No doubt you’ve heard these cliches: “The heart of the home is the kitchen,” or “The kitchen sells homes.”
It’s because the kitchen is where we congregate. It’s the hub of activity. It’s where we recount our days to one another and belly laugh through Sunday night meal prep. We wanted our kitchen to be warm and inviting, with an undertone of casual yet elegant. Always elegant!
The Goal
We made the conscious decision to have our kitchen open to our living room so conversation could freely flow. This was the same logic in having the “eating nook” as a sort of appendage to the kitchen.
In my experience, butler’s pantries (back areas where you can almost hide your mess) are a must! When last-minute company presents itself, you’ll be glad you did it. It becomes an immediate “catch-all” for those items you didn’t have time or energy to store away.
The Design
We were very deliberate in maximizing natural light in the eating nook. Large grided windows, and sliding doors on both sides work to pull in that sunshine.
You’ll notice under the double island white Quartz countertops are almost latte-colored island cabinetry. We then pull this in again on the side wall row of cabinetry. Surprise—our refrigerator is actually hid under two slabs of cabinet veneers on that side wall. Love that this feels like an almost stand-alone armoire.
While so many love all-white kitchens, I’m a big believer you have to add a contrast color to ground some of that white. That’s why we added the latte-color cabinets. Our traditionally stained brown floors also help to ground the light colors.
The Details
In all of the homes my husband and I have built, we have made it sort of our signature to have a large range hood. I’ve always felt that placed appropriately, the hood can be the focal point of the kitchen. This hood and floating shelf combo was inspired by fashion and lifestyle brand creator Rachel Parcell. She featured one similar in one of her previous homes. We had a trim carpenter build the hood from scratch. Here is where I show my homage to Southern spirit—we say, the bigger, the better!
