Featured Project - Beach Cottage Transformation - Foody Creates Dream Kitchen

Mar 29

Meet Mr. ChefFireFighterBeachLover. He lives in a small-ish beach cottage in Capitola, He surfs, raises his teenage daughter, and watches cooking videos avidly (Check out Sam the Cooking Guy). He loves to cook. Like really loves to cook. And he may have had the worst kitchen I have ever seen. Doors falling off, one light bulb that barely lit a quarter of his kitchen, no storage…the list goes on. This was his dream - remodeling his kitchen (really it involved the kitchen, dining room and living, but the main focus was the kitchen).

The challenge was how to create a hard working, functional, gourmet kitchen in a fairly small footprint. We also needed light, seating, countertop space, and ample storage for food and all of the kitchen accessories and appliances. And of course, we needed to create a space that reflected both his and his daughter’s aesthetic - beachy, sophisticated yet casual, earthy while still being light and airy.

We started by increasing the size of the window in the kitchen. We made it much larger to bring in light and views to the backyard. We took out the wall that separates the kitchen from the living room to open up the space. We extended the kitchen further into the living room areas and made a super functional island for prepping, eating, and beverage storage (it’s amazing how much alcohol can be stored in a six inch deep cabinet).

We picked two guiding elements for the kitchen - rustic hickory base cabinets (the earthy, durable element) and Farrow & Ball Borrowed Light Paint (the light and airy element). He fell in love with a sample door I showed him of knotty hickory with a stain and black highlight. I was thrilled, as Hickory is super durable and wears well in a high-use kitchen. And Borrowed Light - what an amazing guiding color to bring in that light and airy feeling while providing a subtle nod to the beach community where he lives. We used white painted upper cabinets to keep the kitchen light without the fear of them getting too abused as the lowers. All in all, this kitchen truly transformed Mr ChefFireFighterBeachLover’s life!

Some of the features and products we incorporated:

Open bookshelf for his many cookbooks

Tall wall cabinet for pantry storage (we could not fit a full size pantry)

Shallow island cabinets for bottle storage

36” Professional Dacor Range

Beverage/Wine Fridge

Knife Block Drawer

Various drawer organizers

Speciality corner storage unit for pots and pans

Island for seating

Integrated crown molding that ties the kitchen and living room together

Hand Blown Glass pendants by Bicycle Glass

Farm sink

Island Stone Glass Tiles in two tones - Pure Silk & Oceania

Vent a Hood Range Hood

Custom Cabinetry by Crystal Cabinet Works

Countertops by Caesarstone - Alpine Mist

Sharp Microwave Drawer

Cabinet Hardware by Emtek - Sweep Pull

Photography by Kate Falconery Photography

Beach Cottage Kitchen Transformation

A balance of durable hickory cabinets and white uppers keeps a light and airy feeling in this gourmet kitchen. A small island provides a high level of function for prepping and dining.

Custom Cabinetry Creates Light and Airy Kitchen

A combination of white painted cabinetry and rustic hickory cabinets create an earthy and bright kitchen. A new larger window floods the kitchen in natural light.

Dacor Professional Range for a Serious Foody

This professional Dacor range was the crowning jewel of this beautiful kitchen. As a true foody, the range was a very important decision in this kitchen renovation.

Glass Tile Backsplash Honors Beach Living

We chose Island Stone glass tiles that give a subtle nod to the Capitola Beach vibe. We chose colors that perfectly match the Farrow & Ball Borrowed Light paint color. The Caesarstone countertops provide a durable, beautiful surface for the multitude of kitchen tasks.

Custom Cabinetry - Hard Working Pantry

As we did not have room for a full size pantry, we created this tall cabinet that houses a large array of daily pantry items. The cabinet below has three roll outs and stores more pantry items.

Kitchen Accessories Maximize Storage

Hafele Lemans corner storage unit provides flexible storage for pots and pans close to the range.

Custom Storage Drawer House Special Knifes and Cooking Utensils

This custom designed drawer provides multiple storage options for silverware, and kitchen utensils

More Custom Kitchen Drawer Storage and Organization

Dividers provide an easy way to organize kitchen drawers

Clever Kitchen Island Storage

What can we do with 6” of space? … Bottle service for the host and guests!

Custom Spice Roll Out Organizers for the Hard Working Kitchen

Roll outs were carefully planned adjacent to the Dacor Range for easy access and storage.

Floor Plan of New Kitchen

Floor Plan - Before Renovation