For those who love to garden, Atlanta is the ideal environment for growing everything from collards to cauliflower. Two empty-nester locals enjoyed gardening, cooking their own vegetables and canning, but their kitchen was much too small and enclosed to truly appreciate the views from the garden outside. They turned to designers Rick Goldstein and Lee Woodall of Atlanta-based MOSAIC Group to transform their kitchen of 20 years into a space that finally reflected them and their hobbies.
“Our goal was to add just the right amount of space for an island without creating too large of a room,” said Goldstein. “The clients also wanted to see the gardens and lake behind their home.”
Adding Onto the Kitchen
The first and biggest challenge the design team faced was how to make the kitchen larger. All they needed to do was add four feet, but they also had to find a way to support the second story.
“We needed to install a 24-ft. laminate beam that was hidden from the eye,” said Goldstein, adding that the existing deck also needed to be removed and rebuilt to accommodate the addition. “With this, the kitchen ceiling was no longer level and had to be fixed as well.”
The design team used both SketchUp and Revit for this challenge because of the programs’ ability to easily manipulate designs and create 3D models. The new beam is hidden inside newly leveled ceilings, and the new deck was rebuilt so it is angled more toward the lake. Corner full-height windows were installed on both ends of the kitchen to let in the natural light and the views.
“The homeowners wanted the renovation to feel and look like the rest of the home and not a new addition,” said the designer. “The overall aesthetics needed to flow throughout.”
Personalizing the Design
The clients also wanted to personalize the kitchen, since it was the last room in the house that had not yet been renovated to reflect their personalities. The colors and the cabinetry in particular meant the most to these homeowners.
“The husband is a woodworker, so he was very particular on the style of the cabinets,” said Goldstein, adding that the chosen style is a simple white Shaker. “He wanted to have control over the quality of the wood used, the types of joinery used and the final finish on the cabinets, as well as the overall craftsmanship. He cared deeply about how everything was made and what it would look like once installed. This is why we jointly chose to have the cabinets be custom made.”
The white cabinetry complements the main color in the space: a pale sky blue. This color was a favorite of the wife’s, who fell in love with it during her high school days. Along with the walls, a rectangular section of backsplash above the range is the same blue color and has a diamond pattern that contrasts the surrounding white subway tile. It is the blue island, though, that most stands out.
“Our favorite part of the design was definitely the color of the island, which was also echoed in the walls and ceilings,” said the designer, adding that they mixed a very light tint of that blue with white when they painted the ceiling.
The island itself was set up specifically for canning. Ample storage underneath provides for equipment like canning jars, a pressure cooker and deep pans. The granite countertops are a light gray with plenty of movement, so they are easy to keep clean of the mess that can come from canning. A small seating area with two stools is available for the wife so she can sit while she works.
Above, two bell-shaped, glass pendants add character to the space without distracting from the views. These, along with LED can lights, offer ambient and task lighting options. They can also be dimmed to fit the appropriate mood, although the cheery color and abundance of natural light create a continually happy ambiance.
“It’s amazing how much difference a 4-ft. addition can make,” said Goldstein.