Unexpected ‘Find’ Inspires Kitchen Design
HOUSTON — Over the course of the past five years, designers at Chairma Design Group in Houston, TX, have helped these homeowners lovingly renovate several areas of their home in The Woodlands, including the family and dining rooms, entry, study and conversation room. Most recently, they transformed the kitchen, creating a space with improved functionality and storage, a nod to nature and a clean aesthetic that more effortlessly fits into their busy lifestyle as parents to five kids.
“They bought a home in a really great neighborhood, but it was very outdated,” says Cindy Aplanalp, principal designer.
Working within the kitchen’s existing footprint, Aplanalp and designer Amber Reddoch addressed functionality and the wife’s love of cooking by replacing the 36″ cooktop with a nearly 6′ professional-style La Cornue range and matching ventilation hood. Moving the appliances from an angled corner to a perimeter wall gave them the ability to emphasize their brilliant green hue, making them a focal point for the space. Their new location also balances the appliances’ visual ‘heft’ with the fireplace in the adjacent family room.
While the homeowners weren’t necessarily in search of such a bold statement piece, the unexpected ‘find’ at a local appliance store proved rewarding, and inspirational to the finished design.
“They sent me a picture and asked if they should get it,” Aplanalp recalls. “We immediately said yes!”
The decision to include such a bright color admittedly isn’t right for everyone, the designers relate.
“It is a big commitment,” says Aplanalp, “but these clients like unique things.”
“Interiors often reflect a person’s personality,” Reddoch adds. “This range definitely reflects the couple’s energetic, fun and full-of-life personas.”
The designers flanked the range with a pair of glass-front cabinets accented with black metal mullions and Material Bespoke Stone + Tile’s Diamond dimensional tile in Matte Grey, both of which tie the kitchen to adjacent rooms where iron/black and glass accents are used. Interior lights add sparkle and highlight the texture and shape of the tile.
Clé’s 4″x4″ zellige tile in Weathered White serves as the backsplash behind the range and hood. It extends to clad the angled wall behind the floating shelves as well as the window wall.
“We made the window much larger to brighten and modernize the kitchen,” says Aplanalp. “This home is on a gorgeous lot so the larger window gives our clients a better connection to nature, which is something they were looking for.”
Improved Storage
Being able to make the window larger, plus remove the wall cabinets that flanked the previously petite window, was made possible by improving storage in the new kitchen. In addition to custom Jonathan Dahl Woodworks walnut cabinets, which includes plenty of efficient drawers, the designers created a coffee station and a ‘super’ pantry. The former includes shelves, a quartzite work surface and outlets tucked behind bifold doors, giving the homeowners an opportunity to conceal small appliances and associated drink accessories. The station’s wall cabinet-depth dimension, plus its location between the paneled Sub-Zero refrigerator and freezer columns, creates some visual relief that makes the expansive wall feel ‘lighter.’
“When we use paneled refrigerators and freezers, we like to split them up whenever possible to minimize their large mass,” says Aplanalp. “In this kitchen, we were able to separate them with the shallow-depth coffee station to help break up their blockiness.”
In addition to the coffee station, the designers enhanced storage capacity by creating a super pantry, which utilized the former small pantry and a portion of the garage. Painted cabinetry and open shelves streamline organization in the space, while double wall ovens and a microwave expand cooking capabilities beyond the in-kitchen range. An Anthracite Black Granite countertop serves as useful workspace. Its black hue ties in with the 8″x8″ Stacy Garcia Maddox Deco Charcoal Black Matte porcelain tile floor and accent wall.
“The previous kitchen was a good size, but it didn’t have very efficient storage, especially considering the family has five kids,” says Reddoch. “The kitchen is also located in an area of the home that gets a lot of activity. Everyone has to walk through it to get to the family room and other areas of the house.
“Our client is also very meticulous about having things in order and being able to have a place for everything,” the designer continues. “With doors on the coffee station, she can keep any messes hidden. As well, adding the super pantry gives her a lot more storage capacity and surface area so she can leave out items she uses a lot while giving her respite from any clutter they may create.”
The island also provides additional storage as well as plentiful in-kitchen seating for the family. Its smokey blue painted base echoes blue hues used throughout the rest of the home. Its Mont Blanc quartzite top contrasts the darker finishes to brighten the space. As a relatively low-maintenance, durable natural stone, it can also withstand the demands of the busy family.
“We really tried to select finishes that don’t require extra care,” Reddoch explains. “We didn’t want our clients to have to worry about what would happen if their kids spilled something on the countertop. We wanted everything to be easy to clean and maintain.”
The island is also home to a quartzite social corner-style sink, which is based on designer Matthew Quinn’s SocialCorner sink that allows more than one person to easily use a sink simultaneously.
“They have a large family so it provides a lot of flexibility when more than one person is working in the kitchen,” says Reddoch.
A pair of Visual Comfort oversized pendants above the island coordinate with the Hudson Valley sconces that frame the window. Their brass finish echoes the gold tones of the plumbing fixtures, range trim and perimeter cabinetry hardware while complementing other materials and metals used throughout the space.
“We wanted something that was very streamlined, but interesting,” says Reddoch. “The sconces, especially, have such a unique shape.” ▪
