4 Airy and Open Kitchens

The kitchen remains the heart of the home in 2016. Coastal kitchens are showing trends that prove these were very important spaces for homeowners to design in both new construction and remodels.

Trends in kitchens include openness with daylight and views taking precedence. Higher ceilings with architectural details enhance the light bright and open composition. While the room remains neutral with white gray and black bolder accents infuse the personality of the homeowners.

Gathering spaces continue to be integrated and enlarged with the inclusion of informal dining and breakfast areas as the most important layout characteristic. The islands are still large and on average accommodate four barstools but current trends include double islands and additional seating.

The built-in look is trending with cabinet panels concealing fridges and pantry storage. Spice drawer pullouts glass door fronts for display and cabinets extending to the ceiling are still on trend while hoods are becoming more streamlined and less of a piece of contrast. Custom details such as toe kick cutout designs and illumination are desired to set each kitchen apart.

Appliances are becoming more specific to the function of the family whether it is a smaller dishwasher for empty nesters or a warming drawer for the family that loves to entertain and cook. Double ovens prep sinks in the island and microwave drawers are still prominently used. A common detail this year is a little pop of red on the knobs of each range.

Bradley Creek Point Road

A kitchen from the ’70s was renovated for empty nesters Barry and Leslie Hales who downsized to their new home on Bradley Creek Point Road. With many homeowners transitioning out of formal dining this layout is on trend with an informal dining area being integrated as an extension of the linear kitchen.

This renovated kitchen that the homeowner describes as chinoiserie (the European interpretation and imitation of Chinese and East Asian artistic traditions) shows trends from another angle — the red knobs on the Wolf range become a prominent accent tying into the red pendants and fabrics in barstools and window treatments. While the bones of the kitchen show the color trends of white gray and black the accents of blue-and-white porcelain dishware and Chinese red give the kitchen a peaceful personality and feel.

The red accents in the kitchen pull from a red chinoiserie china hutch a local hunt-and-find at Ivy Cottage. Some of the blue-and-white porcelain dishware are heirloom pieces while the furniture was found at a local auction and repurposed.

“You find one piece and it starts pulling the room together ” says Leslie Hales. “I grew up with blue and white and never liked it. Now that my mother passed away I wanted to include the pieces I had. The room feels soothing to me.”

The custom cabinetry built by Mike Powell at Coastal Cabinets is what sets this kitchen apart. The kitchen cabinetry is glazed in a soft gray while the butler’s pantry is high-gloss black. The toe kick design wasn’t ignored with a custom design cutout that shows a well-thought-out detail.

The bamboo pulls of various sizes on the cabinets shows strong with an emphasis on the built-in panels concealing the fridge and pantry. The use of glass cabinets illuminates the upper cabinets and gives height while providing display to add to an eclectic blend of colors and patterns.

Unique features include the quartz wrapping from the countertop surfaces to the backsplash a seamless transition that extends to the cabinet line above and wraps around the window above the farm sink. Dishwasher drawers are also convenient for the empty nesters who find themselves cooking less frequently.

RESOURCES Creating this Home of Distinction

BUILDER/CONTRACTOR

James R Burris Construction Co.

KITCHEN DESIGNER

Coastal Cabinets

INTERIOR DESIGNER

Payne and Pearson Designs

APPLIANCES

Atlantic Appliance & Hardware

AUDIO/VISUAL

Sound Decisions

BACKSPLASHES AND COUNTERTOPS

Sellers Tile and Custom Countertops

CABINET MANUFACTURER

Coastal Cabinets

ELECTRICIAN

Cribb Electric Inc.

FLOORING AND SPECIALTY WOOD

Evanko Hardwood Floors

HARDWARE SUPPLIER

Bird Decorative Hardware and Bath

MILLWORK

TRW Construction Co.

PLUMBING

Woodbury Plumbing Co Inc.

PLUMBING FIXTURES

Ihrie Supply Company

TILE

Southeastern Tile Connection

TILE INSTALLER

Sellers Tile and Custom Countertops

WINDOWS

E.W. Godwin’s Sons

WINDOW TREATMENTS

Pender Creek Design Workshop

Bald Eagle Lane

A double island layout is an innovative trend used to open up this Bald Eagle Lane kitchen that was renovated to accommodate entertaining. With custom cabinetry features such as toe kick lighting and an under cabinet strip that holds smart phones and tablets the homeowner has a place to charge hold and display recipes on the screen while the technology is safe above the countertop.

This kitchen becomes a place to cook and entertain infused with contemporary flare and an overall polished aesthetic. The trends include using shades of gray that show clean against the white quartz countertops multi-colored glass mosaic backsplash and slate floors. A charcoal gray island and light gray perimeter cabinetry stay within the theme of 2016 in addition to the sleek glass hood that hangs above a Wolf range with red knobs.

David James and Company worked with Leslie Stachowitz of Big Sky Design to gut the existing kitchen and expand square footage to accommodate a larger kitchen and a built-in nook behind the large island. The homeowners prep meals at a smaller island that is tucked inside the kitchen while guests sit at the larger island that includes the kitchen’s second sink and pendants hanging above.

RESOURCES Creating this Home of Distinction

BUILDER/CONTRACTOR

David James and Company

KITCHEN DESIGNER

Leslie Stachowitz/FFT Cabinetry

INTERIOR DESIGNER

Leslie Stachowitz/Big Sky Design

APPLIANCES

Atlantic Appliance & Hardware

AUDIO/VISUAL

Port City Sound & Security

BACKSPLASHES AND COUNTERTOPS

Apex Ceramic Tile & Marble Inc.

