Chic Kitchen on a Quick Schedule
Looking at this chic kitchen now, it’s hard to imagine its generic beginnings, Designer Holly Snow Hollenbeck of San Francisco-based HSH Interiors worked with the homeowners to modernize the space and imbue it with a glamorous character befitting the rest of the house.
Set on a seven-acre parcel in the hills of Marin County in Northern California, the 1990s-era house enjoys panoramic views – thus the abundant windows in the kitchen.
The client liked the functionality and layout of the existing kitchen, a large room with ample undercounter cabinets, as well as a full-height storage wall encompassing the refrigerator, freezer, double ovens and pantry. She wanted to keep the remodel swift and the budget under control, which drove the some major design decisions.
Hollenbeck took an economical approach to the cabinetry by keeping the base cabinet infrastructure in place and facing the units with new drawer and door fronts and new hardware. The original stainless steel toe kicks were retained. The old island was replaced with a new design. All of the existing appliances were reused, except for a new Gaggenau cooktop on the island. The old vent hood was replaced with a custom brass and stainless steel model.
The client was initially resistant to changing the original stone flooring, which she felt was durable and stood up well to her pets (she has four dogs). But the HSH Interiors team strongly felt the floors needed a brighter, fresher, cleaner look to balance the drama of the dark cabinets and counters. “We were able to convince the client to use cream-colored, large-format Neolith tiles, which are even more durable than the previous stone floor and provides contrast with the dark cabinetry,” said the designer.
The completed chic kitchen was as much a hit with the designer as it was with the homeowner. “This is most certainly the darkest, most dramatic kitchen we have ever designed, and we love the result!” said Hollenbeck.
SOURCES Design: HSH Interiors; Photography: Paul Dyer; Cabinets: Custom; Cabinet Hardware: Nanz; Cooktop: Gaggenau; Countertops: Neolith (perimeter), Saint Laurent Marble from IRG (island); Dishwasher: Bosch; Flooring: Neolith; Paint: Benjamin Moore; Refrigerator: Sub-Zero; Seating: Holly Hunt; Sinks: Blanco; Vent Hood: Custom