Ah, the kitchen design! I have redesigned this space time and time again, continually tweaking to find the most functional layout. In this kitchen, our objective is to maximize storage while maintaining an open, airy feel. We want this house to feel serene, evoking feelings of a simple beach life. One thing I am doing in this kitchen that I have not done in YEARS (not since our very first home, 7 moves ago!) is upper cabinets! I toyed with many different layouts and kept coming back to uppers near the range. Open shelving felt too cluttered. Towers felt too heavy for the scale of the kitchen. A range alcove would have eliminated too much counter space. Ultimately, upper cabinets fit the bill! Gasp!
Before we dive into the layout, let's talk finishes! Bright, natural, organic...these are the words that we would like to describe our beach kitchen! We're taking inspiration from the streets of nearby Alys Beach, lined with white buildings, lush greenery, and Moroccan influence. Beige cabinets ("Misty Gray" by Wellborn cabinetry) will be used for the perimeter of the kitchen, The island will be white ("Glacier White" by Wellborn). I can't wait to see Taj Mahal quartzite countertops installed! I originally wanted marble but didn't want to worry about renters staining or scratching the real stone. Then, I selected a quartz alternative but never felt quite right about it! Finally, a friend of mine installed Taj Mahal in her home and after seeing the photo, I immediately thought, "that's it!" Quartzite is an extremely strong and durable stone...the beauty of marble but the durability of quartz. Easy YES! Taj Mahal is a beautiful earthy tone. The veining is somehow both subtle and dramatic. Zellige tile (which we have in our kitchen in Michigan) will add age and character to the kitchen. I love the way the light reflects off zellige! We will be going with this 2x6 brick. Originally, I was planning to install in a standard brick joint pattern but just switched to vertical straight stack. I feel like brick joint would be too traditional for the space, whereas vertical straight set feels a little more casual. Tile will be installed all the way to the ceiling above the sink. The wall parallel to the sink will have tongue and groove paneling, as will the adjacent dining room which will have built in seating. Below are some images of kitchens that I have been loving! This pendant screams "refined beach" which is exactly what we are going for! After hunting for appliances, we landed on Bertazzoni. I can't wait to cook on this range! The dishwasher and fridge will be disguised behind cabinetry. A vintage runner by the sink and pillows on the built in bench will add texture. I'm in love with this brass bridge faucet and will be hunting for hardware to match! Lastly, I am probably most excited for the butler's pantry under the fridge. The space had been utilized as a storage closet in the original plans. I asked if we could install base cabinets, open shelving, and tile to create a pantry and our builder loved the idea! Skinny oak French doors will allow natural light to flood the little pantry! I am contemplating this zellige pattern (which coordinates with the kitchen backsplash) to be installed from counter to ceiling, behind the shelving, which will add a whole lot of high design into the small space! Here are some photos that are inspiring our pantry! And now for the layout....as I mentioned, we want an open space but lots of storage! Originally, I designed the layout below but with towers on either side of the window and no uppers on the range wall. After some thought, the towers felt too narrow relative to their height (ceiling is almost 10'). Plus, the left tower door would be close to hitting the hood and it felt unnatural. Next, I considered towers on either side of the range with a little quartzite "shelf" between them that would run under the hood. This took away too much valuable counter space near the range where much of the cooking will be done! ![]() Sink + Range Wall
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