CABINET MANUFACTURER

FFT Cabinetry

CABINET INSTALLER

Kennedy’s Carpentry

ELECTRICIAN

SKC Electric

FIRE FIXTURE

Kennedy’s Carpentry

FLOORING

Intercoastal Hardwood Floors

HARDWOOD SUPPLIER

Craft Hardware

LIGHTING FIXTURES

Butler’s Electric Supply

MILLWORK

Kennedy’s Carpentry

PAINTING

Pro-Line Finishes

PLUMBING

RJP Plumbing

PLUMBING FIXTURES

Ferguson Enterprises Inc.

TILE AND TILE INSTALLER

Apex Ceramic Tile & Marble Inc.

South Lumina Avenue

A light and bright contemporary kitchen on South Lumina Avenue at Wrightsville Beach introduces the trend of combining a minimalistic design with a dramatic ceiling.

Homeowners Amy and Hiroshi Andrews wanted a white kitchen so that it always looked clean with their four children. The large island is where the children eat breakfast and do homework.

“I wanted light white natural and organic. We came from traditional but this is what we always wanted ” Amy says.

Architect John Parker worked with the couple to implement their ideas.

high-sheen finish on the ceiling allows light to play off the white and reflective surfaces. The shiplap beams run parallel enhancing the slope in the ceiling and giving the illusion of more height ” Parker says.

Other trends include the built-in areas such as the workstation desk to the left of the pantry with cabinet doors and pullout drawers. The appliances are also on trend including the induction oven microwave drawer and prep sink in the island.

The clean lines extend beyond the cabinet hardware and glass hood to the glass elevator that was made transparent to avoid blocking light to the kitchen and gain an ocean view that would have been obstructed otherwise. The natural and organic white oak floors add texture to the white cabinets and white quartz countertops.

Shades of white along with reflective and clear surfaces lend to the purity of the architectural design that enhances the transparency of the open space. Much like the kitchens that incorporate an informal dining area this layout is trending for families with young children.

The loft space above the kitchen has the computer so that Amy Andrews can see her children while cooking dinner be involved in conversations and answer homework questions.

RESOURCES Creating this Home of Distinction

BUILDER/CONTRACTOR

Konrady and Son Construction LLC

ARCHITECT

John B. Parker Architecture Inc.

KITCHEN DESIGNER

Mark Hopper Solid Concepts

INTERIOR DESIGNER

Jo Howell Big Sky Design

APPLIANCES

Atlantic Appliance & Hardware

BACKSPLASHES

Southeastern Tile Connection

COUNTERTOPS

Solid Concepts

ELECTRICIAN

Standard Power Inc.

CABINET MANUFACTURER

New River

CABINET INSTALLER

Solid Concepts

FLOORING INSTALLER

Jackson Floors

HARDWARE SUPPLIER

Bird Decorative Hardware and Bath

LIGHTING FIXTURES

Big Sky Design

MILLWORK

Solid Concepts

PAINTING

De Vries & Thompson Painting

PLUMBING

Banks Channel Plumbing & Mechanical LLC

PLUMBING FIXTURES

Ferguson Enterprises Inc.

TILE

Southeastern Tile Connection

TILE INSTALLER

Sellers Tile and Custom Countertops

Ridgecrest Drive

Wood beams float across the vaulted ceiling of the St. James Plantation home of Joe and Lucia Menendez showing a clean white-on-white aesthetic that is in keeping with current trends. The kitchen layout is multi-functional with an island to prep and seat grandchildren an informal dining table facing the kitchen and courtyard and the bar seating planking the right side.

“My husband is the cook ” Lucia Menendez says. “We don’t do formal very often but this layout works because he wants to be involved in conversations when we eat.”

This kitchen stays on top of cooking trends with the Wolf range pullout spice racks multiple ovens and warming drawer for dishes.

“We have a favorite salad bowl ” Menendez says. “My husband measured the size of the bowl to make sure we had storage and sinks big enough to wash it.”

White cabinets and subway tile backsplashes are still prominent but to offset the classic combination this kitchen shows contrast with countertop surfaces and unique tile above the range. The granite used for the island and perimeter both bring in earth tones on a light background with organic movement while the butcher block bar top offsets the bar and uncovers the warmth of the floors.

The courtyard-styled home has European influences with a focus on cooking and informal family living.

“We have lived in Paris and London and have always been taken back by the courtyard style. In Paris we could peek behind doors and see courtyards and it was intriguing ” Menendez says.

While kitchens are being designed around a view and to incorporate daylight architect Tilgman Herring designed this room to focus on the view of the courtyard and to bring in ambient daylight attributes the homeowners fell in love with while living in Paris and London. The clear story windows illuminate the high ceiling and break up the cabinetry with glass and light.

RESOURCES Creating this Home of Distinction

BUILDER/CONTRACTOR

David James and Co.

ARCHITECT

Hood-Herring Architecture

KITCHEN DESIGNER

Cinde Orr/Kitchen Blueprints

INTERIOR DESIGNER

Leslie Stachowicz/Big Sky Design

APPLIANCES

Atlantic Appliance & Hardware

BACKSPLASHES

Southeastern Tile Connection

AUDIO/VISUAL

Port City Sound & Security

CABINET MANUFACTURER AND INSTALLER

Kitchen Blueprints Inc.

COUNTERTOPS

Sellers Tile and Custom Countertops

ELECTRICIAN

SKC Electric

ELECTRICAL LIGHTING AND LIGHTING FIXTURES

Butler’s Electric Supply

HARDWARE SUPPLIER

Atlantic Appliance & Hardware

MILLWORK

Kennedy Carpentry

PAINTING

Cape Fear Custom Painting

PLUMBING

RJP Plumbing

PLUMBING FIXTURES

Bird Decorative Hardware

TILE

Southeastern Tile Connection

TILE INSTALLER

Apex Ceramic Tile & Marble Inc.