Kitchen Artisans

Designer: Katie Ott, AKBD, Kitchen Studio: Kansas City
The Goal: To restore the kitchen after a value malfunctioned and flooded it, matching the new space with the Prairie style of the rest of the home. 
The Challenge: Increasing space and functionality for a family of six by removing a wall and reconfiguring the floor plan.

The Result: With the kitchen ruined by water, Katie took the opportunity to change the look of the cabinets, which had been replaced just eight years earlier but didn't quite fit the style of the home. She suggested removing a wall to an unused sunroom, adding architectural beams to visually lower a sharply pointed ceiling to make the room feel more comfortable, and darkening the look dramatically. An L-shaped island solved an awkward spatial problem in the kitchen as a two-inch-lower countertop was attached to form a seating area. A large pantry with roll-out shelves and a concealed refrigerator both provide more room for food for four growing boys. An under-counter beverage refrigerator was added closer to the dining table for less hassle during meals, and other appliances were updated, including a double oven, gas range and warming drawer. Katie significantly updated the lighting plan with pendants, cans, task and decorative, all on dimmer switches, and custom-designed molding and the mantel hood for extra detail. 

Resources: Cabinets: Kitchen Studio: Kansas City |  Counters: Cambria
Counter Installation: TrendStone  l  Plumbing: Sink, Herbeau; Faucet, Rohl
Backsplash Tile: Stone Impressions  l  Decorative Glass in Cabinets: UroGlass
Decorative Lighting: Wilson Fan & Lighting  l  Painting & Custom Staining: Hill Company Painting and Home Improvement

Photos by: Bob Greenspan

This article originally appeared in the January/February 2010 issue of Kansas City Homes & Gardens.

Designer: Bev Gilbert, Regarding Kitchens
The Goal: To integrate existing space for better traffic flow and more storage. 
The Challenge: Removing walls to combine rooms, while making the new space appear part of the original home.

The Result: Bev's clients' 33-year-old home still had its original kitchen (all white cabinets and limited lighting) and floor plan that had the dining room butting up to the exterior and separated from the kitchen by a wall with a small entrance. The redesign swapped the two rooms and removed non-load-bearing walls so the spaces could flow freely. The homeowners gained 60 percent more storage space, better access to their outdoor kitchen and were even able to integrate their antique hutch into the new kitchen. One island — rustic red — houses a sink with walnut top for food prep; another parallel to it poses as a buffet area with seating. The perimeter features another sink, double dishwashers, custom alder-glazed cabinets, flat-screen TV, and the focal point: a glazed, hand-thrown ceramic backsplash behind the range surrounded by mosaic tile — it still makes the homeowner smile when she sees it. “It's very warm and inviting,” Bev says. “It's a kitchen you'd want to be in.”

Resources: Appliances: Regarding Kitchens, Thermador  l  Cabinets: Regarding Kitchens, Custom Cupboards  l Tile: Jeffrey Court Chapter, Sunderland Tile  l  Granite: Madura Gold, Braco Stone  l  Hardwood Floors: Acme Floor Co.

Photos by: Bob Greenspan

Designer: Sarah Madden, AKBD, Armstrong Kitchens
The Goal: To rework a dysfunctional floor plan with more efficient counter space and storage.
The Challenge: Removing a wall to incorporate the hearth room and finding creative reorganizational solutions.

The Result: Sarah's clients are a family who wanted to make and eat healthy food in their kitchen, so she moved every element from its former position to where it would make the most sense. The hood and cook top became the focal point of the room, and the oven moved to a wall position for easier access. The homeowner wanted a large island with seating, so Sarah doubled the size of the original island, but stools on one side would have hampered traffic flow. Getting creative, she designed an oval-shape bar top separated slightly from the island with a natural mahogany base that matches the cabinetry. She also incorporated a corner cabinet to ease tension in the flow of traffic and allow for easy viewing of the television. Because the hearth room was affected by the redesign, Sarah visually connected it to the kitchen by redoing the fireplace in the same stone used on the hood.

Resources: Cabinets: Armstrong Kitchens  l  Appliances: Factory Direct Appliance
Island Granite: The Gallery (Giallo Beach)  l  Perimeter Granite & Sink: Top Master
Tile: Sunderland Tile  l  Stone Hood: Complete Home Concepts l Pendant Lights: Wilson Lighting Locks & Fans  l  Demolition Materials Donated to: Habitat ReStore

Photos by: Steve Sanders

Designer: Cherie Brown, Kitchens by Kleweno
The Goal: To give shape to a formerly boxy kitchen with contemporary and Asian influences.
The Challenge: Reworking the original floor plan into an open, flowing space within the parameters of a high-rise condo.

The Result: After living in their midtown condo for 20 years, Cherie's clients decided they needed a new look. The penthouse view was awesome, but their small, rectangular kitchen was not. Cherie removed two walls and a closet behind the bar to enhance the transition from the kitchen, breakfast nook and bar to the living and dining rooms. The cut-stone, see-through fireplace with double flat-screen TVs is the only partition that separates spaces. Gray is the power color in this project, with stained hardwood floors, textured wallpaper and lacquered cabinets. The double wave islands feature fan-shaped, raised-glass countertops inset with custom Asian characters and bases shining with an iridescent green and purple holographic finish. Adding flair is an Italian hood, and black glass-front cabinets behind the bar add color to the gray palette. 

