Reimagined Kitchen in White, Wood and Blue Opens Up the Home
A retired couple’s remodel adds a bold island and an open great room for family time
A move to be closer to family gave this retired couple the perfect reason to rethink how their new Alameda, California, home could live and flow. Downsizing from their previous house in Oregon, they wanted to make every inch count, especially in the kitchen, which felt dated, closed off and disconnected from the dining and living areas.
They hired designer William Adams and came armed with inspiration photos from Houzz to guide the transformation. By removing a wall and the existing eating nook, Adams, who uses Houzz Pro software, expanded the footprint by 120 square feet, creating an airy great room anchored by a striking blue island with a waterfall quartz top. He then layered cabinetry in white laminate and rift-cut white oak and added a geometric marble mosaic backsplash with a subtle midcentury modern vibe. Engineered wood flooring, high-performance appliances and better views of San Francisco Bay complete a kitchen designed for everyday living and easy family gatherings.
They hired designer William Adams and came armed with inspiration photos from Houzz to guide the transformation. By removing a wall and the existing eating nook, Adams, who uses Houzz Pro software, expanded the footprint by 120 square feet, creating an airy great room anchored by a striking blue island with a waterfall quartz top. He then layered cabinetry in white laminate and rift-cut white oak and added a geometric marble mosaic backsplash with a subtle midcentury modern vibe. Engineered wood flooring, high-performance appliances and better views of San Francisco Bay complete a kitchen designed for everyday living and easy family gatherings.
After: Adams stripped the kitchen back to the bones, updating the electrical and plumbing and removing the former eating area, fireplace and separating wall. The changes opened the kitchen to the dining and living areas and expanded it from 165 to 285 square feet. (See before-and-after floor plans below.) “We had to remove a load-bearing wall, so there was some structural engineering for this project,” Adams says. “We had to reconfigure the front entry as well to get the L shape for the kitchen.”
The new layout centers on a spacious island with blue slab-front laminate cabinetry and a marble-look quartz waterfall top. Perimeter cabinets combine white slab-front laminate with rift-cut white oak in a natural, zero-sheen lacquer. “Being such an open floor plan, what was nice about having the three finishes was creating that furniture feel for the kitchen,” Adams says.
Hardware adds another layer of detail, with 6-inch brushed nickel drawer pulls paired with 12-inch white cabinet pulls and 18-inch appliance pulls. “The white pulls were intentional because we wanted them to disappear on the white fronts,” Adams says. “The nickel was a nice finish to put on against the dark blue backdrop and the rift-cut white oak.”
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The new layout centers on a spacious island with blue slab-front laminate cabinetry and a marble-look quartz waterfall top. Perimeter cabinets combine white slab-front laminate with rift-cut white oak in a natural, zero-sheen lacquer. “Being such an open floor plan, what was nice about having the three finishes was creating that furniture feel for the kitchen,” Adams says.
Hardware adds another layer of detail, with 6-inch brushed nickel drawer pulls paired with 12-inch white cabinet pulls and 18-inch appliance pulls. “The white pulls were intentional because we wanted them to disappear on the white fronts,” Adams says. “The nickel was a nice finish to put on against the dark blue backdrop and the rift-cut white oak.”
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Two pendant lights with blue microfiber banded shades complement the island and cast soft, linear shadows. The kitchen also includes added LED ceiling lights on dimmers for general illumination.
The engineered white oak floor with a brushed texture and super matte finish mixes golden hues with subtle shades of gray. New corner windows have custom solar shades. “When they entertain, that has become their drinks area,” Adams says. “Their wine refrigerator and teakettle are right there.”
On the back wall, a 36-inch professional gas cooktop with five burners sits beneath a modern wood hood. “It’s offset from the sink so it’s not dead center from the sink in the island,” Adams says. “Moving it over to this zone also made it more of a focal point in the room. Cladding the hood in the rift-cut white oak added some warmth to that wall.”
To the right, a white laminate paneled refrigerator blends seamlessly with the cabinetry. Next to it, a 30-inch smart five-in-one wall oven and a 30-inch dual convection smart oven give the couple flexibility for baking and hosting family dinners.
Pendant lights: Wilson, Arteriors; paint colors: Paper White in eggshell (walls) and Decorator’s White in semigloss (trim), Benjamin Moore
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The engineered white oak floor with a brushed texture and super matte finish mixes golden hues with subtle shades of gray. New corner windows have custom solar shades. “When they entertain, that has become their drinks area,” Adams says. “Their wine refrigerator and teakettle are right there.”
On the back wall, a 36-inch professional gas cooktop with five burners sits beneath a modern wood hood. “It’s offset from the sink so it’s not dead center from the sink in the island,” Adams says. “Moving it over to this zone also made it more of a focal point in the room. Cladding the hood in the rift-cut white oak added some warmth to that wall.”
To the right, a white laminate paneled refrigerator blends seamlessly with the cabinetry. Next to it, a 30-inch smart five-in-one wall oven and a 30-inch dual convection smart oven give the couple flexibility for baking and hosting family dinners.
