2009 kitchens
1. Designer: Mark Menna/Mark Menna Designs
General Contractor: Scott Rogers/Rogers Residential
Architect: Mark Klancic/Klancic Architect
Less is definitely more in terms of function, beauty and easy maintenance in this strikingly simple and family-friendly American Arts and Crafts kitchen. Red oak floors, quarter sawn oak cabinets and center island, and honed quartz counters combine to seamlessly tie this new addition to the home’s Arts and Crafts roots. By using the former kitchen space for pantry cabinets, a desk and powder room, the family gained both gathering and storage space in the new design. The tulip motif found in two upper cabinet doors is modeled on the same motif in the dining room buffet. Additional attention to detail can be found in the backsplash of multicolored and textured slate mosaic tiles which add visual interest to this exceptional kitchen.
2. Designer: Pamela Polvere/Pamela Polver Designs
Architect: Rosanne McGrath/Studio M Architects
Family and friends can’t help but linger in this exceptionally warm and inviting kitchen. Toasty burgundy walls paired with sunny yellow cabinets are a smashing combination, especially when accented with a ceramic tile backsplash and handsome art glass fixtures above the island and sink that duplicate these same colors. The decorative details found in this Queen Anne home are also used to anchor the original rooms to the newly designed kitchen. The egg and dart pattern used on the staircase is repeated in the quarter sawn oak center island while the art glass motif found in many windows is also used as accent in some of the cabinet doors.
3. Designer: Jean Stoffer/Jean Stoffer Design
Architect: Jon Bergstrom
Sunlight streams into this exquisite space, highlighting its graceful elegance. The fresh color scheme of white, black and spring green evokes a pleasing, bright ambience. Painted white fitted cabinetry alongside an ebony-stained island and dish dresser combine strikingly with stainless steel, crystal, iridescent glass, antique silver and white calacutta marble. The abundant natural light afforded by the south-facing windows enhances the level of detail found in this space. Architectural elements from the 1920’s home were referenced in the kitchen in subtle yet evocative ways: arched openings, antique mirrored mullions and paneled doors. All the elements combined add up to a beautiful and inviting space, which the homeowners quite simply “live in.”
4. Designer, General Contractor and Architect:
Judi Mills-Grossman/Space Redefined, Ltd.
Entertaining is easy in this newly constructed black and white kitchen, the result of a major renovation that nearly doubled the first floor footprint of this 1940s Colonial home. Large dramatic elements display a neoclassical style, particularly at the cook’s hearth that flanks a gourmet six-burner range. Crowned with a pediment and stretching across an entire wall is a floor-to-ceiling unit of white cabinets that conceal both a refrigerator and freezer and provide ample storage for everyday and special-occasion dishes. A seamless eight-foot island topped in Calcutta white marble and accented with ebonized cherry conceals a number of functions including a recycling/trash area, two dishwashers and an under-counter refrigerator. Situated at a comfortable distance from the kitchen’s work triangle is a second island with a built-in dining area that can seat up to 10 guests. Floor-to-ceiling windows and a coffered ceiling punctuated with large skylights enhance the feeling of openness in this exceptional kitchen.
5. Designer: Pamela Polvere/Pamela Polvere Design
General Contractor: Fedel DePinto
If you’re looking for the latest in contemporary design this homeowner/designer doesn’t disappoint. But she also acknowledges the ancestry of her vintage home by replicating the fine detailing in original doors in the cabinets of this bright and cheerful kitchen. A porcelain tile floor that mimics the look of hardwood is a backdrop for the white cabinets, marble counters and hand-cut mosaic marble backsplash with accents of brown and blue. A deeper shade of blue is used effectively in the handsome serving buffet with a beveled mirror backsplash and beveled glass doors. Minimalist features include a round table with sleek chrome and laminate chairs beneath a drum-shaped light fixture
6. Architect: Rosanne McGrath
Designer/Homeowners: Traci & Kevin Smith
General Contractor: Rite Angle Construction
Size, improved work flow and lots of storage were the criteria that drove the design of this kitchen for this serious cook and her family. Part of an addition that nearly doubled the size of the first floor, the kitchen is anchored at one end by a sunny dining peninsula replete with round table and built-in bench, and a handsome alderwood breakfront with art glass windows at the other end. Pocket doors connect the kitchen to a cozy new den while a shady rear porch provides direct flow from the kitchen to the rear garden. The color palette is a kaleidoscope of earth tones that include an abundance of Shaker-style cabinets with an ivory glaze, mocha walls and beige marble tile backsplash. These warm shades are repeated in the two-inch concrete counters, a light shade of cork is used in the nine-foot island and darker ginger in the other counters. See-through Roman shades and handsome drum-shaped fixtures are used effectively as contemporary accents in this traditional kitchen.
