WARWICK, RI — Although the bold and saturated green-hued cabinetry in this renovated Tiverton, RI home has become a stunning show-stopper for the renovated kitchen, it ironically wasn’t on the homeowners’ radar at the beginning of the design process.
“She’s an artist and she wanted something different…something that was really warm and inviting,” says Kingsley Catalucci, design consultant, RIKB Design Build in Warwick, RI. “She didn’t necessarily request green specifically, but we were inspired to offer it as an option based on a sample we had in the showroom. Now, the cabinetry is a focal point for the room, and it has become a favorite element for our clients and everyone who sees it.”
Removing an exterior wall allowed for an addition, which was turned into a baking room. Photo: [TEN] Real Estate Photographers. www.imageten.com
Updates and Upgrades
While the Benjamin Moore Caribbean Teal paint steals the show aesthetically, custom features within the Cabico cabinetry fulfills the clients’ request for increased storage with greater functionality. The homeowners also wanted to improve the efficiency of their new kitchen and update/upgrade the finishes.
“They had a very small, outdated kitchen with an eat-in table,” she explains. Repurposing the former dining room and kitchen into just a kitchen by opening up some ‘winged’ walls and removing an exterior wall that now leads to an addition (see sidebar) made the new kitchen three times larger than its predecessor. “By using custom cabinetry, the homeowners can now easily store all the items they use regularly that are too big to set on the counter or store in the basement, items such as mixers, blenders, etc. With a larger footprint, we were also able to increase the quantity of cabinets.”
Of noteworthy interest is custom storage created with the countertop-style cabinets with glass doors that complement traditional-height, glass-door wall cabinets that flank the kitchen window at the front of the house.
“We loved adding the ‘bookshelf’ cabinets,” she reports. “They provide a great place for her to store cookbooks and display other items.”
Additional custom cabinetry features include the double islands, which offer expanded worktop surfaces as well as storage. The smaller island is located within close proximity to the undermount Blanco Silgranit farmhouse sink, while the larger of the two hosts the Viking appliances, including the range, refrigerator, French-door oven and microwave. However, since the furniture-style pieces aren’t permanently anchored, the homeowners can move them to wherever they are needed most.
“With two smaller islands, rather than one large one, we could create prep space on both ends of the kitchen,” indicates Catalucci. “Plus, without a massive island in the middle, walkways are expanded and our clients can easily cross back and forth between each side of the kitchen. Making them moveable enhances their functionality, since they can shift them based on comfort and what is needed so they can have more floor space. The custom islands are really a nice touch.”
For the cabinetry on the larger island, which houses the homeowner’s larger-sized baking accoutrements such as pans and a stand mixer, the designer specified bottom-hinged doors.
“Hinging the doors at the bottom means they don’t take up any walkway space,” Catalucci explains. “Now she can easily lift out her stand mixer and access her baking pans.”
Catalucci’s clients wanted two different countertop surfaces with different textures, so she used butcher block for the islands, which they can cut on directly for food prep, and quartz for the perimeters, which is soft and neutral to complement the cabinetry.
Incorporating Wood Accents
Topping the islands with John Boos cherry butcher block ties them to the other wood pieces used throughout the kitchen, including the oak flooring, window trim and doors, support header and ceiling beams, the latter to which Catalucci attached a pot rack to display her client’s copper pots and pans and keep them within easy reach. The designer also incorporated several floating wood shelves that flank the trio of windows above the sink.
The wood countertop surfaces also serve as a differentiation from the Silestone Desert Silver Suede perimeter countertops, which coordinate well with the 3″x12″ ceramic white/gray subway tile used as a backsplash in several places throughout the kitchen.
“Our clients wanted two different countertop surfaces with different textures,” the designer explains. “We used butcher block for the islands, which they can cut on directly for food prep. We liked the durability of quartz for the perimeters and the color we chose is soft and neutral so it complements the cabinetry really nicely. Our clients didn’t want to incorporate anything with a sheen, so the matte finish doesn’t provide much of a reflection.” ▪