The kitchen was opened up into what is now the dining room for maximum space. Where their dining table used to be the clients opted for a large square island. They accented the medium dark maple cabinets with a black island, vent hood and molding. The kitchen has beautiful decorative backsplash and updated recessed lighting in the vaulted ceiling.

Custom Cream Colored Paint on Solid Maple Cabinets, Full Custom Kitchen in Weston, FL. Copper hood and copper handles and accents. Photo by: Matthew Horton

Beginning this full home remodel in the kitchen, we added a cozy banquette, built-in custom cabinets, and a PentalQuartz Super White countertop for a contemporary vibe. The kitchen’s central feature is an inset bar in rich macassar ebony and Flavor Paper’s Monaco gold foil wallpaper that was formerly a fireplace.

The client requested a kitchen that would not only provide a great space to cook and enjoy family meals but one that would fit in with her unique design sense. An avid collector of contemporary art, she wanted something unexpected in her 100-year-old home in both color and finishes but still providing a great layout with improved lighting, storage, and superior cooking abilities. The existing kitchen was in a closed off space trapped between the family room and the living. If you were in the kitchen, you were isolated from the rest of the house. Making the kitchen an integrated part of the home was a paramount request. Step one, remove the wall separating the kitchen from the other rooms in the home which allowed the new kitchen to become an integrated space instead of an isolation room for the cook. Next, we relocated the pantry access which was in the family room to the kitchen integrating a poorly used recess which had become a catch all area which did not provide any usable space for storage or working area. To add valuable function in the kitchen we began by capturing unused "cubbies", adding a walk-in pantry from the kitchen, increasing the storage lost to un-needed drop ceilings and bring light and design to the space with a new large awning window, improved lighting, and combining interesting finishes and colors to reflect the artistic attitude of the client. A bathroom located above the kitchen had been leaking into the plaster ceiling for several years. That along with knob and tube wiring, rotted beams and a brick wall from the back of the fireplace in the adjacent living room all needed to be brought to code. The walls, ceiling and floors in this 100+ year old home were completely out of level and the room’s foot print could not be increased. The choice of a Sub-Zero wolf product is a standard in my kitchen designs. The quality of the product, its manufacturing and commitment to food preservation is the reason I specify Sub Zero Wolf. For the cook top, the integrated line of the contemporary cooktop and the signature red knobs against the navy blue of the cabinets added to the design vibe of the kitchen. The cooking performance and the large continuous grate on the cooktop makes it an obvious choice for a cook looking for a great cook top with professional results in a more streamlined profile. We selected a Sharp microwave drawer for the island, an XO wine refrigerator, Bosch dishwasher and Kitchen Aid double convection wall ovens to round out the appliance package. A recess created by the fireplace was outfitted with a cabinet which now holds small appliances within easy reach of my very petite client. Natural maple accents were used inside all the wall cabinets and repeated on the front of the hood and for the sliding door appliance cabinet and the floating shelves. This allows a brighter interior for the painted cabinets instead of the traditional same interior as exterior finish choice. The was an amazing transformation from the old to the new. The final touches are the honey bronze hardware from Top Knobs, Mitzi pendants from Hudson Valley Lighting group, a fabulous faucet from Brizo. To eliminate the old freestanding bottled water cooler, we specified a matching water filter faucet.

Kitchen - contemporary l-shaped dark wood floor and brown floor kitchen idea in Kansas City with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, gray backsplash, glass tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

Pendleton SP275 door style in Maple with a Rockport Gray Wash Stain. The original 30 year old cabinets now have new doors with Blum lifetime warranted soft close. After switching a few door pull directions and adding full panels surrounding the Kitchen and Bathrooms the condo now has a fresh new look. Learn more about Showplace: http://www.houzz.com/pro/showplacefinecabinetry/showplace-wood-products Mtn. Kitchens Staff Photo

His and hers walk-in closet designed in a dark gray with linen door inserts and ample lighting running throughout the cabinets. An entire wall is dedicated to shoe storage and the center island is designed with his and her valet and jewelry drawers.

Eat-in kitchen - mid-sized cottage l-shaped light wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen idea in Other with an integrated sink, shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, quartz backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

The homeowners of this wanted to create an informal year-round residence for their active family that reflected their love of the outdoors and time spent in ski and camping lodges. The result is a luxurious, yet understated, comfortable kitchen/dining area that exudes a feeling of warmth and relaxation. The open floor plan offers views throughout the first floor, while large picture windows integrate the outdoors and fill the space with light. A door to the three-season room offers easy access to an outdoor kitchen and living area. The dark wood floors, cabinets with natural wood grain, leathered stone counters, and coffered ceilings offer the ambiance of a 19th century mountain lodge, yet this is combined with painted wainscoting and woodwork to brighten and modernize the space. A blue center island in the kitchen adds a fun splash of color, while a gas fireplace and lit upper cabinets adds a cozy feeling. A separate butler’s pantry contains additional refrigeration, storage, and a wine cooler. Challenges included integrating the perimeter cabinetry into the crown moldings and coffered ceilings, so the lines of millwork are aligned through multiple living spaces. In particular, there is a structural steel column on the corner of the raised island around which oak millwork was wrapped to match the living room columns. Another challenge was concealing second floor plumbing in the beams of the coffered ceiling.

