Spaces We Love: Kitchens Revealed
As with really good chocolate, sometimes you just have to indulge the craving. For us, that’s flipping through some of our favorite kitchens. We love remembering how they started out, how they transformed into wonderful gathering spaces, quiet breakfast spots, or baker’s delights. How our homeowners share stories of lively evenings with everyone huddled around the island.
Not to be enablers, but we thought you would like to come along as we stroll down our kitchen reno memory lane, coffee in one hand, dark chocolate in the other. Bon appetit!
The Bold Story
You may recognize our award-winning New Hope kitchen in the above photo. It has been a reader and media favorite, and it’s one of our faves, too. It is an example of taking a bolder approach to kitchen creation. From the wood columns and beams to the custom glass mosaic backsplash, this kitchen has personality for days.
Sometimes an otherwise light kitchen benefits from a bold, anchoring color. In this case, we painted the island a rich navy. What really makes the space pop, though, are the layers of texture we incorporated. We added dimensional millwork and corbels to the front of the island. Then we matched that with thickly-woven-back counter chairs with plush seats. The glass in the three pendants signals a lightness while the black metal gives substance and a hint of the Old World.
This young family needed us to utilize every inch of space for their active, overflowing lifestyle. We found a way to include an island with seating for four, floor-to-ceiling storage, a coffee bar and topped everything with quartzite that echoes the blue-on-white theme.
Breathing Room
Our client was concerned that their kitchen was dark and dreary. Working within the existing footprint of their Chestnut Hill twin, we inserted integrated custom cabinetry, added a square island and subtly textured backsplash tiles, all in shades of white and gray. Goodbye drab, hello fab.
When you love to entertain, there’s hardly ever “enough” space. Until, that is, we renovated this kitchen with wrap-around cabinetry enclosing appliances, a comfortable island with seating, and a peninsula all with direct access to the breakfast room. There’s no lack of gathering options here.
A long space adjacent to the family room created the perfect kitchen/breakfast room in Bryn Mawr. Aqua chairs add a happy pop of color around the classic round table. Quartzite tops the longest portion of the counter where this young family bakes together. The other end of the counter sports walnut butcher block. The island adds even more comfy seating. And, we hid the chef’s knives in a special drawer compartment out of reach from tiny hands.
Pantry Dreams
Pantries. They serve as food storage, prep space, china and serve ware butlers, baker’s corners and so much more. We have a love affair with pantries. Here are a couple we still have deep feelings for.
We created a pantry storage cabinet in a nook of this Penn Valley kitchen. Built-ins are our jam, and this one could store jar after jar of, well, you know…Fortunately, the homeowner decided to use it for her collections of modern and heirloom table ware. Lower drawers hold linens and other kitchen and dining essentials.
A whole-room pantry is a gem. This one is more like half the jewelry store. Overlooking a lovely pastoral vista, it has a full prep space, floor-to-ceiling cabinetry, space for a work table, to-the-ceiling tile and coziness to spare.
We hope you found our kitchen tour as satisfying as we have. Let us know what your dream kitchen would be? Maybe we can help you create it.
Until next time. Enjoy life.
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Glenna Stone Interior Design is an award-winning Philadelphia interior design firm serving Philadelphia, the Main Line, and surrounding cities. Utilizing her background and training in interior design, architecture, and engineering, Glenna specializes in creating interiors for residential and commercial design settings. We invite you to visit our website, view our portfolio, and catch up on the latest interior design concepts on our blog!