I have to say with all the recent wet weather and cooler temperatures ahead I’m starting to dream about getting cozy.  Making my home cozy and eating cozy food.  Think chunky knit blankets and braised short ribs with red wine.  My mouth is watering while I’m writing this.   So I was also thinking it would be a good time to share a recent project where we transformed a kitchen into a warm and cozy place to cook, eat and entertain.  

My clients, Pat and Greg, live in a wonderful rustic cabin on a picturesque 2.5 acre lot located on a point of land that looks onto Church Creek in Annapolis.   Honestly, to call it a cabin is a bit of an understatement because my client has completed two additions which added a living room and a master bedroom making their home more spacious.  These additions were done well because they are very much in keeping with the look and feel of the original hunting cabin built over 100 years ago.  In fact I couldn’t have told you where the additions started and ended until they told me.

As for the overall kitchen design, an all white kitchen, such a popular look, would not have worked in this home!  Their home is rustic, filled with antiques and many artifacts from their travels.  Very warm, inviting and comfortable.  For example, here’s a pretty picture taken in their home.  Notice the log beam on the left.

So our design goal…to make the kitchen feel like part of the living space.  The kitchen opens out onto their great room so the kitchen design needed to compliment this space.  So here are some of the elements included in the design.

Yes, that’s wallpaper for the walls.  Crazy, I know, but it works.   It makes the kitchen not feel utilitarian and more like an extension of their living space.  We live in our kitchens why not make it feel more like our living room!  So, we selected honed leathered granite for the counter tops.  A look that is more natural and organic (then the shiny granite), a creamy glazed cabinet finish, bronze hardware and bronze and travertine (not shown) tile for the stove back splash.  The paint chips were for baseboard and window trims painted the same background color of the wallpaper.

Here’s a little peak at the wallpaper and cabinet finish after installation.  The glaze on the cabinets was perfect.  Not “goopy” (not sure that is a word).  The cabinets look like furniture.  The wallpaper looks great with the existing terracotta tiles.

When my clients first approached me about helping them with their kitchen renovation, they thought they would keep the same footprint and reface the cabinets.  But after careful consideration, we realized that some changes in the footprint would offer better walkway flow in and around the kitchen.  So new cabinets were needed.  We finalized a general floor plan design, then called Jim, the cabinet designer, to complete a design with detail cabinet configurations.  Because of the log beams in the walls and ceiling and the not-so-square walls and floors, he came out three times to measure!  He also listened to how my client used their kitchen (they are amazing cooks, no less) and came up with a plan to meet their needs.

Before we knew it, cabinets arrived and the chaos began!  My client’s house looked like this for many weeks.  If you’ve been through a kitchen renovation you know, and if you haven’t, you need to know that renovating a kitchen wreaks havoc on you life!  But the result is worth it!

I have to mention that Jim, the cabinet designer, worked very hard and put together a wonderful cabinet design.  Dave, the contractor, is a perfectionist and its shows in his work.    I have to say that my favorite part of this project was how closely I worked with Pat and Greg throughout the design process.  It was truly a collaborative effort which I believe ensures my clients will be thrilled with the result for many years to come!  And I’m definitely going to miss the homemade sweet treats I left with after each visit!

If you would like help creating a home that you love, please contact me!