Kitchen of the Week: White, Blue and Brass Brighten Things Up
A lighter palette and a new layout give this Illinois couple a more open, inviting kitchen with lots of storage
Bill and Lisa Cleaver wanted a bright, functional and open kitchen. In other words, the exact opposite of their existing cramped and overwhelmingly brown-and-beige kitchen. “It had only one drawer, which wasn’t the most practical,” Lisa says.
After three years living with all the browns, the dropped ceiling and a raised peninsula storage feature that cut the kitchen off from the family room, the Cleavers hired designer Susan Klimala to rejigger the layout, brighten the color scheme and add functional storage.
After three years living with all the browns, the dropped ceiling and a raised peninsula storage feature that cut the kitchen off from the family room, the Cleavers hired designer Susan Klimala to rejigger the layout, brighten the color scheme and add functional storage.
After: This photo, taken from about the same angle as the previous photo, shows the updated kitchen with the dropped ceiling removed. “It makes such a huge difference in the feel of the space,” Klimala says.
Klimala also removed the peninsula and added an island, which she rotated to create better flow and more openness with the family room.
Lisa says she and Bill delayed the start of the renovation for about four weeks while they decided on the color for the base of the island. They considered going with gray but are happy they went with the light blue (Providence Blue by Benjamin Moore), which contrasts nicely with the soothing gray walls (Metropolitan by Benjamin Moore) and the dark brown-and-ebony stained red oak wood floors.
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Klimala also removed the peninsula and added an island, which she rotated to create better flow and more openness with the family room.
Lisa says she and Bill delayed the start of the renovation for about four weeks while they decided on the color for the base of the island. They considered going with gray but are happy they went with the light blue (Providence Blue by Benjamin Moore), which contrasts nicely with the soothing gray walls (Metropolitan by Benjamin Moore) and the dark brown-and-ebony stained red oak wood floors.
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This wider view shows the efficiency of the redesigned kitchen layout. “Even though the room is quite large, the work triangle is very tight, with the large fridge, sink and range all nearby for easy maneuvering during meal prep,” Klimala says. “There is seating for four at the island, and work aisles are generous.”
The white painted maple cabinets feature natural brass pulls that complement the gilded iron-and-glass lanterns above the island as well as the island stools, which Lisa painted herself. The quartz countertops have a warm white background and an elegant feel. “The island has a mitered two-inch-thick top that’s thicker than the perimeter counters to give it some prominence,” Klimala says.
The doorway seen on the right side of this photo leads to the front entry of the home.
The white painted maple cabinets feature natural brass pulls that complement the gilded iron-and-glass lanterns above the island as well as the island stools, which Lisa painted herself. The quartz countertops have a warm white background and an elegant feel. “The island has a mitered two-inch-thick top that’s thicker than the perimeter counters to give it some prominence,” Klimala says.
The doorway seen on the right side of this photo leads to the front entry of the home.
The location of a paneled dishwasher to the left of the island sink makes it easy to unload often-used dishes into the upper cabinets on the left.
Behind the six-burner range, an eye-catching tile mural made of Calacatta and Thassos marble and brass inlays creates a focal point that stands out from the 3-by-12-inch honed Thassos marble field tile used for the rest of the backsplash. Lisa “really wanted to bring in the gold accents, so we kept a little gold in the backsplash design,” Klimala says. “I also love how the triangular pattern of the tile plays with the design of the light fixtures at the island.”
Klimala removed an existing pocket door and created an open doorway to the dining room farther down the wall to make more room for the paneled refrigerator and storage on the left.
Two appliance garages, one on each side of the range, feature lift-up doors that save space. The homeowners “didn’t want to leave items on the counter that would detract from the beauty of the design,” Klimala says.
The appliance garage to the right of the range, shown here, contains a coffee maker, while the one to the left stores a toaster oven. “We use our toaster oven a lot, and I wanted to get it off the counter,” Lisa says. “It’s a great feature to have.”
Before: From this angle in the previous kitchen, you can see how the raised peninsula blocked views to the family room. You might also notice the lack of drawers; the homeowners stored utensils in a canister next to the stove.
Klimala and the homeowners went back and forth about what to do with the transom window over the refrigerator before deciding to eliminate it and install open shelving for extra storage.
Klimala and the homeowners went back and forth about what to do with the transom window over the refrigerator before deciding to eliminate it and install open shelving for extra storage.
After: With the transom window removed, Klimala created a bar area with open shelves, a small refrigerator and wine cubbies. “It’s the perfect little buffet spot for entertaining,” she says. “Since the neighboring room has literally three walls of almost full-height windows, the kitchen gets plenty of light.”
Pull-out pantries, one on each side of the bar area, store cereal, canned goods and other items.
Pull-out pantries, one on each side of the bar area, store cereal, canned goods and other items.
Both Klimala and Lisa feel the gold brackets are a great fit for this kitchen. “The gold shelving brackets, the large pendant fixtures over the island and the tile mural behind the range all pay subtle homage to the home’s Prairie-style architecture and bring a bit of sparkle to the room,” Klimala says. “Lisa was willing to take some design risks, which always makes for an interesting space.”
Lisa says the renovation gave her and her family a kitchen with better circulation and more connection to the family room, which has significantly improved their lifestyle. “We definitely entertain more, and everyone sits around the island,” she says.
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Lisa says the renovation gave her and her family a kitchen with better circulation and more connection to the family room, which has significantly improved their lifestyle. “We definitely entertain more, and everyone sits around the island,” she says.
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Bill and Lisa Cleaver and their two kids, one in high school and one in college
Location: Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Size: 292 square feet (27 square meters)
Designer: Susan Klimala of The Kitchen Studio of Glen Ellyn
Before: This view of the existing kitchen from the family room shows how the brown-and-beige palette coupled with the raised peninsula storage feature and dropped ceiling created a dark and cramped-feeling space.
The peninsula was a major source of frustration for Lisa. “It was very tall, and you couldn’t even tell if anyone was in the family room,” she says. “It just didn’t allow the rooms to flow together.”
Klimala and her team investigated and discovered that the dropped ceiling was mostly decorative. “With the exception of a little bit of work to some plumbing from an upstairs bathroom and rerouting of the ventilation system within the original floor joists, we were in the clear,” Klimala says.
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