Lissa Gotwals

Interior & Exterior Design, Interior Architectural Design by Lindsey Schultz Design Garrett Cook; garrettcookphotography.com
Example of a southwest living room design in Phoenix

A common complaint from by clients is that their old kitchens are too isolated, so you end up with a lonely cook, or too many people in the kitchen visiting when the cooking needs to be done. The solution is simple—knock out some wall and create a living space which is integrated with the adjacent rooms, making the kitchen the center—or “heart”—of the home. This is the finished kitchen, open to the living room, with the renovated fireplace. Photo by Mike Medford.

Eat-in kitchen - large coastal u-shaped medium tone wood floor and red floor eat-in kitchen idea in New York with glass-front cabinets, white cabinets, white walls, an island, quartz countertops, white backsplash and wood backsplash

When Maria Bilotta Distefano and her husband, George Distefano—each owners of their own home design/renovation businesses—purchased their home in North Salem, they knew they would have to make some pretty radical changes, starting with the kitchen. “It was horrific,” Bilotta says. “A bathroom opened up right into the eating area. The space was small, the cooking area crammed. Cabinets were an inexpensive stock—pickled oak—and were falling apart. And the appliances were completely out of date. It was a kitchen-company owner’s worst nightmare.” She should know. Along with siblings Regina Bilotta and Jim Bilotta, Maria owns and runs Bilotta Kitchens, a full-service kitchen and bath company that specializes in cabinetry design. Maria Bilotta's 400-square-foot kitchen boasts a large hearth area with a stainless-steel dual-fuel range surrounded by crackled rectangular tiles, sconces, and an antique glass mirror. Over the range is a handy pot filler, an item frequently recommended by Bilotta for its ease of use. On the far wall next to the hearth stands a 48-inch side-by-side Sub-Zero refrigerator paneled in the same cherry as the cabinets. The generous island is equipped with an undermount Franke stainless-steel sink with a bronze oil-rubbed faucet by Rohl, a built-in ASKO dishwasher, and a double trash pull-out. The dining table’s unique copper top, along with the copper trim on the ledge leading into the family room and along the edge of the pizza oven, are all custom made and finished by George Distefano at his custom-metal shop, Ornametal, based in Newburgh, New York. Bilotta wanted a kitchen that would not only accommodate her family’s lifestyle but embrace the best of the products and designs out there. To achieve this, she asked Mel Elion, a top designer in Bilotta’s Mamaroneck showroom, to work with architect Terry Lennon of Somers and general contractor Fred Boehmer of Boehmer Homes of La Grangeville, New York, to bring her dream kitchen to life. Bilotta looked to her past to hone her vision, recalling boisterous family gatherings where everyone pitched in to make the meal. Thus, Elion included in her design a large banquette area for casual sit-down meals and a wide multi-purpose island with three stools, designed for both food preparation and light dining. In terms of style, Bilotta favors a rustic aesthetic, complete with state-of-the-art appliances and top-of-the-line amenities. And number-one on her wish list: a pizza oven. The Old World “appliance” brings back special memories of pizza-making with her siblings, cousins, and grandfather, an Italian immigrant who brought a love of cooking with him from Arpino. To accommodate Bilotta’s request for a sophisticated country look, Elion recommended cherry cabinets from Bilotta Kitchens’ private cabinet collection, with perimeter cabinets sporting custom inset doors of rustic cherry wood and an island of antique cherry. Green Verde Vecchio granite countertops and a soft moss shade for the walls complement the warm wood. Sixteen-by-sixteen-inch honed limestone tiles used for the floors have decorative metal inserts that match the copper tabletop in the banquette area (hand-made and finished by George Distefano) and other copper accents, such as the pizza oven’s ledge. A magnificent ivory-colored cherry hearth was designed to surround the 48-inch professional Wolf range. Behind the range, framed by the crackled tile backsplash from Waterworks, hangs an antique glass mirror with metal trim from Distefano’s shop, GlasSolutions, a New York-based architectural glass and metal company. Besides providing an interesting focal point, installing a mirror behind the range has a practical purpose, allowing the chef to keep an eye on the often boisterous and energetic activities while cooking.

Photos by Ehlen Creative
Enclosed kitchen - small eclectic l-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor enclosed kitchen idea in Minneapolis with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, soapstone countertops, blue backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, a peninsula, gray countertops and gray cabinets

The kitchen island features a laminated granite edge. The granite is Juperana Delicatus. The overhead island range hood is by Zephyr. The cooktop is Wolf 36" LP Gas. The walls and ceiling are pickled spruce boards.

