a Contemporary Kitchen

Cramped, claustrophobic, and chaotic are just a few of the words that came to mind when I first entered the home of my soon-to-be customers and friends. And I remember thinking there was such a huge disconnect between the leisurely drive out to their lakeside residence and the messy design that greeted me inside.

Best described as “faux Mediterranean,” the intent of the original design was probably to accentuate the large room off the kitchen, but it failed miserably. Upon entering the house you would literally walk into a brick wall, since the rough surface of the fireplace sidewall was the first thing to greet you. And if you veered to the left you had the choice of entering the kitchen or the grand room through narrow and low openings.

Photography by Charles Davis Smith, AIA

Click on any photo for larger image.

The kitchen had a ceiling that was not quite seven feet high, and, with the track lighting hanging down, you felt as if you were moving through an obstacle course. This was especially so with the busy cabinet and drawer fronts and tile floor, all of which conspired to make you duck for cover. And while it might have been the intention to make the main room “grand” it wasn’t. In fact entering that space from either the kitchen or entry hall made you feel like you had surfaced too fast from the deep with no time to decompress.

Walking into the grand room from the kitchen or front entry was supposed to open the space into a panoramic view of the lake, but the plan was immediately sabotaged by an off-balance fireplace on one side of the room, and a festering sore of an open wall on the opposing side that went into the entertainment room and revealed stairs to the bedroom that could easily have been confused with an escape route.

The kitchen before work began.

Almost instantly, the goal of the remodeling project was to invite the peaceful lake setting inside the residence to create a tranquil, livable home: light-filled luxury that included beach glass and reflective lake views; a soft contemporary in a pastoral setting.

Reconfiguring the entry and the kitchen was the starting point, and gutting it to the studs and rafters soon followed. Getting rid of the entry partition wall, removing the brick side wall, along with a major modification to the fireplace facade and hearth were some of the first things that happened. In addition to opening up the room, raising and pitching the kitchen ceiling also allowed for the installation of energy saving insulation and brought the HVAC duct work into a chase that was part of the environmentally controlled envelope. More storage was added by way of a closet on the back side of the fireplace and a pantry by the new glass doors.

The remodeled kitchen includes an elevated pitched ceiling,

white oak hardwood flooring, Volga Blue Granite Countertops,

and Ann Sacks’ Crystal Glossy Dew color glass tile

Replacing the long barrier wall of cabinets between the kitchen and great room with an arched shaped island made from maple and capped with Volga Blue Granite helped to connect the two spaces, not divide them. Sleek new cabinets along the exterior wall of the kitchen also support a Volga Blue counter top, while a Cucina Gourmet Moda Faucet in Satin Nickel with Kohler sink from TKO anchors a large picture window flanked on both sides by Casement windows.

In the grand room, a wall with two glass doors was employed to close off the side room and bedroom stairs, in addition to helping to define the perimeter. Wide, long planks of white oak flooring tinted with a hint of chestnut brought a soft, warm, almost sandy feel to the floor throughout the space. Soft pastel colors on the walls and ceiling served up a soothing refreshment while nautical sconce lighting and a ceiling fan added to the aquatic elements of the space.

The Grand Room was furnished with a custom made Jones-Walker Home white leather "spinner" sectional sofa with rotating ottoman. The custom made chairs and ottomans are also from Jones-Walker Home, as is the cracked glass freeform cocktail table, the natural maple console table with stainless steel legs, the round wood and chrome base side table, and the blue leather cutout barstools.

The glass and chrome occasional table is from Eileen Gray. LBL Monty Murano glass pendants hang over island, and a Murano Monty glass sconce is installed on the column. The Nautical Sconces are from Hudson Valley Lighting, and a Minka Aire 60" Magellan Ceiling Fan in Brushed Nickel provides the room with a gentle breeze. Sydney Fiedler was the decorator for the project.

The newly remodeled kitchen and grand room provides an essence of openness and grandeur that accompanies the visitor from their first step into the house, while simultaneously connecting the space with the lake’s ebb and flow, and supplying a sense of comfort and serenity from being in close proximity to the water’s edge.
	A spectacular view of the lake at sunset.