The original kitchen of this house was stuck in the 1980s: poorly lit, u-shaped, with oak raised-panel doors and linoleum flooring.

To rescue the space, I opened the kitchen up to take advantage of beautiful views of the garden. To achieve this, I changed the footprint slightly by moving the fridge to the east wall and replacing the peninsula with a large island, finished in flat-sliced walnut, that seats four comfortably. And better lighting proved essential to making this kitchen bright and modern. It’s now a classic Transitional style space.

Along the perimeter of the kitchen are Shaker style cabinets. This style is indicated by the cabinet doors that sit flush within the face frame. Painting the cabinets white enhances the brightness of the space.

The flat sliced walnut grain island is also considered Shaker style with face frame cabinetry with a gorgeous furniture kick.

On the floor, a slight warm veining in the large porcelain tile complements the island and glass backsplash.  

Now this updated, fresh kitchen invites you to either cook a great meal or sit and enjoy the lovely garden view with a cup of coffee.