Resources:  Contractor, Granite Countertops, Tile, Wood Floors: DCM Construction
Cabinets, Appliances, Glass/Quartz Countertops, Monorail Lighting: Kitchens by Kleweno
 
Photos by: James Maidhof

Designers: David Zebley and Geri Higgins, Portfolio Kitchen & Home
The Goal: To finish a newly constructed home's kitchen in a way that's functional and unique to the clients' artistic expressions.
The Challenges: Working within the original footprint of the condo unit and integrating appliances, lighting, furniture and artwork already chosen by the homeowners.

The Result: Portfolio's clients had already built their home but needed someone to carry out their creative ideas and integrate artwork. Using inspirational pictures provided by the client, David designed a transitional kitchen that is uniquely functional and that embraces art and color. “It's not only the heart but the soul of the home,” Geri says. Focusing on creating simple sophistication, a flat slab door with horizontal grain is a refreshing welcome in this modern space. At the center is a granite-topped, U-shaped island, complete with a sink and dishwasher. The spacious custom white oak cabinets and deep drawers with organized compartments (also with horizontal grain) provide increased storage space on the inside, while on the outside, they feature contemporary hardware and under-cabinet lighting. David got creative around the built-in range, designing retractable doors above for a TV and a hidden hood, retrieved by pulling a small handle that pops it out like a canopy and away from the cabinetry to be seen only when in use. 

Resources: Builder: Brookstone Development   l  Cabinets: Portfolio Kitchen & Home
Countertops and Hardwood Flooring: Kenny's Tile & Floor Covering  l  Appliances: Factory Direct Appliance  l  Light Fixtures: Wilson Lighting Locks & Fans
 
Photos by: Jenny Wheat/Wheat Photography

Designer: Pam Vernon, Classic Kitchens
The Goal: To create a casually elegant kitchen for a large busy family that would look timeless after several generations.
The Challenge: Choosing materials that would give the room interest and fit in the appliances on the owner's wish list.

The Result: Pam's client had a good concept of what she wanted early on, including quality products that would not be too trendy and look great 50 years later. The homeowner, a former Home Economics teacher, planned on really using the space, so Pam designed it to be workable and low-stress. The kids cook and do homework at the island — an unbelievable single slab with no seam — on seagrass barstools that add texture to the large space or at the built-in banquette across from the bar. Pam anchored the room with perimeter cabinets in knotty cherry and contrasted them by selecting heartwood maple with a black glaze for the island, bar, hutch and buffet. Subway tile in natural stone and vintage, industrial-style light fixtures put a spin on classic looks. It's such a versatile palette that the owner likes to decorate the kitchen for every season. “It goes with everything,” she says.

Resources: Builder: Cecil & Ray Homes   l  Cabinets: Classic Kitchens, Woodmode   l  Granite Countertops: Bedrock International  l  Lighting: Wilson Lighting Locks & Fans   l  Appliances: Factory Direct Appliance   l  Tile: Weber Carpet   l  Barstools: Pottery Barn
 
Photos by: James Maidhof

Designer: Kathy Euston, Euston Kitchen Company
The Goal: To incorporate a “mother lode” of appliances in a good but tired kitchen layout.
The Challenge: Adding on 8 feet of space and making the addition look like it had always been there.

The Result: Kathy's clients didn't want a remodeled kitchen just for looks (although that was definitely part of it) — they actually wanted to bake and cook in it. The appliance list includes a 48-inch GE Monogram fridge, ice maker, Viking range top with griddle, Turbo Chef oven, KitchenAid steam oven, two undercounter refrigeration units, icemaker, wine storage and an original working 1952 ToastMaster double warming drawer. The floor plan remained much the same as the original, while the cabinets were exchanged for new white ones with black quartz countertops and a classic subway tile backsplash. The cherry wood island was stained to hide the marks of a well-worn workspace. The opposite side of the room offers a great baking counter, including a pop-up KitchenAid lift already plugged in to outlets inside the cabinets and a second sink. Double-wide pocket doors can close off the kitchen to direct everyone through the butler's pantry into the new screened porch, which holds a grill with vent hood, fireplace and heat lamps for near year-round use.

Resources: Architects: Lisa Sanford Duncan and Kara Carlson, R.A.
Interior Design: Marci Knoff, Room by Room  l  Contractor: John Keen, KeenKraft
Electrical: Teague Electric  l  Countertops: TrendStone  l  Appliances: Factory Direct Appliance
Cabinets: Custom Wood Products  l  Tile: Sunderland Tile  l  Lighting: Ferguson Enterprises  l  Patio: Randy Glass  l  HVAC: Hey Mechanical Service
 
Photos by: James Maidhof

Designer: Shawn McCune, CKD, Kitchen Design Gallery
The Goal: To give a confined 1,700-square-foot house a total makeover with clever curves, openness and functionality.
The Challenges: Increasing usability without adding on and elevating the ceiling without raising the roof.

The Result: “Not only is the kitchen up-to-date, but the quality is much nicer because they kept it small instead of adding square footage,” Shawn says. He started by opening up the home from the front entry through the living room, removing walls and adding an S-shape to the walls, which became paramount to the project. He also gave the ceiling extra height by arching it for a subtle dome effect and increased the size and number of windows in the now-combined space. The floor plan features Shawn's signature 15-inch-deep pantry on one wall, an island with a raised seating area, and perimeter workspace with a range top and hood as the focal point. For cooking efficiency, he included a Miele speed oven (which doubles as an oven and microwave), an undermounted Wolf range top, refrigerator drawers near the bar top and outlets on the inside of cabinets that house small appliances. He also added a six-zone lighting system that can create multiple mood effects.

Resources: All materials sourced through Kitchen Design Gallery

Photos by: Steve Sanders

This article originally appeared in the January/February 2010 issue of Kansas City Homes & Gardens.