From cool and classic to contemporary and chic, introducing dreamy Bermuda kitchens worthy of envy.
Perfectly Planned
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
Natural Beauty
Homeowners and designer collaborate using natural elements and custom features to create a warm and inviting family kitchen.
Regardless of size or location, the kitchen is always the heart of any home: the place where family and friends regularly congregate to share food, love and laughter. When the owners of this Smith’s Parish home first bought it, they knew the kitchen was terribly outdated with pressed-wood cupboards and barely usable appliances, little counter space and not enough storage. It was also oddly located in the middle of the house with little natural light due to the previous owners’ additions.
Despite its shortcomings, the original kitchen was still the main area where guests congregated at every family gathering and the route through which the family passed to access the rest of the house. After much consideration and several rejected designs over the years, the family finally turned to Westport Architecture.
“After many proposals and designs that just didn’t appeal to us for various reasons, we recalled a conversation we had had with an interior designer friend who had given us some ideas about our home interior decor, and she had recommended Westport because they specialized in older-home renovations,” says the owner. “So we gave them a call – some 11 years later.”
“We proposed to relocate the kitchen so that it would have lots of natural light, and we rebuilt a new roof to create a better sense of volume,” said Tripp West of Westport
Architecture. “The footprint of the kitchen is not any larger than normal, but having the high ceilings makes it feel spacious.”
Spacious, yes, but also warm and inviting. Natural elements like wood (stained maple cabinets custom-made by CW Construction), stone (Desert Sand granite countertops from Surface Trends), glass (a raised glass top for the island) and metal (stainless-steel appliances from Electrolux) give the room an appealing earthy vibe.
“We love light and bright colours,” says the owner. “However, we were moving away from the lighter woods and decided on a richer, darker look, so when we took that into consideration, we decided to keep the kitchen in the lighter tones. Granite was a must, but we didn’t want the traditional darker stones. The piece that we found tied everything in nicely. We also love the natural wood look and decided not to paint but to stain and varnish, and this was accentuated by keeping the wood beams in the ceiling natural.
“The other thing we wanted was glass tiles on the backsplash, and we needed to find a way to integrate that desire. Finally, we didn’t want to overdo the wood look, so we decided on tile flooring. However, we didn’t want small tiles and instead adopted the subway pattern both on the floor and the backsplash.”
Great collaboration between the homeowners and architectural designer resulted in special features the owners are pleased with, such as the raised-glass-top island around which the entire kitchen flows. On first draft, there wasn’t an island in the plans, but the owners insisted and had to sacrifice wall ovens to make it fit.
“I wasn’t prepared to go without the island,” says the owner. “We wanted it functional as well as a conversation piece. So after they completed the design and we decided how we wanted to use it, we agreed that we didn’t want a granite top – we were afraid it would be too much.
“I spotted this concept from an Australian magazine. They had integrated glass tops into their kitchen counter and eating area. I knew right then and there that was it! We both loved the idea. It was our wow factor and must have. I presented it to the contractor, and then proceeded to see who on the island could assist with making my concept a reality. Bermuda Glass was very helpful and in fact had a contact overseas that worked with glass designs for this type of use. We love the outcome. It’s different and for us it pops!”
Other custom details, such as a cohesive bar area for family functions, glass-fronted display cabinets, elegant chamfered edges on the cabinet doors, crown moldings and less-obvious magic-corner cabinets and integrated trash and recycling bins, make this kitchen both beautiful and highly functional.
“We helped them transform the space, but it’s very much their taste,” says West. “We helped create the space, but they made it a home.”
General Contractor: CW Construction/Westport Architecture
Kitchen Designer: Westport Architecture
Plumbing Contractor: After Hours Plumbing
Flooring: Pembroke Tile and Stone
Electrolux stove: Bermuda Supply
Electrolux fridge: Bermuda Supply
Tiling: Surface Trends
Air Conditioning: Air Pro
Millwork: CW Construction
Glass for island top: Bermuda Glass
Painting: CW Construction
Windows/doors: Tree Con
Stained maple cabinetry: Custom-made in Bermuda by CW Construction
Desert Sand granite countertops: Surface Trends
Lighting: ESC
Simply Chic
A new contemporary renovation cleverly balances a minimalistic aesthetic and cutting-edge appliances with just the right amount of warmth and functionality.
