Kitchen & Bath Design News

MAY 2014

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26 | Kitchen & Bath Design News May 2014 By Kim Berndtson Project Case Study { Spotlight on creative, problem-solving kitchens and baths } T here can be a lot of feet moving around this Farmington, NM kitchen when the homeown- ers' kids and grandkids drop by. For that reason, having a space with more room for people to visit and efciently move about was an important goal for its redesign. The kitchen was also in need of a major update, given its mauve wallpaper, laminate countertops and heavily grained dark cabine- try – which left it desperately trapped in the early 1970s, explains Diane Wandmaker, CMKBD/co-owner of Kitchen Studio in Albuquerque, NM. The designer worked with her husband/co-owner, Joe McDermott, who specializes in general contracting, to renovate the space. ISLAND ANCHOR The focus of the transfor- mation, and the heart of the space, is the generously sized, 12'-long island. To ac- commodate its dimension, Wandmaker lengthened the kitchen – by about a foot – extending it into the former breakfast nook that ultimately became a much-needed desk area. "We maintained a table in the dining area at one end of the kitchen," she says, "so we didn't need the breakfast area, too." She also squared up the new island to run parallel with the perimeter cabinetry, making a huge improvement in the kitchen's efficiency compared to the previous space, where the island was positioned diagonally across the room. The island's generous length gave Wandmaker the ability to add seating, which she deliberately located on the non-active hutch/oven side of the kitchen to keep visitors out of the flow of traffic on the more active sink side. A thoughtful sepa- ration of active/non-active sides of the kitchen also drove the placement of sever- al appliances. These include the Thermador refrigerator, which was moved to the sink side of the kitchen to accompany the U-Line under- counter refrigerator – which is located for convenient ac- cess by the grandkids – and the Thermador dishwasher and microwave. The island features cumin- stained Crestwood alder cabinets topped with Radianz Mirama Bronze quartz from Samsung with rounded/ notched corners that add softness and interest. Its multi-level top includes a Thermador cooktop that uti- lizes the existing duct work. Since the homeowner has some difculty lifting heavy pots, Wandmaker lowered it 3" to ofer cooking assistance. The designer also added pop- up outlets, one on each side of the cooktop, which help keep the space neat and tidy while providing easy access to electricity. Spice pull-outs fank each side of the cook- top as well. Additional special storage features include spice inserts in the island, file drawers in the desk area and trash/recycle containers next to the sink, all of which give the homeowners a way to get, and stay, organized. The designer contrasted the dark island with light- colored perimeter Crestwood Renoir maple cabinetry with a hand-rubbed glaze that gives it an aged feeling without excessive distress- ing. A Cambria Canterbury quartz countertop adds in- terest when mixed with the Mirama Bronze-topped island and existing medium-colored hardwood fooring. "The kitchen is fairly large," she says, noting its approximate 425-sq.-ft. size. "We wanted a mix of tones to add interest. We didn't want it too dark or too light." TRADITIONAL ELEGANCE A second focal point of the kitchen is the hutch, which embodies the traditional, el- egant style the homeowners desired. Special accents in- clude futed pilasters (which are repeated at the sink), lead/seed glass doors, wood valance (which is repeated above the sink) and bead- board backsplash (beadboard is repeated on the hutch side of the island). "They wanted to be able to display some DISPLAY SPACE Open shelves at both ends of this bank of cabinets provide extra display space for cookbooks and special collectibles. 'These [open shelves] also help prevent the space from feeling like a tunnel,' says Diane Wandmaker, adding that they are one of the frst elements visitors see when they walk into the kitchen. Kitchen Update Improves Effciency And Aesthetics A well-positioned and generously sized island serves as this kitchen's heart and anchors the redesigned space. CUSTOM 'HUTCH' Embodies a traditional, elegant design style MULTI-LEVEL ISLAND Adds interest to the design, with the lowered cooktop ofering enhanced accessibility COPPER FARMHOUSE SINK Ties in with copper backsplash accent tiles and copper-fecked quartz countertops WOOD VALANCE Matches the valance detail that is repeated on the hutch KBD_26-27_PCS.indd 26 4/15/14 10:40 AM

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