Wood And White Kitchen – Dee Residence

The next space that I am going to share with you from the beautiful Dee Residence is this lovely, wood and white kitchen. We went with the existing counters in this kitchen… and changed absolutely everything else. And what a beautiful transformation this has been. Read on, and I think you’ll agree.

The Plan

This kitchen had a black granite counter which the client did not want to break down unless absolutely essential. So the first thing we had to see was whether the counter worked for us or not.

As you can see in the plan below, this kitchen does not have a door. This suited the homeowners perfectly and they didn’t want to add one. As the kitchen opens directly into the dining room, we wanted to make sure the two spaces flow into each other without any visual jarring.

Do you remember our dining space from the Dee Residence? We went with a dark walnut dining table and black dining chairs on one side of it. Can you see how beautifully that works with our black granite counter and the walnut storage drawers below it?

And so we decided to stay with the black granite counters.

Since we weren’t breaking the counters, this also meant that the kitchen plan didn’t really change. The fridge, hob and sink stayed exactly where they were.

And yet, we changed the entire kitchen. You have to see it to believe it!

The Hob Wall

This wall originally had very little storage at eye level, which is what the client really needed. And a lot of dead storage at ceiling height, which was lying empty and unused.

We aligned it all along one line to make it user friendly and prettier… and did away with the dead storage above since the client did not need that. A chimney above the hob was essential here, especially since it is an open kitchen. The last thing you want is smoke going into the dining area and making it uncomfortable.

The Sink Wall

On this side, though the previous storage was all in one line, it yet looked messy.

For one, I think glass shutters in a kitchen tend to look ‘messy’ because, even if it’s frosted glass, you do get a glimpse of all the items kept behind the shutters. This adds to the visual clutter and the space tends to look disorganised even though everything might be neatly put away.

In addition, the microwave and water purifier being out in the open didn’t help either.

We solved this problem by once again giving neatly aligned storage from end to end. The cabinet on the far right houses the water purifier, while the tall unit on the far left makes space for all the electronic gadgets.

Pulling that rolling shutter down when you are done using the gadgets helps to instantly make the kitchen look clutter free.

Wood And White Kitchen

You’ve seen a few glimpses into the dining room from the kitchen door in the photos above, and you can see how beautifully one space blends into the other. Since we used this walnut laminate in most of the home, we wanted to continue it in the kitchen too to add the woody warmth.

Yet, with the small size of the kitchen, white was the best bet to make it feel lighter on the eye.

And so we went with all white tiles and storage at eye level, and warm wood tones for the storage below that, to give us this beautiful wood and white kitchen.

The Flooring

The first thing we did to ensure the kitchen and dining areas flow into each other, is to use the same flooring as in the living and dining area and have it continue into the kitchen. This gives a feeling of seamlessness between the two spaces.

The Wall Tiles

The white on our storage was a smooth, glossy finish. Adding more smooth and more gloss on the walls would have made the space boring. We decided to add a texture or pattern with the tiles to break the monotony.

These tiles were love at first sight and the fastest decision we took over any of the finishes in this home.

I love how the LED below the cabinets adds to the drama by making the pattern more obvious with the light and shadow.

The Granite Counter

One of the things we did change on the counter, was the granite border at the base of the backsplash. We had a three inch high granite border running all along the kitchen counter. This is very useful as it prevents the tile joints from reaching all the way down to the counter. When you clean the counter, the grime doesn’t get into the joints of the tiles.

Yet, when you have only a small gap between the counter and the overhead storage, the last thing you want is a three inch border eating into it.

We solved this problem by cutting down that border to just over an inch. The tiles don’t touch the counter and so don’t get the grime in them, yet the granite doesn’t take too much visual space and lets the tiles be the hero.

Similarly, the granite vertical between the counter and the fridge was too high and would have blocked the flow of our beautiful white tiles.

We cut this down to three inches. This was just enough to prevent anything from rolling off the counter into that gap, without spoiling our backsplash.

Before and Afters

We end with a few before and afters to show you the graceful transformation of this wood and white kitchen.

A kitchen overloaded with storage in all the wrong places. The homeowners found this difficult to access and use.

Reorganised with lesser, yet more practical storage that they now find easy to use.

The hob wall, wasted with barely any storage within reach and a whole lot of dead storage.

Revamped with well defined and well aligned storage, all of which is easily accessible.

The sink wall, which looked chaotic because of exposed gadgets. Also the client had no designated space to put away all the little things.

It is now restructured with designated spaces for electronics, crockery and drawers for all the small items.

And that is all of our wood and white kitchen for you. Transformations like these make me especially proud. For one, it saves the client time and money. And in however small a way, it is a step in support of sustainability.

This is not to say that I would keep something that I thought didn’t fit in or was damaged. We did change almost every single thing in this home, right down to the flooring.

But I wouldn’t change something just for the sake of change, if it’s good to work with both structurally and aesthetically. You’ll find a lot of furniture that has been re-polished and sofas that have been re-upholstered in my makeovers for this very reason. And it is something I am proud of.

Which brings us back to this wood and white kitchen. We kept what worked, did away with everything that didn’t, and ended up with a simple and stylish space.

I think the beautiful wall tiles are by far my favourite element of this one. I’d love to know what is yours!

Click here to see all the other spaces of the Dee Residence. And keep writing in with questions and comments.

Until next time,

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Photography: Biju Gopal of @bizou.photos