2011 NARI CAPITAL COTY HONORABLE MENTION AWARD WINNER Since moving into their home 10 years ago, the lady of the house has been unhappy with her kitchen, dining room and entryway. The layout wasn’t efficient and the formal dining room was rarely used. With two children and a dog, a mud room made more sense for their lifestyle. To make best use of the space, the design team at Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes removed the dining room altogether. Four feet of that space went to the kitchen to make it more spacious and functional. The rest went to creating a mud room for the kids with locker style storage. The highlight of the renovation is, however, the new kitchen. Featuring a large center island with distressed curved wood countertop, it provides an anchor around which the rest of the room flows. Stark white cabinets run along two walls, providing significant kitchen storage, as well as several display cabinets for the homeowner’s fine china. A white farmer’s sink sits below a large window looking out over the backyard and the counters are topped with complementary stone counter and tile backsplash. Stainless steel appliances include a gas cooktop with custom wood hood that matches the cabinets. Matching crown molding tops the flush-to-the-ceiling cabinets. In addition to natural light from the windows, the kitchen features pendant lights over the island, under-cabinet lighting and LED lights. The added lighting along with the white cabinets make the room look even more spacious. Being a gourmet cook, the homeowner enjoys her time in kitchen while the mud room makes her daily chores a lot simpler.