Inspired by the simple, clean lines of Scandinavian design, the owners of this newly renovated house high up on a hill in Spanish Point had always wanted a white, open kitchen. Installed in 1992, the original kitchen was about half the size of the new, with Corian countertops and particleboard cabinets partially blocking their spectacular view of both the North Shore on one side and the Great Sound on the other.
The owners, who bought the house in 2006, began renovations last August. Working with CTX Limited, the entire house was stripped and gutted, rewired and replumbed; all ceilings were opened up, several rooms were added and much of the existing perimeter wall in the main living area was removed and replaced with glass folding walls to bring the view back into the house. As the design of the house came together, the kitchen concept evolved from a more traditional style to a contemporary, minimalistic aesthetic with cutting-edge appliances and mechanical details.
“At first, we favoured cabinets with simple hardware and farmhouse sinks, but over time we changed our minds to a more contemporary layout with no hardware and an undermount Kohler Stages sink,” says the homeowner. A young couple with a keen interest in technology, they turned to Pinterest and home-remodeling website Houzz.com for inspiration, then called CTX to bring their ideas to fruition.
“The clients’ priority was to have full-height, wall-to-wall windows in the kitchen,” says interior designer Lauren Grayston of CTX, “but in order to meet building-code requirements, we needed to incorporate GFCI receptacles. We came up with the idea of the pop-up receptacles carefully placed in the corners of the countertop to allow us to maintain the functionality of the workspace while hiding the nuts and bolts beneath the beautiful white-quartz countertops.”
Other compromises were made. With windows taking priority over cabinetry, providing adequate storage was a challenge, so the designers created a functional butler’s pantry with a display cabinet and rollout shelving for fine china. A plan for a double oven was scrapped in favour of open shelving over the countertop to access everyday china easily.
In keeping with the sleek look, the designers and owners chose appliances – such as the glass-front SubZero refrigerator – that fit their minimalist, open-plan concept while providing functionality for their lifestyle. The custom-paneled Bosch dishwasher is fully integrated and whisper quiet. The Wolf sealed-burner gas cooktop is a joy to cook on and a cinch to clean up. The Wolf L-series electric oven is as beautiful as it is functional. The Wolf micro-convection oven provides twice the cooking power in half the space, and the stainless-steel Wolf hood not only provides great air ventilation but also perfect task lighting over the cooktop.
Considering the owners’ love for cooking and entertaining, they also included a 46-bottle SubZero wine fridge and a Wolf warming drawer.
Creating a contemporary all-white and stainless-steel kitchen that feels inviting rather than cold and stark can be a challenge. CTX chose to correct the balance by using a variety of wood and glass elements in the space and allowing the view to take center stage.
“The wood components are key to keeping the otherwise white kitchen from feeling clinically white,” explains Grayston. “Wooden doors, window frames, flooring and countertops in light and mid-tones add warmth and textural interest. Also, the full-height, wall-to-wall windows and folding glass walls provide spectacular views from every angle. The clean lines and look of the cabinets are a good balance to the brilliant blues and greens of the waters of the Great Sound on one side and North Shore on the other.
“The indoor-outdoor open-concept space along with the white-on-white combination create a light and airy feeling that is grounded by the use of wood components and high-end, stainless-steel appliances and lighting,” continues Grayston. “Overall, I love how the kitchen feels well-balanced, and the entire space has a great energy.”
The owners agree. “Our kitchen is a great space for us. We wanted it to feel open, light and b
right, and I think we have achieved that,” they conclude.
General Contractor: SJ Construction
Kitchen Designer: CTX Interiors
Kitchen Installer: SJ Carpentry
Plumbing Contractor: Shirley Ming
Electrician: MP Electrical
Flooring: Carlisle Wide Plank Flooring
SubZero glass-door fridge: Joshua Bate Trading
Wolf warming drawer: Joshua Bate Trading
Wolf micro-convection oven: Joshua Bate Trading
Wolf cooktop, oven & vent hood: Joshua Bate Trading
Bosch dishwasher: Joshua Bate Trading
SubZero wine fridge: Joshua Bate Trading
Kohler Stages sink: BAC
Plumbing fixtures: BAC
Windows/Doors: PVC Windows and Doors
Painting: SJ Construction
Paint: Rowe Spurling
Tiling: SJ Construction
Air Conditioning: Climate Services
Millwork: SJ Carpentry
Countertops: Eminence
Recessed and cabinet lighting: ESC/CTX Interiors
Cabinetry: Christiana Cabinetry
Cool & Contemporary
A contemporary, open-plan interior opens onto a patio overlooking the South Shore, blurring the line between indoors and out and creating a kitchen and living space that is both beautiful and functional.
