile, StoneImpressions
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A blind corner in the lower cabinets to the right of the rangetop has a pullout shelving system that gives easy access to items like baking dishes.
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See the Top Trends in Kitchen Cabinets, Countertops and More
A large countertop cabinet above the corner cabinet pullout holds a breakfast and coffee center. A pullout shelf at the bottom of the cabinet brings out small appliances. “Creating ease in the kitchen is key,” Ramsay says.
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A new countertop china cabinet to the right of the sink has hammered glass doors and a dark wood interior. “We selected the dark wood to provide rich contrast with the cabinetry and to coordinate with the wood trim on the hood and wood-look floor,” Ramsay says. “The china cabinet allows for ready access to the dishes, glasses and flatware for daily dining at the island.” A blue metal sconce complements the island color.
Window shade and valance: The Shade Store
Window shade and valance: The Shade Store
Before Photo
Before: This view of the former kitchen shows the refrigerator wall with the small walk-in pantry on the left and angled butler’s pantry in the right corner. “The doorway was tight and the butler’s pantry was forced in there,” Ramsay says.
A stainless steel refrigerator stood between the microwave and double ovens, surrounded by cabinetry. “It was inefficient storage and everything felt disconnected,” Ramsay says. “It looked busy.”
A stainless steel refrigerator stood between the microwave and double ovens, surrounded by cabinetry. “It was inefficient storage and everything felt disconnected,” Ramsay says. “It looked busy.”
After: Ramsay replaced the walk-in pantry with cabinets and integrated the butler’s pantry into the new design.
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New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
One pantry cabinet holds small appliances and larger bakeware. The other stores dry goods and a microwave. Next to that, a new 42-inch paneled refrigerator blends seamlessly into the cabinets. A 30-inch stainless steel double electric wall oven with convection sits to the right.
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15 Smart Ideas From Beautifully Organized Pantries
Before Photo
Before: Here’s another look at the former kitchen, showing the dining table and built-in desk area. A single glass door to the right of the desk was the only connection to the expansive yard.
After: Ramsay removed the desk and added glass-paneled French doors. “We were able to improve the relationship with the yard, give them indoor-outdoor living and also more light,” Ramsay says. A new desk now sits in the former location of the single door.
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10 Dos and Don’ts of Designing a Kitchen Island
The relocated built-in desk has a window and floating wood shelves for decorative items. It also includes a file cabinet and a pet bowl for the couple’s beloved Australian shepherd, Ford. “It separated her workspace with desk from the kitchen,” Ramsay says.
Ramsay also helped the couple renovate other spaces in the home. “It’s an elevated design for doing their daily business as well as for entertaining,” she says.
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Ramsay also helped the couple renovate other spaces in the home. “It’s an elevated design for doing their daily business as well as for entertaining,” she says.
More on Houzz
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Browse kitchen photos
Hire a kitchen remodeler
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Carlsbad, California
Size: 340 square feet (32 square meters); 17 by 20 feet
Designer: Lori Ramsay Design
Before: The couple had grown tired of many of the elements in their kitchen. These included brown granite countertops and backsplash, brown slate tile flooring and aging green cabinets with limited storage capacity. When the homeowners attempted to donate some of the items after demolition, they were told the materials were too old.
While the location of the sink on the right and the rangetop on the back wall worked fine, Ramsay wanted to reorganize the refrigerator wall on the left, which included an angled doorway into a small butler’s pantry to the left of the range and an awkward walk-in pantry to the left of the fridge.