7. Cabinetry: Yarek Sakowicz/Point of Wood
Designer, General Contrator, Homowners: Judy & Bob Steed
These homeowners collaborated to create a delightfully warm -- and definitely unique – kitchen. She painted and decoupaged the cottage table and the benches, which he built. Together they covered the walls with a warm pumpkin faux finish that complements the ash burl inlay in the cherry cabinets. They acted as their own contractors. Without increasing the dimensions of the room, they added storage space to the kitchen by efficiently utilizing all available space – ceiling-height cabinets, pantry pull-outs, and kick-plate drawers. They also designed an angled island with granite countertop, surrounded by a distinctive ceramic tile border and a heated porcelain tile floor. But the most attention-grabbing element is this cozy room is the backsplash – a free-flowing glass mosaic of vines and leaves that showcases the homeowner’s talent and gives the room a punch of vibrant color.
8. Designers, Homowners: Grant & Molly Uhlir
Designer: Mark Menna/ Mark Menna Designs, Ltd.
Architect: Grant Uhlir
The Owners, an architect and an interior designer, collaborated with Mark Menna to design an inviting and working kitchen as an integral part of a first floor renovation and family room addition to their 1905 home. The understated elegance of white is found in abundance in this light and spacious kitchen. White cabinets with a satin finish, cherry center island with deep chocolate brown stain and antiqued white stools blend old and new. Beautifully veined Danby Mountain white marble counters, a white backsplash of narrow rectangular ceramic tiles, stainless appliances, and white pendant fixtures are as contemporary as tomorrow yet evoke a feeling of classical simplicity. A handsome wall of cherry cabinets with ribbed glass cabinet doors and marble serving island separate the formal dining room from the kitchen. Stained oak flooring, painted millwork baseboard, coffered ceilings, crown molding, and custom casings match the home’s original millwork and seamlessly blend the new portion of the home with the original design. The kitchen layout is complemented by expansive, open views to the spacious family room, dining room, landscaped yard, and rustic red barn. Standing at the kitchen sink, the homeowner is constantly connected to all the happenings inside and outside this active home.
9. Designer: Denise Hauser/ Denise Hauser Design
General Contractor: David Buckingham/
Buckingham Brothers
Architect: Jon Hague
These Victorian homeowners sought to honor the roots of their original Victorian home while giving a nod to a modern feel as well. Hence, the space was designed as an architectural environment, not just a kitchen. The original and artful detail from the dining room windows were duplicated in the kitchen as well as the narrow strips of the original hardwood flooring. All traditional wall cabinetry was abandoned. Instead, storage was created through a butler’s pantry, a dramatic presentation of mahogany library cabinets, recessed spice storage and a dramatic centerpiece pot rack. The use of statuary marble, an authentic material for their home was approached in a modern and dramatic way through thicker countertops and a backsplash with oversized subway tiles in a column effect. The refrigerator and freezer also became decorative columns of mahogany showcasing the dramatic ceiling height as well. The contrast of the dark mahogany cabinets against the white painted cabinets offers a stark and dramatic space in this historic home.
10. Designer: Cary McLean/Designs for Living
General Contractor: Jim Butler/Butler Construction
Architect: Tony Ronning
Balancing the historical legacy of this exceptional Prairie Style house designed by E. E. Roberts with the needs of a modern family was the challenge facing these homeowners. The dynamic two-story back entry blended the old with the new and the Architect was able to preserve the beautiful main stairwell art glass. Duplicating details such as the window seat and moldings blended the spaces further. New art glass windows, a sink fashioned from a solid block of granite and a dramatic wall of concrete fabricated to look like rough-hewn stone anchor the kitchen to the original footprint of the house. These irregular design features are offset by stained gray cabinets with chrome pulls and black granite counters fired to a matte finish that create a feeling of calm and understated elegance. A wood-stained island with granite counter veined in brown tones and quarter-sawn floor provide additional contrast.
