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Transformations I t Before 48 | Kitchen & Bath Design News After Mark Williams, of Mark Williams Design Associates, in Atlanta, GA, changed essentially everything about the space. "The homeowners wanted everything diferent," he says, "so we reconfgured the entire space." The homeowners had a wish list – which included a Pro Series range with pot fller, counter-depth refrigerator and deep sink. However, beyond these requested upgrades, Williams could start with a clean slate. One primary goal was to brighten the space. Williams worked with the cabinet manufacturer to create a custom warm gray fnish for the new cabinetry. A sepia-colored lacquer was thinned by 50% then applied with a dry brush process. "When you use a rag or wipe it on, the lacquer falls into the cracks and crevices in the details of the cabinets and doors," he describes. "I didn't want that detail. When you thin the glaze and use a really light, dry brush, it makes the application more consistent." Williams added a 'secret' appliance pantry next the double ovens where the homeowners can store small appliances such as their toaster and other items they don't want on the countertop, yet need to access regularly. Imperial Danby countertops and Yorkshire Blue limestone tiles, in a French cut pattern with a matte fnish, further brighten the space. "The exterior of this home is reminiscent of a turn-ofthe-century farmhouse," he says. "It's a white The homeowners had renovated much of the rest of the home, deferring with the kitchen until they could include everything they wanted. The former space was inefcient, with a peninsula that crowded the kitchen and cut it of from the breakfast/eat-in kitchen area. The challenge for the designer was to create a new kitchen within the same footprint, with a leaner, cleaner look and more efcient layout. December 2013 Photos: Erica George Dines f you work in the design industry, it's hard not to be captivated by the transformation process – taking an ugly, dated or poorly functioning space and making it look and work better for the client. While there's plenty of hard work involved in taking a project from conception to completion, there's something inspiring about reviewing where a space started – and how it turned out. This month's Transformations feature takes a before and after view of a 1980s Mableton, GA, tract home whose kitchen was in a time warp complete with dark, wood grain cabinets…and foral wallpaper! clapboard house, which is where this aesthetic came from. We were trying to reference the farmhouse feel in a modern way." Williams also addressed the ceiling, which was just 8' high. To make it appear taller, he added cofers, which also help break up its long expanse. "It's counterintuitive," he says, "but the cofers and beam details, which actually fall below 8', psychologically lift the whole ceiling." This was an important element, since the kitchen shares a ceiling with and connects to the eat-in kitchen/breakfast area. "With a low ceiling and a long expanse, it 'compresses,'" he explains. "But with the cofers, the ceiling doesn't feel low at all." Williams tied this breakfast area into the kitchen by 'dressing up' an existing closet. He worked with the cabinet maker to create new doors, then added glass and lit the inside to make it look like a built-in. The fnal touches included adding glass pendants over the island, which help to brighten the entire space, including the ceiling, as well as replacing the windows in the breakfast area with French doors that lead to the deck.