Kevin needed a space where he could cook and entertain in style, but he was torn: he wanted a modern, functional kitchen with clean lines and new appliances, but didn't want it to clash with his adjoining Gothic Revival living room. He challenged us to maximize the available space while incorporating European Gothic elements in a way that was both stylish and practical. The result: we completely transformed his small, dated galley kitchen into this open and airy Modern Gothic showpiece. We balanced sleek, minimalist lines with bold, dramatic accents and added warmth to the striking black and white color palette with greige walls + brushed brass hardware. The space is both elegant and edgy, masculine with a touch of feminine, with beautiful detailing that instantly makes a statement. Full story below.
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Kevin had purchased a lovely townhome in an excellent location, but one that was in need of some updates. He loved cooking, but hated the small galley kitchen with its orange cabinets and mauve formica counters. His biggest complaints? The kitchen felt claustrophobic, there wasn't enough counter space for prep or storage for his kitchenware, and the appliances were old. He hosted frequent parties, but it was impossible to entertain guests in that area. Our challenge was to maximize the available space to give Kevin a modern, masculine kitchen that incorporated elements from his adjoining Gothic living room. And since it's one of the first spaces guests see when they come up the stairs, it needed to make a statement.
To open up the space, we removed three walls, a square archway, and an unnecessary bartop. This allowed us to expand the footprint of the kitchen to more than twice its size and give Kevin a huge island with storage on all sides. We then took inventory of all of his kitchenware and designed a cabinet configuration that would ensure everything finally had a home. For the island, we chose modern black soft-close shaker cabinets with a built-in wine rack and barware storage. For even more drama and character, we added fluting on the sides and ornate brushed brass pulls. To balance the dark base and incorporate the surrounding color palette, we chose a stunning Calacatta Miraggio quartz countertop with subtle gold and grey veining.
For the opposite wall, we wanted it to be a softer Gothic style while still being dramatic, so we chose the elegant floor-to-ceiling Escada cabinets and matched them to the greige walls to make the space look even taller. With hidden appliance cabinets, dual 12” spice-pullouts, and spacious drawers for cookware and dinnerware, this configuration allowed the range oven to take center-stage. To maximize this effect, we chose the six-burner black and gold gas range with convection oven from Zline, and coupled it with the same Calacatta Miraggio quartz backsplash and brass pulls from the island to make the whole space look cohesive. Finally, it was time to add decorative elements: a recessed Gothic arch shelf to house cookbooks, a custom French Gothic range hood cover with Greek Revival dentil molding shelf and Victorian corbels, and additional wall niches for gourmet oils. To mix things up we added a muted Turkish runner, but otherwise stuck to mostly neutral decor with pops of green.
Kevin was blown away by the custom chef's kitchen we created for him: a space that was both elegant and functional, had ample space for prep and entertaining, and a veritable showpiece in his home.