Pendant lights: Wilson, Arteriors; paint colors: Paper White in eggshell (walls) and Decorator’s White in semigloss (trim), Benjamin Moore
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Instead of being tucked in the corner, the upgraded 33-inch stainless steel workstation sink — complete with a bamboo cutting board and accessories — now sits in the island, paired with a pull-down Arctic stainless steel faucet with a swivel spout. “They now have views of the bay and the dining room and living room from the sink instead of having their back to them,” Adams says.
The island’s waterfall top features Calacatta marble-look quartz with a white background and dynamic light gray veining, while the perimeter counters use marble-look quartz with softer gray veining for subtle contrast. Honed geometric marble mosaic tiles with light gray grout form the backsplash. “We didn’t want to go with a basic solid-color ceramic tile,” Adams says. “Having some texture in the backsplash with that stone tied it back into the countertop material.”
A floating rift-cut white oak shelf to the right of the hood includes LED strips underneath, casting a warm glow and brightening the task area below.
Backsplash: Casablanca Carrara diamond mosaic marble tile, Riad Tile; sink: Prolific workstation, 33 inches, Kohler; faucet: Trinsic in Arctic stainless, Delta Faucet
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The island’s waterfall top features Calacatta marble-look quartz with a white background and dynamic light gray veining, while the perimeter counters use marble-look quartz with softer gray veining for subtle contrast. Honed geometric marble mosaic tiles with light gray grout form the backsplash. “We didn’t want to go with a basic solid-color ceramic tile,” Adams says. “Having some texture in the backsplash with that stone tied it back into the countertop material.”
A floating rift-cut white oak shelf to the right of the hood includes LED strips underneath, casting a warm glow and brightening the task area below.
Backsplash: Casablanca Carrara diamond mosaic marble tile, Riad Tile; sink: Prolific workstation, 33 inches, Kohler; faucet: Trinsic in Arctic stainless, Delta Faucet
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The interior side of the island is packed with function, including drawers, a pullout for trash and recycling, a sink cabinet and a paneled dishwasher.
On the wall near the end of the island, a pair of shallow laminate upper cabinets with aluminum-framed etched glass doors hold glassware. “They wanted a place for all their glassware and formal wine ware and we went with etched glass to give them some visibility but not be totally visible,” Adams says. “The etched glass also gave us some lightness instead of going with a solid door.”
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On the wall near the end of the island, a pair of shallow laminate upper cabinets with aluminum-framed etched glass doors hold glassware. “They wanted a place for all their glassware and formal wine ware and we went with etched glass to give them some visibility but not be totally visible,” Adams says. “The etched glass also gave us some lightness instead of going with a solid door.”
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To the left of the etched glass upper cabinets is an appliance garage with a rollup door, slide-out tray and built-in outlet that keeps the coffee maker and beverage supplies off the perimeter counters. “The rollup door is also there so when they have people over they can close the door and hide the mess,” Adams says. Large drawers beneath the garage provide pantry storage for bulkier dry goods, while upper cabinets feature vertical dividers for cookie sheets and pans.
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A new sliding glass door creates an effortless connection to the patio while maximizing the water views. “Before, it was a smaller glass door,” Adams says. “The doorway is now larger and it opens to the left and to the right. They have a better pass-through to the grill outside and can enjoy the exterior view.”
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Here’s a peek at the water views the couple now enjoy from their kitchen. “From a visual standpoint, they didn’t think they were capturing the view of the bay before,” Adams says. “Now they have the large glass doors that bring that water view inside. What’s so great about this kitchen is how the light from the bay reflects into it.”
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Before: This photo was taken from the former closed-off dining room, which was open to the living room. The doorway frames a view of the kitchen’s fireplace. The large window let in natural light and offered a view but didn’t provide backyard access. “We converted that window into a glass door,” Adams says. “We replaced all the windows and doors in the house.”
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After: Removing the wall opened the kitchen, dining room and living room, creating effortless flow. “Part of it was to get more daylight into this space,” Adams says. “All the spaces felt dark before. They’re also avid art lovers and have quite a bit of art in their living room. Now they can actually see it from the kitchen.”
Before: The kitchen, complete with eating area and fireplace (upper right), was separated from the dining and living rooms (bottom right) by a wall with a doorway.
After: By removing the wall and adding the island, Adams gave the couple a more efficient layout, creating a modern hub for daily living that balances style, practicality and family life — all while capturing views of the bay.
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A retired couple
Location: Alameda, California
Size: 285 square feet (26 square meters)
Designer: William Adams Design
Before: The former 165-square-foot kitchen felt dated and inefficient with aging gray cabinets, mismatched white and black appliances, wood-look vinyl flooring and no island. A corner sink beneath two front-yard-facing windows anchored the layout. “I just felt like that corner sink was dated,” Adams says. “It also took up so much space by the way it was positioned.”
Without an island, storage and prep space were limited and the center of the room felt like wasted territory. An eating area with a large fireplace sat just off the kitchen. “Having that giant fireplace inside the kitchen made no sense at all,” Adams says.
White ceramic tile with dark grout wrapped the countertops and backsplash, creating a dingy look and maintenance the couple didn’t want. Lighting was also a problem: A single ceiling fixture plus a couple of fluorescent task lights left the space poorly illuminated. “The lack of light was not conducive for working in the kitchen or doing everyday tasks,” Adams says. “They enjoy cooking and entertaining and there wasn’t enough space in that footprint to contain what they needed. The cleanliness with those countertops was also an issue.”