With a clean, classic style and a Bermudian architectural sensibility, this well-planned kitchen is the perfect space for family and entertaining.
The opportunity to customize your kitchen completely to suit your lifestyle and personal tastes is a dream for any homeowner. With a penchant for entertaining and a big Bermuda family to accommodate on holidays, the owners of this Paget home finally got the chance to design their perfect kitchen when they decided to renovate their entire house.
“Our previous kitchen was extremely small,” says the homeowner. “We flip-flopped for years as to whether to expand the existing kitchen or do a full-scale renovation of the whole house, which would involve having the kitchen in an entirely different location. After about five years of indecision, we eventually decided to do the big renovation with the help of Bermuda Project Managers.”
The result is a highly functional kitchen space with two subtly defined zones. “The design of the kitchen with the large 11’x4′ island in the middle creates two zones, the work zone on one side and the entertaining zone on the other,” says the homeowner. “The work zone functions almost like a galley kitchen within a much larger space. Our island has a large double sink in the center and large prep areas on either side. All the appliances are integrated with cabinetry overlays so that everything is uniform and almost furniturelike in appearance. The side-by-side refrigerators with four freezer drawers – reminiscent of an armoire – are on the wall at one end of the work zone with a baking center housing a Kitchen Aid and Cuisinart adjacent.”
The large island, with its waterproof, Green Guard-certified, formaldehyde-free and chemical-resistant wood top, custom ordered from Grothouse Lumber in Pennsylvania, anchors the space beautifully. “I find the big island perfect for keeping the guests out of the work zone of the kitchen while the other side makes a great space for laying out food buffet style, or having a friend sip a drink while sitting on a bar stool and chatting with me while I cook.”
Drinks can be accessed easily at the bar station, which features glass-front cabinets painted a soft blue on the inside to best display the owners’ glassware, as well as a bar sink with filtered and chilled water, a small refrigerator for beer, wine and soft drinks and a dishwasher drawer for extra glasses when entertaining.
While the overall layout was not determined until right before the renovation began, the homeowners always knew they wanted a white kitchen with inset doors and drawers. However, painted wood doors tend to crack in Bermuda’s humid climate, so they came up with a better – and greener – solution.
“The problem with a painted kitchen in Bermuda, because of the humidity and changes in temperature, is that if the doors are made from wood, there is a tendency for the seams to open at the joints, leaving a crack in the paint finish,” they say. “In an effort to avoid this, we had the doors constructed out of single pieces of Medex.” According to its website, Medex is a sustainable, moisture-resistant, medium-density fiberboard panel utilizing a formaldehyde-free adhesive system and pre-consumer recycled wood fibre. The cabinetry was then finished in water-based paint and topcoats.
Complementing the bright white cabinets and warm wood finishes are cool shades of blue and blue-grey inspired by the owner’s antique blue-and-white china collection gracefully displayed over the stove and in the upper cabinets. By Design ordered a custom fabric for the bar stools, banquette and window shade, while the decorative-tile backsplash – another By Design creation – features Bianca Carrara and Blue Macauba marble. The countertops surrounding the stove on one side and the bar area on the other are of blue-grey, honed Carrara marble from Surface Trends.
While the double SubZero fridge/freezer is hidden behind the custom cabinetry, other visible stainless-steel appliances, like the Wolf duel-fuel range, Miele warming drawer and steam oven, are equally in harmony with the design – with the latter being the owners’ best mistake.
“One of our criteria for the kitchen was two ovens, so we purchased a convection/steam oven thinking it was a steam oven and also a traditional convection oven,” says the owner. “As it turned out, it was solely a steam oven – with the convection being the fan that blows the steam around – but we absolutely love it. Our vegetables are steamed to perfection at the push of a button and it beeps when they are ready. It is also great for reheating meals without drying them out like warming in a microwave oven.”
Happy mistakes aside, this carefully planned kitchen is a dream for its owners.
General contractor: Michael Richold
Architectural consultant/project management: Bermuda Project Managers Kitchen installer: Andy Chiappa
Plumbing contractor: Haile Melakot
Flooring: Eminence
Air Conditioning: Air Pro
Cedar work: E&G Carpentry
Wolf dual-fuel range: Joshua Bate Trading
SubZero fridge: Joshua Bate Trading
Miele warming drawer & steam oven: Joshua Bate Trading
Fisher Paykel dishwasher drawer: Joshua Bate Trading
Subway tile: Pembroke Tile and Stone
Paint: Rowe Spurling and Pembroke Paint
Window: PVC Windows and Doors
Hanging lamps: Circa Lighting
Ceiling/under cabinet lights: ESC
Island top: The Grothouse Lumber Company
Honed Carrara marble countertops: Surface Trends
Fabrics, furniture & design consultation: By Design
Stools: Pottery Barn with custom upholstery
Decorative tile backsplash: Renaissance Tile
Backsplash design: By Design
Rohl faucets: Joshua Bate Trading
Kohler bar sink: BAC