Elegant kitchen photo in New York

Photo by Seth Hannula
Inspiration for a large transitional dark wood floor and brown floor kitchen remodel in Minneapolis with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, an island, gray cabinets, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances and granite countertops

Inspiration for a large transitional u-shaped medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen remodel in Minneapolis with an undermount sink, beaded inset cabinets, dark wood cabinets, quartzite countertops, brown backsplash, mosaic tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

This kitchen had not been renovated since the salt box colonial house was built in the 1960’s. The new owner felt it was time for a complete refresh with some traditional details and adding in the owner’s contemporary tastes. At initial observation, we determined the house had good bones; including high ceilings and abundant natural light from a double-hung window and three skylights overhead recently installed by our client. Mixing the homeowners desires required the skillful eyes of Cathy and Ed from Renovisions. The original kitchen had dark stained, worn cabinets, in-adequate lighting and a non-functional coat closet off the kitchen space. In order to achieve a true transitional look, Renovisions incorporated classic details with subtle, simple and cleaner line touches. For example, the backsplash mix of honed and polished 2” x 3” stone-look subway tile is outlined in brushed stainless steel strips creating an edgy feel, especially at the niche above the range. Removing the existing wall that shared the coat closet opened up the kitchen to allow adding an island for seating and entertaining guests. We chose natural maple, shaker style flat panel cabinetry with longer stainless steel pulls instead of knobs, keeping in line with the clients desire for a sleeker design. This kitchen had to be gutted to accommodate the new layout featuring an island with pull-out trash and recycling and deeper drawers for utensils. Spatial constraints were top of mind and incorporating a convection microwave above the slide-in range made the most sense. Our client was thrilled with the ability to bake, broil and microwave from GE’s advantium oven – how convenient! A custom pull-out cabinet was built for his extensive array of spices and oils. The sink base cabinet provides plenty of area for the large rectangular stainless steel sink, single-lever multi-sprayer faucet and matching filtered water dispenser faucet. The natural, yet sleek green soapstone countertop with distinct white veining created a dynamic visual and principal focal point for the now open space. While oak wood flooring existed in the entire first floor, as an added element of color and interest we installed multi-color slate-look porcelain tiles in the kitchen area. We also installed a fully programmable floor heating system for those chilly New England days. Overall, out client was thrilled with his Mission Transition.

Tying multiple floors together using 6”x36” dark grey wood-looking tile, laid on a staggered patterned worked well with the tile and concrete floors next to it. Two-toned cabinetry of wired brushed hickory with a grey stain wash, combined with maple wood in a dark slate finish is a current trend. Counter tops: combination of splashy granite and white Caesarstone grounded the display. A custom-designed table of ash wood, with heavy distressing and grey washed stain added warmth. Show custom features: Arched glass door cabinets with crown moulding to match. Unique Features: drawer in drawer for pot lids, pull out drawer in toe kick for dog dishes, toe space step stool, swing up mixer shelf, pull out spice storage. Built in Banquette seating with table and docking station for family meals and working. Custom open shelves and wine rack with detailed legs anchor the three sides of the island. Backsplash rail with spice rack, knife and utensil holder add more storage space. A floating soffit matches the shape of island and helps lower the showroom ceiling height to what would be found in a normal home. It includes: pendant lights for the snack bar, chandelier for the table and recess for task lights over the sink. The large triangular shaped island has eleven foot legs. It fills the unusual space and creates three separate areas: a work space, snack bar/room divider and table area.

Davenport Maple is a new door style for 2014 shown here in our Drift Stain. Drift is a translucent stain that pays tribute to the naturalist movement that is so prevalent in today's designs. A chameleon of sorts - Drift has the ability to work well with grays, browns and greens with ease.

Visual Advantage
Eat-in kitchen - mid-sized transitional l-shaped ceramic tile eat-in kitchen idea in Toronto with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, multicolored backsplash, mosaic tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and quartz countertops

Amazing open kitchen with white shaker cabinets and stained center island with matching floating shelves. Bronze and brass lighting and marble subway backsplash.

Example of a transitional laundry room design in Indianapolis

Before renovating, this bright and airy family kitchen was small, cramped and dark. The dining room was being used for spillover storage, and there was hardly room for two cooks in the kitchen. By knocking out the wall separating the two rooms, we created a large kitchen space with plenty of storage, space for cooking and baking, and a gathering table for kids and family friends. The dark navy blue cabinets set apart the area for baking, with a deep, bright counter for cooling racks, a tiled niche for the mixer, and pantries dedicated to baking supplies. The space next to the beverage center was used to create a beautiful eat-in dining area with an over-sized pendant and provided a stunning focal point visible from the front entry. Touches of brass and iron are sprinkled throughout and tie the entire room together. Photography by Stacy Zarin