Grey washed hutch with pickled finish. Mirrored glass cabinet doors. Attached desk area with storage.
Inspiration for a timeless galley kitchen remodel in Wichita with shaker cabinets and white cabinets

A common complaint from by clients is that their old kitchens are too isolated, so you end up with a lonely cook, or too many people in the kitchen visiting when the cooking needs to be done. The solution is simple—knock out some wall and create a living space which is integrated with the adjacent rooms, making the kitchen the center—or “heart”—of the home. This is the finished kitchen, open to the living room, with the renovated fireplace. Photo by Mike Medford.

So this customer has a beautiful gray granite countertop. I mean gorgeous! And lets add that it probably was quite the investment during one of their remodels. Many times, homeowners think they will upgrade the countertops to stone and it will transform the kitchen. Not the case. It typically makes the kitchen look even worse. So what do we do now? Cabinet refacing really got this homeowner out of a pickle! You can't move a granite countertop, it will most likely crack at its weakest point. Cabinet refacing is the only answer, unless you want to throw away a perfectly good and loved granite countertop. This homeowner chose our new color, Barnwood for her refacing project. Why not? it's pretty, trendy and rich. Really adds character to this kitchen design. The black floors made it a sophisticated design and balances the room perfectly. Every room should have 1 black component in it--choosing the floors was genious. You can always brighten up with decor items, like red or orange to add a touches of color. Bold and beautiful! Photographer: David Glasofer

So this customer has a beautiful gray granite countertop. I mean gorgeous! And lets add that it probably was quite the investment during one of their remodels. Many times, homeowners think they will upgrade the countertops to stone and it will transform the kitchen. Not the case. It typically makes the kitchen cabinets look even worse. So what do we do now? Cabinet refacing really got this homeowner out of a pickle! You can't move a granite countertop, it will most likely crack at its weakest point. Cabinet refacing is the only answer, unless you want to throw away a perfectly good and loved granite countertop. This homeowner chose our new color, Barnwood for her refacing project. Why not? it's pretty, trendy and rich. Really adds character to this kitchen design. The black floors made it a sophisticated design and balances the room perfectly. Every room should have 1 black component in it--choosing the floors was genius. You can always brighten up with decor items, like red or orange to add a touches of color. Bold and beautiful! Photographer: David Glasofer

A custom designed pine-board end cabinet is a nook for a wine cooler.
Inspiration for a small country l-shaped dark wood floor enclosed kitchen remodel in Atlanta with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, distressed cabinets, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and an island

From this angle a clear view of the island is available. The island was originally a pickled oak and was painted black to compliment the other cabinets which were painted "Cotton Knit" by Behr Paint. The island top is "Giallo Fiesta" supplied by Triton Stone and fabricated by Sublime Custom Stone of San Antonio

After - Mario B.
Eat-in kitchen - mid-sized modern galley light wood floor eat-in kitchen idea in Atlanta with a farmhouse sink, glass-front cabinets, white cabinets, onyx countertops, stainless steel appliances and an island

Pickled oak finish to Eagle Gray with stainless steel pulls. Modifications were made as follows: new wall oven cabinet, glass door pantry addition, island modification to accommodate microwave.

After - Wow...it looks geat Mario B.
Eat-in kitchen - mid-sized modern galley light wood floor eat-in kitchen idea in Atlanta with a farmhouse sink, glass-front cabinets, white cabinets, onyx countertops, stainless steel appliances and an island

Older homes on the peninsula of Halifax are historic, charming, cozy, and small. Oh so small. This one in particular was proving too small for the clients comfort. So they recruited the good team at Solterre Design to design a much needed expansion to the kitchThe design ended up including not only the expansion of the kitchen by way of a small addition, but also the addition of a half-bath to the downstairs, as well as a laundry nook adjacent to the kitchen. And while we were at it, we might as well build them a much needed and much expanded deck as well.

Older homes on the peninsula of Halifax are historic, charming, cozy, and small. Oh so small. This one in particular was proving too small for the clients comfort. So they recruited the good team at Solterre Design to design a much needed expansion to the kitchThe design ended up including not only the expansion of the kitchen by way of a small addition, but also the addition of a half-bath to the downstairs, as well as a laundry nook adjacent to the kitchen. And while we were at it, we might as well build them a much needed and much expanded deck as well.

This modestly size kitchen is big on storage, function and display. All the cabinets are custom designed to meet our client's needs. The wooden cabinets are pickled with a hint of green and lacquered, allowing the wood grain to be celebrated. The peninsula features a wine-rack and breakfast bar looking into television viewing area. Kitchen Design - Peter E Designs Cabinet Manufacturer - Angella Moore Photography - David Bartolomi