A Command Center Kitchen

This kitchen is the intersection of family life with three boys, two busy parents, dogs, after school (and early morning) sports and neighborhood friends.  Smart kitchen design helps this family of five stay steady as they juggle priorities and come together for dinner, games and conversation.  We opened up the original kitchen and added the island to create zones for food prep, baking, working, and loading up the dining table with drinks and goodies from the fridge.   

The homeowner’s previous kitchen was U shaped and they expressed to us that they felt trapped in it, and that even though it was large it was not conducive to entertaining.  We wanted to give them a well-oiled machine that not only functioned properly for them but was also beautiful, open and entertainment minded.  This homeowner is extremely creative with original and inventive ideas of her own, so we wanted to give her spaces like open shelving, glass front cabinetry and surface areas she could stage throughout the year.  She also expressed to us in our first meeting that the diamond shape was extremely appealing to her.  So we sourced a hand thrown diamond shaped tile that was the perfect backdrop for her linen colored cabinets and marbled white quartz countertops.  The schoolhouse pendant lights are a nod to the historic and storied neighborhood the home is located in and the hardware also reinforces this narrative.

We removed their original sink which was under their window and placed it in the island along with a dishwasher.  This became the cleanup zone, allowing one person to tend to the dishes while another could prep food and enjoy the view from the new larger picture window.  The fridge was placed between the dining area and the kitchen, as to not create more traffic in the food prep and clean up zones.  A desk area was added for the busy mom who works from home and manages the family’s daily active schedule.  The pantry/microwave zone keeps large amounts of bulk food for hungry teenage boys and very large and adorable dogs.  The floor is a bulletproof, waterproof luxury vinyl planking and we placed it throughout the lower level to marry the various spaces and create a large open floor plan.   

Once the kitchen was open the dining area felt like no man’s land!  This sometimes happens in the design world, we renovate and fix one area only to realize we have affected another area that now needs attention.  We approached the homeowners about doing a custom L shaped banquette bench below their window and along the wall creating a cozy nook and a comfortable upholstered space for dining.  They wrestled with increasing their budget (don’t we all?) expressing that this felt like a want, not a need.  We assured them that it would be money well spent and what was necessary for their new open floor plan.  They have since told us that the banquette is their absolute favorite addition to their renovation.  It’s a place for games, homework, conversation and oh yes… dinner.    

Above the banquette/dining nook hangs the homeowner’s chandelier that was carefully taken down and packed away during the renovation, to be relocated and re hung in the new space as a finishing touch.  

Custom Construction- Knutson Custom Construction

Kitchen Design and Interior Design- Kitchee Gammi Design Co. 

Sources:

Cabinetry-Kraftmaid

Countertops-Cambria

Wall Tile-Wizard Tile

Faucet- Simplice by Kohler

Pendant Lights- Rejuvination

Paint Color- Revere Pewter Benjamin Moore

Hardware- Top Knobs