Most people design their dream kitchen first, poring over magazines and scouring the Web for inspiration, and then build it within those specifications. In the case of Looking Stead, it was the opposite: the final architecture determined the style and overall look of this contemporary kitchen.
Looking Stead was originally a rabbit warren of unlivable rooms, so the architects at Westport Architecture changed the structure of the ceiling to open up the entire living area (something they are renowned for), and this led to the final design of the kitchen space.
“Once the interior was transformed, it felt twice the size, and we hardly increased the square footage,” says Tripp West of Westport. “We didn’t start to really think about the design and style of the kitchen until we saw the interior space. The owner had remained pretty classic throughout the project, with some contemporary accents selected, but it wasn’t until the walls were plastered and the windows in that we really decided on a certain style.”
Ideal for entertaining, the single expansive room contains the kitchen, living and dining areas in an open, free-flowing space that has easy access to the generous lawn and spectacular ocean views. “The space, the view and the flow of the property made it clear that it was going to be that style of open kitchen,” says the homeowner. “[The architects and I] had a similar vision of a very open kitchen that was part of the living space, and the idea was to have it as an integrated entertainment area because entertainment always revolves around the kitchen.”
Looking to complement and not compete with the view, the designers at Westport worked with Waterwood Design Supply on selecting finishes and fixtures that would give the space a light, monochromatic look. High-gloss metallic, flat-panel cabinets in champagne were chosen to give a reflective and dressy effect and complement the American black-walnut flooring. Waterwood supplied both. “This space became more contemporary and minimalistic, but the colours make it warm and intimate,” says West.
The appliances – including a top-of-the-line SubZero integrated refrigerator/freezer, extra fridge drawers, a SubZero built-in wine fridge and Miele cooktop, hood, oven and dishwasher – were chosen not only for their functionality but also for their sleek, built-in look, according to Gregory Tolaram of Waterwood.
“In addition to the integrated extra fridge drawers, the kitchen features a number of accessories that make the kitchen highly efficient,” says Tolaram. “The accessories include deep-drawer organization dividers, adjustable dowel inserts for holding pots and pans, plate holders and cutlery and multipurpose inserts for shallow drawers. There is an integrated, hidden trash pull-out and hidden internal drawers concealed behind doors, allowing for a more streamlined appearance on the exterior.”
While the majority of the kitchen – including the glass subway tiles on the backsplash and the white Glassos countertops surrounding the cooktop – is clean and minimal, the breakfast bar is a statement piece that is not only stunning but also highly functional for entertaining. With a hint of tradition, the gorgeous Calacatta marble slab was installed in a more contemporary way, with waterfall extended sides creating a functional eating place as well as an attractive hangout for the client’s extensive entertaining, according to Tolaram. Surface Trends supplied both countertops.
“I wanted a beautiful surface on the island, and the designers did a great job sourcing that,” says the homeowner, who is also thrilled with the double doors that lead directly from the kitchen to the patio. “The meals for most of the year are served out on the patio, so the doors from the kitchen out to the patio help to further enhance the lifestyle of that kitchen. I wanted a beautiful and very practical, functional kitchen that not only looks great but is easy to cook and entertain in, and that is exactly what the result was.”
General Contractor: CW Construction/Westport
Kitchen Designer: Westport Architecture
Kitchen Installer: CW Construction
Plumbing Contractor: After Hours Plumbing
Cabinetry: Waterwood
Black Walnut wood flooring: Waterwood
Miele Cleantouch steel oven: Waterwood
SubZero fridge & fridge drawers: Waterwood
Tiling: Surface Trends
SubZero wine fridge: Waterwood
Millwork: CW Construction
Eureka Orissa pendant lighting: Waterwood
Julien sink: Waterwood
Dornbracht Elio faucet & pot filler: Waterwood
Air Conditioning: Air Pro
Painting: CW Construction
Calacatta marble: Surface Trends
White Glassos countertops: Surface Trends
Miele dishwasher: Waterwood
Miele 5 burner cooktop: Waterwood
Miele speed oven: Waterwood
Miele hood: Waterwood
