When I decided to open up walls in our kitchen renovation, I had to consider the kitchen design carefully from every angle. What would be the first impression when you entered our home? How much kitchen could you see from the entryway? Sitting on the sofa and gazing over at the kitchen, would I be looking at a sinkful of dishes? A hulking stainless steel appliance? I wanted to avoid building the kitchen that ate the living room.
Looking at the sink elevation: Did I need wall cabinets? No, they would block the line of sight to the window. I could gain storage capacity by using all drawer bases.
It pays to consider every elevation as a vignette if you want your "after" photos to sing. These are the considerations that gave shape to my kitchen design.
As you can see, little by little, I made additions—the marble slab backsplash, the brass picture shelf, the recess for a stool, where I can sit and read recipes.
Treating each elevation as a vignette was a revealing exercise, and the result is a kitchen that looks beautiful from every angle, no matter where I'm standing.
The Cabinetry
Choosing my cabinet door style was a foundational decision. I tend to let the architectural style of the home dictate style. Our home was built in 1946—mid-century—so I could very well have gone with slab doors. It would have fit right in with the clean lines of the architecture of the era. But when I closed my eyes and pictured all of us sitting in the future living room—say, sitting on the sofa, reading a good book or listening to music—and imagined my gaze setting idly upon... so much kitchen... I didn't like the image that I saw in my mind's eye.
Slab doors would feel utilitarian. And that subway tile that I'd long thought I wanted—which was a big trend the year I was planning this kitchen—was wrong, as well. The backsplash was going to be a focal point everywhere you stood, so it would need to be really special.
An open kitchen is an extension of the living and dining room, so as beautiful as openness can be, formal cabinets with milled cornices and ornate crown molding would be overwhelming.
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| Christopher Peacock kitchen via Kitchen Design Network |
Instead, I chose traditional white Shaker doors, but used them in a modern slab fashion, elongated and devoid of hardware. In lieu of bling-y handles, I chose simple white edge pulls that fade into the woodwork.
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| Via Sweeten |
The Pantry Run
The kitchens I admire most—Poggenpohl, DeVOL, Henrybuilt, Plain English, British Standard—have certain design principles in common. A main takeaway for me is that they bank all tall pantries to one side. This lends simplicity, symmetry, and grace to the design so that it's easy on the eyes.
I did this, too.
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| Via Sweeten |
Paneled Appliances
I would be doubling the size of our kitchen by annexing what was the former dining area. Nice, but also risky. The kitchen would now run the entire length of the living room but on a raised platform, so if I got the proportions or the design wrong, it could feel like we are living in a kitchen.
I wanted the fridge out in the open, where anyone could grab a drink without disturbing the cooks, but I didn't want to be staring at a stainless-steel monolith, however luxury-priced, from every seat in the house. So a paneled fridge was absolutely essential—and I did a great deal of research to find one that could be totally integrated.
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| Via Sweeten |
The Cooktop Vignette
In our original kitchen, the range was adjacent to the sink. Moving the cooktop to the opposite wall was an added expense—the plumber had to run a branch over the ceiling to the gas line—but it was worth it.
Consider this kitchen below that's been recently remodeled and that is very much like ours. It's lovely, and a vast improvement over the "before." The homeowner made different choices.
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| A kitchen similar to ours via Sweeten |
Given our narrow 30" aisle, if I'd kept the range on the sink run, I'd still have the problem of not being able to stand in front of the oven when removing baking. Plus, we'd not have the beautiful vignette of the cooktop and marble backsplash.
In addition, wall cabinets above the range would have blocked light and line of sight to the windows, so the kitchen would not have seemed as open, spacious, and bright.
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| Via Sweeten |
The Sink Vignette
And I would have missed the opportunity to create this lovely vignette above the sink.
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| Via Sweeten |
... with a brass picture shelf to lean artwork on.
These vignettes don't just happen, they have to be planned. It's an extra consideration in the design process and, in all transparency, I tinkered quite a bit with it.
Here are some of my early sketches:
At first I had just a marble slab backsplash, with no shelf.
At one point, inspired by some DeVOL and Plain English kitchens that I love, I tried out sconce lighting. New and fresh then, it's seen in kitchens everywhere now. But for our kitchen, it didn't have the right mid-century feel.
I went instead with slim-profile brass cylinder pendants. And I'm happy with the choice. Not only do they provide great task lighting exactly where I need it for food prep, they draw the eye upward, accentuating the height of the ceilings.
As you can see, little by little, I made additions—the marble slab backsplash, the brass picture shelf, the recess for a stool, where I can sit and read recipes.
Treating each elevation as a vignette was a revealing exercise, and the result is a kitchen that looks beautiful from every angle, no matter where I'm standing.
It's a vast improvement over our previously cramped galley kitchen. Here's a look at some of the "befores."
View more Before + Afters at the Renovation Diary.
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