See how the designer transformed this Boston kitchen by removing a staircase and adding a red refrigerator and range
Photos by Michael Patrick Lefebvre
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of four
Location: Boston
Size: 267 square feet (25 square meters)
Designer: Jodi Swartz of KitchenVisions
The stained wood ceiling molding and the stained wood door that leads to the basement remain in the renovated kitchen, but the wood cabinets were replaced with new ones covered in Benjamin Moore’s Apparition. “The color we chose for the cabinets has a bit of a creamy tone that keeps it from looking too stark,” Swartz says.
Before: The former layout included two staircases that merged into one before leading up to the second floor. The staircase to the left remains, while the one to the right was removed to gain more space in the kitchen.
Before: The former staircase in the kitchen took up a lot of space. The gas range, microwave and refrigerator were on the same wall in the previous design.
After: By removing the staircase, Swartz was able to add another row of lower cabinets topped with black granite along the right side of the kitchen. This wall of cabinetry now includes a built-in microwave, a dishwasher and the main sink. To the right of the door, Swartz reused the stained wood stair railings from the old staircase to create a guardrail for the landing.
The designer also removed the built-in cabinets to the left of the stained door to make room for a new red built-in refrigerator. “The husband loves to cook and he was all about adding the bold red range and refrigerator,” Swartz says.
The design team covered the wall above the new countertop in classic white subway tile. To keep the kitchen feeling open and airy, Swartz added a pair of stainless steel floating shelves in lieu of upper cabinets. “The new wall of lower cabinets added enough storage space that we were able to keep the upper wall free of cabinets,” Swartz says.
Swartz added a soffit at the top of the range wall in order to add a stainless steel range hood that replaced the microwave above the old range. The wall behind the range is covered in a quatrefoil tile in a matte finish that provides a contrast to the surrounding glossy subway tile.
The new island is topped with marble-look quartz and features a prep sink. The cabinet hardware is matte black. Four industrial counter stools surround the island and a trio of modern black pendant lights hang above. The skylights and stained wood french doors that lead to the backyard are existing.
Before: Here’s a floor plan of the former kitchen. Note the old staircase that took up much of the upper wall.
After: Here’s a floor plan of the new kitchen that shows the location of the new refrigerator next to the door and the new lower cabinets and main sink along the upper wall.
Bryan Anthony August 9, 2019