Kitchen of the Week
Kitchen of the Week: Modern and Traditional Elements Mix in Minneapolis
A homeowner’s love for Belgian design is reflected in an updated kitchen that offers great function with transitional style
Sitting on a porch swing under a pergola in the Tuscan countryside sounds like an ideal way to spend an afternoon. But put that scenario inside a Minneapolis kitchen and, well, it’s not for everyone. That was the situation for a professional couple and their two teenagers.
A previous homeowner had brought in a blue-sky ceiling, decorative columns and, yes, a pergola with a porch swing as part of the kitchen design. After six years of living with the kitchen, the couple worked with designer Kate Roos to create a more user-friendly space that reflects the wife’s love of Belgian design — not Tuscany.
A previous homeowner had brought in a blue-sky ceiling, decorative columns and, yes, a pergola with a porch swing as part of the kitchen design. After six years of living with the kitchen, the couple worked with designer Kate Roos to create a more user-friendly space that reflects the wife’s love of Belgian design — not Tuscany.
AFTER: Roos scrubbed the pergola with swing, decorative columns and other Tuscan elements from the design. She widened an opening into the breakfast room to allow room for a new center island. The island features an elegant marble top, an integrated sink with a brass faucet and a quarter-sewn white oak base with a cerused finish. The homeowner had seen the latter while viewing photos on Houzz and liked the subtlety of the look.
Gray walls and custom cabinets and a crisp white ceiling set a soothing tone. The vintage glass pendants over the island once hung in a Belgian grocery store. The glass door on the right leads to a terrace.
Paint by Benjamin Moore: Wind’s Breath 981 (walls) and Simply White 2143-70 (ceiling and trim); pendants above island: 1stdibs; island counter: Bianco Lasa Oro marble, Terazzo & Marble Supply; island stools: Industry West; cabinets: custom-designed by Kate Roos Design; cabinet hardware: Ashley Norton; cabinet paint: Charleston Gray, Farrow & Ball; sink: Kohler; sink faucet: Waterworks
Gray walls and custom cabinets and a crisp white ceiling set a soothing tone. The vintage glass pendants over the island once hung in a Belgian grocery store. The glass door on the right leads to a terrace.
Paint by Benjamin Moore: Wind’s Breath 981 (walls) and Simply White 2143-70 (ceiling and trim); pendants above island: 1stdibs; island counter: Bianco Lasa Oro marble, Terazzo & Marble Supply; island stools: Industry West; cabinets: custom-designed by Kate Roos Design; cabinet hardware: Ashley Norton; cabinet paint: Charleston Gray, Farrow & Ball; sink: Kohler; sink faucet: Waterworks
AFTER: The sink was relocated to the new island. A convection oven now occupies the space on the end. Separate stainless steel refrigerator and freezer columns flank a new hidden coffee station.
The large pantry armoire (seen beyond the oven) stores the bulk of the family’s dry goods and includes vertical tray storage in the base, rollouts and drawers. The cased opening offers a view of the staircase to the upper level of the home. The open doorway at the right of the armoire leads to the dining room.
Stainless refrigerator, freezer and convection oven: Sub-Zero and Wolf
The large pantry armoire (seen beyond the oven) stores the bulk of the family’s dry goods and includes vertical tray storage in the base, rollouts and drawers. The cased opening offers a view of the staircase to the upper level of the home. The open doorway at the right of the armoire leads to the dining room.
Stainless refrigerator, freezer and convection oven: Sub-Zero and Wolf
The large cabinets on top of the refrigerator and freezer store seasonal items.
Tucked-away cabinet doors open to reveal the coffee station, which includes a stainless steel microwave, marble countertop, espresso maker and blender. The large drawer below the coffee center holds utensils and measuring spoons, while the middle lower cabinet with pullouts holds morning essentials like cereal bowls, an egg cooker and small plates for toast.
Microwave: GE
Microwave: GE
The updated layout includes a bar around the corner from the navy blue French range. “While the range was definitely a splurge, we were able to use porcelain tile under $10 a foot for the floor,” says Roos, who placed the tiles in a herringbone pattern. The floor has radiant heat, which comes in handy during the cold Minnesota winters.
Shallow shelves added on each side of the range allow display storage of oils and spices. A piece of salvaged wood caps the range area.
Range: La Cornue; hood liner: Wolf; backsplash tile in cooking area: Pratt & Larson; floor tile: Ceramic Tileworks
Shallow shelves added on each side of the range allow display storage of oils and spices. A piece of salvaged wood caps the range area.
Range: La Cornue; hood liner: Wolf; backsplash tile in cooking area: Pratt & Larson; floor tile: Ceramic Tileworks
Roos designed the new bar to resemble something in a stylish European cafe, with a marble shelf and backsplash and distinctive wall-mounted light fixture.
Marble top and backsplash: Bianco Lasa Oro marble, Terazzo & Marble Supply; sconce: Allied Maker
Marble top and backsplash: Bianco Lasa Oro marble, Terazzo & Marble Supply; sconce: Allied Maker
This view from the pantry and bar area shows the elegant tufted banquette added where the porch swing and pergola once sat.
The banquette gets lots of natural light thanks to two of the kitchen’s four arched windows. It was designed to look like a piece of furniture, with legs that lift the piece off the floor. The wife “wanted something more than just island seating, where she could entertain as well as have casual family meals,” Roos says.
Pendant light: Acorn, Northern Lighting
Pendant light: Acorn, Northern Lighting
BEFORE: This floor plan shows the unusual angles of the original kitchen, and how the appliances felt too spread out.
AFTER: As this floor plan illustrates, the updated layout makes better use of the space and improves the connection between appliances and views outside, as well as giving the family more storage and a better space for entertaining.
“To me, it’s elegant simplicity,” Roos says. “This client knew what she wanted. It has a lot of detail, but it’s done in a restrained way that fits with the rest of the house.”
More
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Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Kitchen
“To me, it’s elegant simplicity,” Roos says. “This client knew what she wanted. It has a lot of detail, but it’s done in a restrained way that fits with the rest of the house.”
More
Know the 3 Zones of Kitchen Storage
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Kitchen
Kitchen at a Glance
Location: Minneapolis
Who lives here: A professional couple and their two teenagers
Size: About 368 square feet (34.1 square meters)
Designer: Kate Roos Design
BEFORE: The extended L-shaped layout and strong Tuscan theme weren’t working for the homeowners. Here you can see the blue-sky ceiling, decorative columns and a bit of the pergola (to the right in this photo), from which hung a porch swing.
Also, because the previous homeowner was over 6 feet tall, the kitchen had counters that were 3 inches higher than standard height, which posed a problem for the petite wife.