When a family of five needed a complete kitchen overhaul, they turned to Honeycomb Home Design in Arroyo Grande, Calif., since the firm had completed their primary bath a few years before. The homeowners have a busy lifestyle, and they wanted an English country kitchen to serve as a hub for daily activities and frequent entertaining. In fact, the transformation needed to be complete before Christmas, since they were hosting extended family for the holiday.
“Tight deadlines like these never seem to pan out, but our builder was exceptional and felt he could finish the job on time,” said Ariana Lovato, founder and principal designer of Honeycomb Home Design.
Before & After
The previous kitchen featured dated dark cherry cabinets that didn’t reach the ceiling and gold granite countertops with bullnose edges. The storage plan was dysfunctional, and a huge wet bar went unused. A small room in the back of the kitchen served as a craft area for the kids at one time, but as they grew older, they grew out of that space as well.
The goals for the new kitchen were to include a place for everything with the new cabinetry, update finishes and surfaces and add a coffee bar setup just outside the new butler’s pantry. The location of the appliances and plumbing fixtures were fine where they were, but the design team did add a secondary sink in the pantry.
Pleasing Palette
The inspiration for the new kitchen was actress Sienna Miller’s cottage kitchen with an English country vibe. Lovato chose white oak cabinets and a green shade in the pantry and on the island that pairs well with the warm travertine floors. She also incorporated soft, feminine details like the brass railing in the coffee bar area.
The leathered quartzite countertops offer the softness of marble with more durability. The range wall features a mosaic zellige tile backsplash in Sea Salt, and the coffee bar area and hutch/oven wall area incorporate the quartzite countertop as the backsplash.
Storage Solutions
Lovato chose slim shaker doors for the perimeter cabinets and V-groove doors for the island, which also features a decorative-yet-not fussy toe kick. She tackled some of the underutilized space and included storage for large platters and other entertaining items on the left side of the kitchen, which also includes a drawer bank for mail and the proverbial “junk” drawer – what the designer calls an easy dumping zone.
The island is home to a trash and recycling station, cutting board storage and deep drawers for pots and pans. The eight-burner range is flanked by spice and oil pullouts, and the storage next to the fridge houses the coffee accoutrements. The wife plans to have fun decorating that area for the various holidays.
The craft room-turned-turned butler’s pantry behind the English country kitchen serves as a grab-and-go snack area for the kids and a bar area away from the main space that is visually stunning. Lovato created a focal point with V-groove-paneling behind the glassware shelves, which also feature the brass rails.
The butler’s pantry also houses a beverage refrigerator, glassware storage, a prep sink and more closed cabinets for items the homeowners want to keep concealed but close at hand.
Appliance & Fixture Picks
The husband wanted the look of a professional, stainless-steel fridge – no paneling. Also included in the appliance package is a range, microwave oven, beverage refrigerator and dishwasher.
Lovato chose brass faucets for the main sink in the island and the prep sink in the butler’s pantry. The decorative pendants over the island are glass – so as not to block the hood – with brass details that nod to the faucets and brass railings in other areas in the kitchen. The designer also selected glass-and-brass sconces and undercabinet lighting for the perimeter cabinetry on the storage wall and in the butler’s pantry.
Overcoming Project Hurdles
The homeowners wanted to keep the original travertine floors in the kitchen, which Lovato said was a bit of a challenge because it dictated the colors and finishes, but her choices were flawless. The color palette brings out the warmth of the flooring and caters to the English country look the homeowners loved. No major layout changes occurred in the new space, so Lovato did not have to patch any of the flooring, but she did extend the island a tad wider to eliminate that issue.
The main challenge was having the project complete before Christmas, when demolition didn’t start until Nov. 1. Lovato and her team measured for the cabinets before the demo – not the usual turn of events – and the builder had everything well mapped out ahead of time with a highly detailed schedule.
Lovato said her clients love the new kitchen and are truly living in it – a testament to her team’s efforts to complete a dream space by the agreed-upon completion date.
“We had an original budget, but with the appliance package, I knew we needed to go a bit higher,” said Lovato. “Once we got through the design process, they told me to do whatever I needed to make our vision happen.”
Sources for English Country Kitchen in California
Designer: Ariana Lovato, Honeycomb Home Design; Photographer: Lisa Maksoudian Photography; Cabinetry: Honey Cabinetry; Countertops: Pacific Shore Stones; Faucets: Rohl; Microwave Oven & Range: Wolf; Paint: Benjamin Moore; Pendants & Sconces: Visual Comfort; Refrigeration: Sub-Zero; Sinks: Kohler
