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ISO Photostudio
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ISO Photostudio
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ISO Photostudio
To align the existing bold kitchen decor of this 25-year-old Medina home with its stately exterior and its owner’s love of entertaining, designer Amy Douglass went with a French country-style remodel.
“It was like the inside didn’t go with the outside,” says the design director for the Interior Design Studio in Medina.
Douglass gave the room a more open feel by removing all the existing drop ceilings and soffits to reveal a two-story ceiling — which required extensive replumbing and rewiring. Doing so made space to install impressive beams with a faux wood finish that add to the French country feel.
She also added a built-in pantry and two islands by stealing some unused space from the living room and removed a peninsula island to open traffic flow. “It’s the same footprint but it works better,” she says.
Douglass walks us through integrating new additions with antique furniture while making room for big dinner parties.
The Details:
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Cabinetry: The homeowner’s antique furniture is visible from the kitchen, so Douglass used a cream color distressed with a brown stain glaze to make new cabinets look historic. Around the oven and range, she added extra detailing like faux legs, corner molding and an elaborate wooden faux marble hood to give the cabinetry a different look. “We wanted those cabinets to be a little more formal and decorative so they would go with the furniture,” she says.
The cabinets under the islands are darker to give a sense of weight and blend with the barstools and other furniture. Douglass used the same brown stain as the wall cupboards without the cream base for a sense of unity.
Flooring: In most of the home, the flooring is rough-sawn hickory in a soft gray glaze, but the homeowner wanted to avoid too much wood in the kitchen. Douglass chose porcelain tile for its durability and imperviousness to spills. Plus, it has a worn appearance that complements the adjoining wooden floors and the rest of the home’s decor. “We wanted it to look old to fit the antiques but be functional,” she says.
Countertops: Douglass chose nonporous quartz that looks like marble for countertops that are nearly indestructible. The island has an unusual unfinished edge that the homeowner fell in love with at a showroom. “My comment was, We need to do it on the island and not the whole kitchen because it’s so powerful,” Douglass says. “It makes the island look bigger and heavier. It anchors the space.”
Adding upholstered seating at that island was important for the homeowner. “Her grandkids can sit right there when she’s cooking,” Douglass says.
Ovens: Because the homeowner hosts big family dinners for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, she needed a lot of cooking space. Douglass gave her two wall ovens — including one that doubles as a convection microwave — a second microwave underneath one of the islands and a full-size oven with a stovetop.
Dirty Kitchen: A laundry room adjacent to the kitchen was expanded to include a dirty kitchen the homeowner requested to hide the mess of cooking from guests. Douglass moved the washer and dryer to the opposite wall, replaced the cabinetry and added a sink and dishwasher. “When she entertains, all those dishes come into this dirty kitchen and get washed and put away back in the main kitchen,” she says. “That’s how we keep the beautiful one nice.”
Lighting: To make sure the homeowner had plenty of light, Douglass used dual dinette-sized chandeliers over the island instead of pendant lights. She also added lighting under and above the cabinets for versatility. “At night she’ll have the soft glow around the ceiling that emphasizes the two-story ceiling, like a big nightlight,” Douglass says.
