Kitchen Makeovers
Kitchen of the Week
Before and Afters
Kitchen of the Week: Warm and Welcoming in Creamy White and Wood
A designer cleans up a visually cluttered kitchen with new white oak cabinets and an inviting organic modern style
With three kids between the ages of 11 and 16, this Minnesota couple needed a kitchen that could keep up with their busy family. When they built their transitional-style home in 2005, the open kitchen worked for their needs at the time, but soon the aging space became family-unfriendly. Maple cabinets set at different levels and a series of drop-down ceiling forms and angled walls created a chaotic look.
Wanting a more cohesive kitchen with cleaner lines and a warm, inviting style, the couple turned to designer Melissa Mathieu. Mathieu smoothed out the ceiling and cleaned up many of the angles to create a simpler look. Custom white oak cabinetry adds warmth and boosts storage capacity. A streamlined island with seating adds work surface and makes a statement with marble-look quartz waterfall countertop ends. Creamy pearl-colored ceramic tiles laid in a vertical stack pattern complement the counters and help lighten things up.
Wanting a more cohesive kitchen with cleaner lines and a warm, inviting style, the couple turned to designer Melissa Mathieu. Mathieu smoothed out the ceiling and cleaned up many of the angles to create a simpler look. Custom white oak cabinetry adds warmth and boosts storage capacity. A streamlined island with seating adds work surface and makes a statement with marble-look quartz waterfall countertop ends. Creamy pearl-colored ceramic tiles laid in a vertical stack pattern complement the counters and help lighten things up.
After: Mathieu removed the former materials and cleaned up many of the angles. This photo was taken from a slightly different location than the previous photo was, but you can see the TV on the left and the vaulted ceiling for reference. New custom rift-sawn white oak cabinets wrap the space and are topped with Craftsman-style crown molding for a clean look. On the right is a new double-door pantry that replaced the built-out angled pantry. Rollouts inside it store dry goods. “Aesthetically it looks good because it blends with the rest of the cabinets, and when you open it up everything inside is easily accessible,” Mathieu says.
The new larger island has a white base and a marble-look quartz countertop with waterfall ends, one of which creates a focal point from the family room. “They wanted some movement and texture, but the soft and subtle veining gives it an organic look that goes with the rest of the kitchen,” Mathieu says.
The homeowners kept some of their appliances, including the wall ovens and gas cooktop, but replaced the refrigerator. Wide-plank wood-look luxury vinyl flooring adds warmth. Five metal counter stools upholstered in a caramel-colored faux leather complement the wood cabinets and add another dose of warmth.
Cabinetry hardware: Versa knobs and Monument pulls in matte black, Amerock; flooring: Butter Toast rigid-core luxury vinyl planks, cork back, NuCore, Floor & Decor; wall paint: Egret White, Sherwin-Williams
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The new larger island has a white base and a marble-look quartz countertop with waterfall ends, one of which creates a focal point from the family room. “They wanted some movement and texture, but the soft and subtle veining gives it an organic look that goes with the rest of the kitchen,” Mathieu says.
The homeowners kept some of their appliances, including the wall ovens and gas cooktop, but replaced the refrigerator. Wide-plank wood-look luxury vinyl flooring adds warmth. Five metal counter stools upholstered in a caramel-colored faux leather complement the wood cabinets and add another dose of warmth.
Cabinetry hardware: Versa knobs and Monument pulls in matte black, Amerock; flooring: Butter Toast rigid-core luxury vinyl planks, cork back, NuCore, Floor & Decor; wall paint: Egret White, Sherwin-Williams
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The backsplash consists of pearl-colored, zellige-look polished ceramic tiles with variations in tone. They’re laid in a vertical stack pattern. “Doing it vertically was a way to give it a more modern look,” Mathieu says.
A new 42-inch built-in stainless steel French door refrigerator stands in roughly the same spot as the previous fridge but has a more streamlined look and includes an intelligent cooling system and LED lighting. A slim pullout cabinet to the left of the refrigerator offers storage for brooms and other household items. “It’s a hidden spot with easy access to those items like brooms you use daily,” Mathieu says. “It gives them good functionality.”
Backsplash: Zellige Pearl Opal, Villa, Floor & Decor
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A new 42-inch built-in stainless steel French door refrigerator stands in roughly the same spot as the previous fridge but has a more streamlined look and includes an intelligent cooling system and LED lighting. A slim pullout cabinet to the left of the refrigerator offers storage for brooms and other household items. “It’s a hidden spot with easy access to those items like brooms you use daily,” Mathieu says. “It gives them good functionality.”
Backsplash: Zellige Pearl Opal, Villa, Floor & Decor
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Mathieu moved the sink location from its former corner position to the refrigerator wall. “We were able to give them much more counter space and cabinet storage,” Mathieu says. The double-bowl industrial-grade stainless steel sink pairs with a matte black pull-down faucet with a magnetic docking sprayer. The existing dishwasher sits to the right of the sink. A paneled trash pullout is to the left.
Sink: Kraus; faucet: Antoni in matte black, Delta
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Sink: Kraus; faucet: Antoni in matte black, Delta
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An appliance garage to the left of the wall ovens holds the coffee maker and toaster. “There’s an electrical outlet inside there too,” Mathieu says. “We did the backsplash tile in there as well.”
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The gas cooktop in the new island now includes a quiet 36-inch stainless steel downdraft vent with LED light bar that rises at the touch of a button. “They knew they didn’t want a hood there,” Mathieu says. A pair of bulb-shaped pendant lights with clear glass shades hang above. The kitchen also includes new LED recessed ceiling lights on dimmers.
In the dining area off the kitchen, a new organic-modern chandelier in mango wood and matte black hangs over the existing dining table. “It all flows together now,” Mathieu says.
Chandelier: Maela in matte black and mango wood, Shades of Light
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In the dining area off the kitchen, a new organic-modern chandelier in mango wood and matte black hangs over the existing dining table. “It all flows together now,” Mathieu says.
Chandelier: Maela in matte black and mango wood, Shades of Light
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with three kids
Location: St. Michael, Minnesota
Size: 230 square feet (21 square meters)
Designer: Melissa Mathieu Designs
Before: A litany of drop-down ceiling elements, bulky forms, multiple angles and staggered cabinets and island surfaces created a jarring impression in the former kitchen. The range hood protruded from a drop-down and a pantry sat in a built-out behind the wood door seen on the other side of the island. The island itself proved frustrating. “They did not like the shape of the island and thought it had too much wasted space in the middle, which made it hard to reach items,” Mathieu says.
Maple cabinets and flooring ran together visually and clashed with a dark glass tile mosaic backsplash and black granite countertops. The kitchen opens to a family room on the left — a TV sits in the end of an open kitchen cabinet at left — and a small dining area on the right.