One of the most rewarding parts in this journey of design and remodeling is meeting with new clients. Hearing about their hopes and dreams for their homes and helping them visualize their goals. During our first design meeting I ask a lot of questions about how they use the space and how much and what kind of cooking they do. I challenge clients to dream big, to tell me what is missing from their kitchens, to let me know what’s not working for them. During this discovery period we usually establish our priorities.
Kitchen Priorities
The homeowners of the kitchen I am sharing today are empty nesters who really enjoy each other’s company. They spend a lot of time together in the kitchen. They cook together, eat together, enjoy making craft cocktails, and just about every night they play some kind of board game, just the two of them. In their previous kitchen, they were doing all of these activities in an out of date kitchen that had very little food prep space, and inadequate space for eat-in dining and gaming. High on their wish list was a proper bar and an ice machine. So, we had our priority list. 
Vintage Coastal Modern
In every kitchen there is a jumping off point in the design. These clients loved coastal colors and had inherited lots of mid century modern furnishings with sentimental value. Our style direction became Vintage, Modern, Coastal. The key element to bringing this style together was this gorgeous blue tile with lots of variation in color.
The backsplash is the star of the show and everything else in the kitchen needed to be a background player. We felt so strongly about the tile being the show stopper that we didn’t want to interrupt the pattern with wall outlets. Our clients invested in upgraded Legrand Adorne System under cabinet lighting and electrical outlets that are are installed right under the upper cabinets.
Some other big changes we implemented were completely replacing all the upper cabinetry with cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling. We replaced all the door and drawer fronts and painted all the cabinets Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee. We extended the island and added a wood base with legs that created a huge prep space AND seating for 4. We added a light stain to the wood to introduce some texture into our coastal vibe.
We completely removed the old desk area and built a custom bar with tons of storage and an ice maker. We painted the new bar in a soft blue green, Benjamin Moore Paris Rain to compliment the tile and repeated the light wood stain as an accent on the wine rack. All the countertops were replaced with a beautiful white quartz.
The most functional change we made was to replace the cramped dining table with two comfortable swivel chairs and nesting tables for their night time gaming sessions. This also makes a great conversation spot and comfy reading nook.
The clients replaced the two kitchen windows and it makes a huge difference.
We hung an oversized lantern over the island. Lighting tip: I prefer a large square or large round pendant over a square island. Two small pendants wouldn’t have had the same impact.
Our clients’ inherited mid century side board looks amazing in the new space along with the vintage large floral painting that was painted by a favorite aunt.
Lastly, we installed a pocket door and reworked the shelving in the pantry. Complete with these awesome pull out vegetable bins. The clients get all the credit for that idea. It turned out great.
We dreamed big- and we pulled it off-TOGETHER. 
After photos by Leslie Brown Photography
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Really lovely job. I can see myself playing board games in that creamy, dreamy space.
Thanks so much!!!