Featured Project - Coastal Elegance Meets Midcentury Playful

Oct 12

This was a kitchen design/remodel we completed in 2018. The overall design of the kitchen was inspired by the client’s playful mid century modern aesthetic mixed with the coastal influences of their surroundings. The house has amazing views of the Monterey Bay and is located in a beautiful neighborhood in Aptos. We wanted to capture an elegant coastal influence with playful vibes.

For the layout, we re-oriented the island toward the ocean views to allow a better connection with the family room.

For the cabinetry, we used Quarter Sawn Red oak with a beautiful coastal gray stain mixed with some painted uppers to keep the feel a little lighter. I am big on mixing materials in a kitchen as it makes is more interesting. I purposely did not use on any uppers on the large tile wall to keep a more modern/open feel.

It would be hard to say what my favorite elements of the kitchen are, but here goes:

The Galley sink is a game changer. I would put one of these in every kitchen, in the island. I know people feel uncomfortable with a sink in their island, but it really works so well. And the Galley just adds to the functionality as you can wash, prep and serve simultaneously. We spend the majority of our time at the kitchen sink and the Galley in an island allows you to work efficiently while still connecting with your guests, family, etc. It has integrated cutting boards, drying racks, a bowl and colander that all work together.

The Miele Built In appliances are swoon worthy. They seamlessly integrate into the kitchen. The refrigerator disappears into the cabinetry, the ovens sit completely flush with the cabinetry and the cooktop is recessed into the countertop for a completely flush application. The paneled dishwasher is beautifully integrated in the island. My all time favorite appliance right now is the Steam/Convection Oven. This is another game changer in my kitchens. That would be a whole other blog post though. Suffice it to say, it tends to become everyone’s favorite appliance.

The glass cabinets that frame the tall appliances add an “other-worldly” feeling while providing amazing storage. We debated this entire wall a lot and played with a lot of different layouts until finally landing on this version. We all loved the symmetry of how these cabinets frame the tall cabinets. And I particularly love this blue green color! It is magical and adds a unique, dramatic tone that remains subtle and elegant. These really set the tone for the kitchen.

The countertops - I love the Cambria Annicca island. It feels like a river flowing into the ocean with white sands, and beautiful rock formations. And the bonus, it has a pop of purple stone in the veining that the client loved. For the perimeter countertops, we went with a more subtle Silestone material as to not compete with the tile.

The tile - this turned out beautiful. We debated this a lot - the colors, the layout, and the location. We used Pratt and Larson’s large Ogee shape - again to capture an oceanic feel with its wave pattern. We strained over the colors and finally landed on three beautiful blue-green-gray colors. I wish I could claim full responsibility for the tile layout. I walked in and the client’s babysitter was hanging off the wall meticulously placing all of the tiles for the tile contractor. It came out stunning. I wish I could hire her.

The functionality of the kitchen- why this kitchen functions. The corner is designed to semi “hide” the countertop appliances. The lemans corner provides maximum functionality for the corner access. The spices and oil pull out is conveniently located next to the cooktop. Baking pans are adjacent to the ovens. Large drawers offer easy access to pots and pans. The pantry has roll outs that provide easy access to all of the food storage.

This kitchen is an amazing show stopper with beauty, elegance and functionality.