To Mom
Oh PA Dream House… So many of you followed along as we underwent a luxurious renovation in Bucks County, PA. This project is special for so many reasons, but the biggest one is that it belongs to my parents. There is nothing like being trusted to design your Mom’s kitchen. Truly the design came easy to me. First off, my mom’s style is impeccable and shares many similarities with my own personal style. She had a clear vision of what she wanted from her kitchen and what her goals were. With Mother’s Day and her Birthday falling between the month of May and June, there is a lot to celebrate around my mom this time of year. I wanted to take a moment to celebrate her and share what a joy it was to create this vision for her.
The moment I saw their new home, I knew that darn wall just needed to come down and that pantry closet needed to go. My Mom is Italian and like many Italian momma’s, she loves to cook, is incredible at it, and there is nothing more that we love than standing around her island smelling the amazing things she creates. Just writing this thinking about the Kale & Date salad, venison steaks and red wine she served the night before the photoshoot has my stomach grumbling. This kitchen design needed to rival her best meals, stand the hours of love and endure all the crowds that are sure to gather.
Of course, this wasn’t just going to be a kitchen. If we took down the wall and we replaced the floors, we had to replace all of the floors, we needed to address the moldings and we certainly needed some furniture to sit on. My first plan of action was to create a layout that was going to give her all the prep space she needed; it had to create a feeling of being open and provide as much storage as I could possibly get from the space. When I told her we were going to add a 9’ island in such a small kitchen, both her and my dad gave me quizzical looks. That island is now a gorgeous white oak centerpiece that creates better flow through the whole first floor.
The white oak on the island coordinates with the gorgeous white oak floors that now grace the entire home. But the perimeter of the kitchen is a bright, crisp white reflecting all the sun pouring in from the deck. My favorite place to stand when I visit is in front of their slider door, soaking up that sun. The kitchen is graced with a natural marble and an English made tile, balancing warm colors with the bright white space to make it feel like home. To keep the color palette exciting I mixed polished nickel and honey bronze together. A farmhouse sink adds to the timeless appeal of the classic design. Nothing in the kitchen is fussy, overdone or forgotten.
Hidden in the island is a dishwasher, my favorite way to incorporate them into a space. By covering it with a cabinet panel, you wouldn’t even know it is there. It creates a seamless effect, making the space visually appear larger. Best of all, no stainless steel to have to clean. On the back of the island is an entire bank of cabinets offering additional storage for barware, dog food, cookbooks and more.
The biggest centerpiece of all? One of my favorite brands, a Bertazzoni Matte White gas range. Overtop the range is a custom designed and built on site hood. There wasn’t anything like it available, so I individually ordered components we needed to have the trim carpenter build it on site.
