The backstory: The homeowners enlisted interior designer Anne Dempsey to renovate their kitchen, using the footprint of the original kitchen plus an adjacent office. The homeowners wanted two islands: one for everyday use plus a second dedicated to baking.
Scope of work: Except for a few retained features from the original spaces, this project was a total remodel.
Layout: Combining the original kitchen and office created a long, skinny space — 12½feet wide and 25 feet long. Dempsey was determined to break up the kitchen visually so that it wouldn’t feel excessively narrow. Adding two islands certainly helped distract attention from the shape of the room, as did varying the materials.
Cabinetry: The owners didn’t want traditional-looking cabinet doors, so Dempsey and her team designed a custom slab door with a 1-inch bevel applied to the outer edge. “Because the edge detail is applied to the door — versus being routed into the wood — it is a unique look and really special,” Dempsey says.
The cabinets on the hutch and to the left of the refrigerator feature antiqued mirrored glass. This subtle but important detail helps keep the design in line with the rest of this older home, balancing out the look since the other cabinetry veers more modern.
Main island: The island with the sink is in the space that used to be the office. The owners originally wanted larger islands, but the space wasn’t wide enough, so Dempsey included conveniences like drop-in areas within the sink for cutting boards, as well as a teak draining board.
Countertops: The two islands feature different quartz countertop materials. The main island and perimeter countertop feature a subtly variegated off-white material, while the countertop on the baking island is whiter and has some veining, which adds visual texture without being distracting. “I felt like we needed to use multiple finishes to break up the monotony of a lot of cabinets in a long room,” the designer says. Since the baking island was already getting a furniture look (you’ll see its feet and open shelves in the last photo in this story), she chose that island for the alternate counter material.
Range hood: The homeowners already had a 54-inch range hood that was like new, not to mention quite expensive, so they chose not to replace this element. Instead, Dempsey and her team clad the original hood in walnut so that it harmonized with the rest of the cabinetry.
Savings: The existing refrigerator, oven, range and hood were in good condition, so the owners decided to keep them. They did replace the dishwasher. As they did with the range hood, the owners covered two 30-inch pullout refrigerator drawers in walnut to allow them to blend in.
Backsplash: Aqua tile in a star and cross pattern brings a hit of color to the backsplash.
Main island and perimeter countertops: Akoya, Vicostone; baking island countertop: Aurea Stone; refrigerator and pullout refrigerator drawers: Sub-Zero; oven, range and range hood: Viking; backsplash tile: Star & Cross in Jade, Fireclay Tile; 45-inch sink: Multiere, Kallista; browse stainless steel sinks
Chandeliers: The owner spotted a version of this fixture in a magazine and asked Dempsey if she could incorporate it. Because different configurations are available, Dempsey was able to choose a size and formation that would fit best over each island. The fixtures’ brushed gold hardware lends warmth to the room.
Sink: The sole sink in the space is in the main island and has pedals to allow the faucet to be turned on and off hands-free. The baking island has a continuous countertop with no sink.
Just past the end of the countertop, you can see a source of natural light. This area was previously the office, where the couple had recently installed French doors. Dempsey was able to leave them in place, bringing natural light into the kitchen space, as well as providing easy access to outside.
Wall paint: Marble White OC-34, Benjamin Moore; lighting fixtures: Hudson Valley Lighting; see more from this maker
Open shelves and cubbies help create a furniture look for the baking island while providing useful storage.
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Before: A long vanity ran all the way up to the edge of the built-in tub.
Before: The built-in tub took up a lot of space, and the homeowner didn’t like the look anymore.
After: Lawson worked with the client to find a soaking tub that not only looked great in the corner, but also fit in the room. “We had to keep it angled to fit a long vanity and a shower in the other corner,” Lawson says. This dimension constraint, along with the fact that they needed to find a tub that would fit through the bathroom door, made the search more challenging.
Before: Frosted glass and a gold frame enclosed the previous corner shower. “She felt like she was showering in a hole before,” Lawson says.
“With brass, the finishes don’t have to match exactly,” Lawson says. “You can used aged brass with satin brass and it can look great. That being said, you still want to get samples if you can, so you can make sure you like how it looks.”
Before: The vanity, while long, lacked function and made the space feel cramped.
After: The new custom vanity adds to the bathroom’s light and welcoming feel, now that it’s not pressed up again the wall or the tub. The new design, while slightly smaller, actually gives the homeowner more usable space.
4. Pergolas
6. Indoor Comforts