Planning a Kitchen with Beauty and Brawn

Any successful kitchen design is equal parts art and science. Whether we’re cooking up a new space or renovating an existing one, we bring both disciplines to bear. And that was certainly the case as we planned a kitchen redesign for repeat clients in Arlington. Our plan addressed some functional challenges in the existing layout and presented selection options that would refresh the look.

Pre-Renovation Kitchen

The empty-nest homeowners asked A. Houck Designs to orchestrate a kitchen makeover. This is where we started:

Their old kitchen had served the owners’ well for many years, but they were ready for a change.

Inspiration for New Look

Our clients requested an updated-traditional look — which we dubbed Traditional with a Twist. Based on their initial input, we gathered a few inspiration images to include in our presentation.

Whether digital such as these or torn from the pages of a magazine, inspiration images can help communicate the vision.

Kitchen Makeover Plan

Before, a peninsula divided the kitchen and dining area. Our new plan combines the two areas and creates one, continuous space. Take a look:

The peninsula gave way to a large, L-shaped island that seats six. We were able to remove a non-structural bulkhead too, which freed up some space for additional upper cabinets. Relocating the dishwasher helped improve access. We love the mathematics of kitchen design — figuring out how to maximize every inch of space,

We also added a set of sliding doors (to the right of the range and a short bank of cabinets). The new doors access a porch addition that was being built concurrently. The set of French doors shown lead to the family room, which we designed years ago and had the honor of returning last year to refresh the space.

Visualizing the Kitchen Redesign

To help our clients visualize their redesigned space, we provided 3-D renderings. Here’s a first peek at their future kitchen:

The renderings aren’t meant to represent how the finished space will look in all its glory, but they do show the big picture of the new layout.

Schemes and Selections

With the functional plan puzzled out, we turned to selections. Because we had worked with these clients before, we knew their tastes from the start. Their house is a ’50s-era, updated-Colonial with a white-washed-red-brick exterior, and we wanted the kitchen selections to play well with the architecture. The owners envisioned a palette of timeless neutrals for their new space.

We presented two selection packages for the kitchen redesign — with some common threads running through both options. Mixing two cabinet finishes — a painted one for the peripheral cabinets and a wood stain for the island — became part of the conversation early on. Also, easy-to-maintain countertops were a must, so we specified a quartz surface for both scenarios.

Kitchen Redesign – Option 1

Option 1 combines gray tones with other earthy neutrals in the cabinetry, backsplash and countertops.

A shimmery glass mosaic tile from Lunada Bay Tile pulls together the two cabinet finishes. All the cabinets are from Decorá, one of our go-to brands.

Here’s a look at the full slab of the dynamic solid-surface selection from Cambria, which offers the veining and movement of marble in a durable finish:

In both packages, Kohler was our brand of choice for the sink and plumbing fixtures, while brass was our finish choice. Option 1 selections strike a faintly industrial note.

Kitchen Redesign – Option 2

Similarly, Option 2 employs a range of earthy neutrals, but it veers in a slightly warmer direction.

In this option, the painted cabinets are an off-white hue, with espresso glazing. The Cambria selection here is from the same Brittanicca collection as the first option, but this one runs a tad warmer.

And now the full, show-stopping slab:

The faucet and water dispenser in this scenario are somewhat more traditional, as is the farmhouse sink.

The husband specified stainless-steel appliances, so the brass accents will provide a nice contrast. Spoiler Alert: The owners ultimately decided on Option 1.

We exercised both sides of our brain in planning this functional and fresh kitchen. Stay tuned for a look behind the scenes as we put the plan into motion.