Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Gracious Gambrel: Kitchen Design

Now for the fun stuff!!!  This is the largest kitchen we've ever had to work with and it's been a blast!  

For overall style, this is a rather formal, traditional house.  So we wanted something a bit elegant - with lots of beautiful details.  I've poured over Pinterest and Houzz and lots of magazines to come up with some ideas.  My favorite inspirations:
Shingle Style
I love the white cabinets, light palette on backsplash and counters and the dark island.  Gorgeous!
Walnut and White
This kitchen echoes the long lines of our kitchen.  Again, the light palette and the dramatic pendants and range hood are beautiful.

And from Maine Home & Design, I loved this Kennebunkport kitchen.  The stove and hood centered on the back wall is a dramatic focal point.  And I swoon over that black island!

So after thinking through different ideas, I came up with 3 concepts and tested them at the 'before' Open House that we held in July.  

Option 1 - an updated version of the previous kitchen.  Stay with the previous layout - but replace the peninsula with a freestanding island.  And leave room for a kitchen table and chairs.

Option 2 - Modify the layout and include a built-in banquette in the corner, to provide room for family meals.  I was inspired by this photo from a Better Homes & Gardens Dream Kitchens magazine and have been carrying it around with me for months.

Option 3 - Maximize the cabinets and include a giant island.  This would provide lots of room for casual dining, surrounding the cook.

And the winner is?  Option 2.  While there was interest in the other two options, most people liked the idea of a built in seating space and the seating at the island.  One woman fondly recalled her childhood, when the whole family would sit together at the banquette and talk about their day.  Doesn't that sound wonderful?  With that and the island, it provides a nice combination of seating that works for families and guests.

Just ignore the giant pile of debris in the middle of the room!
With that decided, I had to nail down the rest of the selections.  Kitchen cabinets are a very long lead item and I had to have them defined early.  So while all the crazy demolition was going on, I was in the kitchen looking at cabinet and color samples!









I'm using Thomasville painted cabinets, that were ordered in a Pearl finish, with a center island in Black (yup, I loved those inspiration photos!).  For countertops, I'm using a quartz that looks like granite, with flecks of black, blue/gray and bits of mica.  The backsplash focal point that will go over the stove is this gorgeous Walker Zanger tile called Tilt.  The banquette will be upholstered in the beautiful taupe and khaki geometric and the paisley will be valances on the windows.

And to really give the stove wall focal point status, I've ordered a custom stove hood in an antique bronze.  It has a 7 week lead time and I can't wait to see what it will look like!  Here's a similar hood that the folks at Copper Kitchen Specialists will be making for us.










Of course it's always hard to tell how it's going to look until everything comes together.  But here are a few illustrations.



I can't wait to see how it all comes together!  We've still got a lot of work to do, before the finished product.  But we're pretty happy with the design!





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2 comments:

  1. I'm loving all three of these designs and would be hard-pressed to pick just the right one. I really like the banquet idea and an oval table for the banquet area is unusual. Or is it a round table that can be extended into an oval? Was there a particular reason you chose that option? I can't wait to see how it all comes together.

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    Replies
    1. So glad you like the designs!!! The table is actually round, with a leaf to make it an oval. So there are options on how to set it up!

      Initially, I was leaning towards the giant island option. But feedback from folks during the open house was a bit lukewarm on that one. So banquette it is!!

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