From Blah to Beautiful

By Kitchen of the Month

The owners of this Harrison house knew that white could be wonderful. They just wished that the vanilla kitchen they had inherited with their new home wasn’t so, well, bland. In the hopes of transforming their boring kitchen into a dazzling, functional space, they turned to Karen Williams, principal of Manhattan-based St. Charles of New York, who took an unworkable (and unremarkable) kitchen and swapped it for a stunning, supremely efficient space—all without expanding square footage.

A poor layout was to blame for the dance the kitchen’s occupants would do each morning in an attempt to grab breakfast, make lunch, and pack up homework. Williams began the renovation by removing the peninsula that landlocked the cook into the center of the kitchen, crowding her up against an obstruction of an island. A larger, more functional—not to mention more attractive—island now takes the place of the former island and peninsula, allowing traffic to flow around it to a breakfast table by the windows. Clean up is made easy at a sink with a custom drain board in its lava stone top, flanked by two dishwashers by Bosch, one on either side.

It’s not that expansion wasn’t an option and, at one point, the homeowners and Williams discussed doing just that. But ultimately, they agreed that more space wasn’t necessary; a better footprint in the existing area was. The homeowner wanted to keep the kitchen separate from the family room and didn’t want to lose an adjoining office, so Williams and her client painstakingly evaluated every item in the kitchen, deciding what would stay and what would go. In the end, the homeowner gave up some storage to have more room for appliances (including a refrigerator and freezers from SubZero, a rangetop and electric fryer by Wolf, and those two dishwashers).

Because the lady of the house loves to cook for her husband and two children, Williams created a custom cooking appliance. Using a metal artisan, she combined a range top, deep fryer, and sink with a butcher-block cover into a special unit with stainless-steel cabinetry. The entire appliance is topped by a custom of stainless-steel range hood with polished chrome trim. The pale green lava stone countertop, a walnut china cabinet, and rich chocolate brown Italian granite backsplash and counters, plus a touch of stainless cabinetry on the cooking appliance, mix it all up. For these homeowners, doing the white thing, when done right, is the best solution.

The kitchen was transformed from a ho-hum white builders’ kitchen (see before shots) into a stunning white one, with simple, Shaker-style cabinets highlighted by state-of-the-art appliances, warm wood floors, and maize-colored walls. Against the far wall, the TV/computer tucks up under the open bookshelf that stores cookbooks and knick knacks. A custom-built walnut china cabinet breaks up the expanse of white cabinets while providing a home to dinnerware and serving bowls.

Double wall ovens and warming drawers by Thermador make cooking—a feat mastered by the lady of the house—easy. Display cabinets with lighting showcase collectibles in the cabinetry that connects the wall ovens to the refrigerator center, where a SubZero refrigerator and freezer are hidden behind paneling.

Karen Williams of St. Charles of New York created this custom cooking appliance that includes a rangetop and electric fryer by Wolf, custom sink with faucet by Rohl, and stainless cabinetry to meet the need of a frequent cook.

A large, functional island takes the place of a smaller island and peninsula that cut the room the room in half. Topped with green lava stone, the island houses a stainless-steel Franke sink with a Rohl faucet, two dishwashers, a pull-out trash can, and plenty of storage space. Two pendant lights provide illumination for the cooks at the wide island, which has plenty of space for preparing meals.

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