Arlington, Virginia

This project’s launch happened simultaneously with the official confirmation of COVID in the U.S. The kitchen’s demolition had already happened. Cabinets and appliances were ordered. So now we had a new challenge to embrace. With teamwork, communication, and careful COVID practices, we were able to complete the project by the summer.

The old existing kitchen’s footprint was divided by several entry and exit points–a very common problem in poorly designed kitchens. If you look at the BEFORE photo, you can see that the three major functions–refrigeration, cooking, and sink–were all combined in one very small L-shaped area. At the far opposite side, flanking the family room, was an awkward peninsula that just “hung out” in the middle of both spaces.

My first agenda item then was: what do we do to improve the footprint? Here is how we proceeded after demo:

1) Relocated the existing dining room entry (to the right of the existing sink) farther to the left. We created a knee wall to close off the old entry, so we could increase the light into the kitchen from the dining room window.

2) We changed the patio doors to the deck to a single door, and added to the existing wall to create more length for the sink location.

3) Add new hardwood flooring throughout the family room and kitchen. All existing hardwood floors were sanded and refinished to match.
For the aesthetics, one of the first things I asked Anjali was: what are some of your favorite colors. She immediately said blue. Now we all know blue is not considered a color that stimulates one’s appetite in a kitchen, but in this case, we were able to pick an interesting funky 24 x 24 Mos Metalica Pol Ret porcelain tile from the The Tile Shop. It was was a smoky warm blue, and it offered some other hues such as brown, soft white, and gray to create a better transition with all the other design elements. This element definitely contributed to the unique feel of the space.

4) I suggested square stainless steel legs to knock it up a level from the proverbial plain painted.

5) Lighting is always a major consideration in any newly remodeled space. We added LED ceiling recessed and under cabinet lighting–along with a Corso Pendant by dweLED for the island seated area.

6) We added a separate beverage/communications center next to the family room–so these functions could would not interfere with the kitchen. We included a Docking Drawer with charging ports for the family’s phones and tablets.