Before & After

Juliet Braly Kitchen and Bath Designer, Juliet Braly Interior Design

Warm & Welcoming

Designer Juliet Braly took a dark and dysfunctional kitchen and created a colorful, warm, and welcoming space for cooking and entertaining. “We took out the wall separating the kitchen from the dining room to make a more open, family-friendly space,” Braly explains. The open space not only provided extra seating for family and friends but also allowed light from the dining room windows to brighten up the kitchen. “The effect created better flow and added a cheerful ambiance to the space,” Braly shares.

Another unique feature was the addition of a Dutch door at the far end of the kitchen. “The homeowners wanted access out to the back deck from the kitchen, so we added the Dutch door,” Braly explains. “The French double doors that are centered on the island mark the entrance used by family and friends. Since this space was going to be the heart of the home, we focused on making it as welcoming as we could.”

Maximizing the long shape of the room, a 15-foot island was a natural fit and created seating, storage, and prep space. Granite countertops rest atop the island and perimeter cabinetry in creamy-painted finish with a chocolate glaze, while bright, custom-painted turquoise cabinetry and butcher block countertops work together seamlessly to create a built-in desk space and a beverage buffet. “We were going for a comfortable, casual cottage look and feel,” Braly notes. “Using warm tones instead of cool colors created this look for us.” A farmhouse table with antique-painted chairs completes the look and adds a cozy yet spacious spot for gathering and eating.

Appliances: Siano Appliance Distributors

Cabinets and countertops: A1 Kitchen & Bath Design, LLC

Contractor: Tinker’s Custom Homeworks, Inc.

Dutch door: Interior Trim and Supply, Inc.

Flooring: SurfaceLinx

Photography by Med Dement

Jay Caughman Caughman + Caughman Architects

Simple Elegance

Architect Jay Caughman transformed a small, closed-off kitchen into a dreamy, sun-lit galley outfitted for a gourmet cook. The kitchen doubled in size by utilizing space from a seldom-used dining area. “The family ate in the old dining room, at most, twice a year. And it was taking up a large percentage of the open floor space,” Caughman recalls.

To accomplish the new design, the team removed a load-bearing wall separating the kitchen from the dining room, and replaced it with a structural beam. “Sun Construction did an amazing job getting that beam in place. The easy part was getting it to look good,” Caughman shares. “The new kitchen, even doubled in size, fits perfectly into the existing floor plan.” 

The oak flooring was stained to match the rest of the home’s flooring, and custom, painted maple shaker-style cabinetry was fitted to create the perfect amount of storage and display space. Soapstone counters top the back wall cabinets, while quartz countertops add a clean, sleek appearance to the 15-foot island. “We added just enough detail and flourish to give the kitchen its soul. We wanted the kitchen to be inviting, but we also wanted to have separate areas for cooking and entertaining,” Caughman explains. “So the island simultaneously serves as a separating structure and as a gathering place.”

The curved bench at the end of kitchen is an unexpected break in the clean, straight lines created by the island and cabinetry. “The curved bench throws in a little surprise, especially since it’s in a contrasting color,” Caughman notes. “Having an element that breaks the rules just a little bit, and that goes against the established language, reinforces that there is a language to the design. It ends up emphasizing the clean, sleek appearance of the space.”

Builder: Sun Construction

Cabinetry: T & C Cabinets

Countertops & Tile: Stone Source, Inc.

Flooring: Joel Germany

Photography by Matt Reiter

Marsha Yessick ASID, NCIDQ, Yessick’s Design Center

Naturally Chic

With beige walls, light-colored furniture, and brown floors, this dining room needed an update. “It was neutral against neutral,” interior designer Marsha Yessick recalls. “With a lake view outside the window, they wanted to use natural colors, so we just incorporated some contrasting tones to add a bit of liveliness to the room.”

The room already had beautiful moldings, thick trim work, and floor-to-ceiling windows, creating an easy backdrop on which to build. “We chose a deep gray grasscloth for the walls,” Yessick shares. “It added so much depth and dimension to the room. It really allowed the light, natural colors to stand out.” Yessick kept the heirloom dining suite and credenza that the homeowners loved, but recovered the dining chairs in a black and gold pattern to coordinate with the dark grasscloth and light wood. She picked out an area rug in the same colors and found matching lamps that incorporated dark and gold neutral hues as well. “The dark grays and light, gold-tinted neutrals give a warmth and depth to the room that it had been missing,” Yessick explains.

Finally, Yessick chose a beautiful bird motif for the window treatments. “To incorporate a bit of nature, we decided on a black and white fabric with wrens and finches,” Yessick shares. “But we didn’t want it to cover the views outside, so we only had a valance made to add some flair.”

Homeowners: Dr. Mike and Barb Tew

Photography by Matt Reiter

Carol MacKinnon Ana Woodworks

Federal Flair

Designer Carol MacKinnon took an outdated library and updated it to a formal, Federal-style masterpiece. “Years before, the library had been designed in a more casual style, but we had recently updated the rest of the home in a Federal style,” MacKinnon recalls. “So, we designed this library to match the formal elegance of the estate.”

MacKinnon and her team gutted the library down to the studs and constructed the cabinetry, paneled walls, millwork, and coffered ceiling out of cherry wood. “There were oak built-ins and millwork around the fireplace before, but we chose to use cherry because it has a more refined look to it,” MacKinnon shares. “We had used a dark cherry in other parts of the home, so it was important to keep a consistent look, and the stain was light enough to show some of the wood grain but dark enough to create a sophisticated, high-end finish.”

The custom carved moldings feature reeded columns around the door casing and fireplace surround, decorative capitals on the fireplace, and an ornate swag with flor de lis under the mantel. “Federal style is composed of more formal elements like these custom carvings, which are delicate in size and scale,” MacKinnon explains. “Most importantly, Federal style is all about balance, which gives it a classic, timeless appeal, and makes it a flawless fit for this room.” The beautifully carved beams in the coffered ceiling complete the formal design by adding more dimension and richness. “Without the cherry coffered ceiling, the library would have looked incomplete,” says MacKinnon. “It was sheet rock before, and its stark white color would have distracted from the woodwork if we kept it. Now, the coffered ceiling adds a warmth to the room that was missing.”

Contractor: Sterchi Construction

Marble: Stone Source, Inc.

Photos courtesy of Ana Woodworks/by Dan Henry