Our energetic client came to us with a design challenge – take a broken-up layout, make it flow, and add a French flair. And, it was imperative that we maximize storage and make the whole space kid and dog friendly. This interior design project was a true collaboration. When we began, the kitchen and the dining room were completely separate spaces. Our down2earth interior design team proposed layouts that ranged from modest interventions (retaining the wall that divided the dining room and kitchen), to moderate interventions that left a partial wall in place, to major realignments that opened the space wide up. By creating design drawings for these different levels of intervention, the homeowners were able to view the pros and cons and price the different options. Happily, after having engineers verify that it was doable, they chose a wide open layout, which allows these party people to have a fabulous entertaining space. Once the layouts for the kitchen and dining room were established, it was time to collaborate with the builder on lighting placement and with the woodworker to get all the little details right, such as dog dishes in the blue island and specialized storage at the perimeter. The wood fumehood was part of the homeowners’ original vision and is the focal point of the back wall. The brass and glass shelves over the bar cabinets were sourced by the homeowners as well, and we worked within the company’s offerings to get the proportions just right. A brass bar was added to the toe-kick area of the custom designed breakfast nook to match the brass bar shelf brackets and support little feet. Lighting, furniture, upholstered bench cushions, and drapery all soften the space and provide that desired French flair. Counter tops are super white leather granite.