Beach House Kitchen Transformation

This house was the family vacation home until the owners retired and moved there permanently. As you might imagine, a kitchen meant for quick weekend meals did not function well for everyday use. The design, materials, and surfaces were extremely outdated and inconvenient to use and maintain.

Our challenge:

Design and remodel the 1920’s era beach house kitchen with modern conveniences, storage options, and amenities while retaining the coastal charm. Three elements of the kitchen were to remain intact, including the kitchen/living room pass-through, the skylights, and the original flooring.

Our plan:

We updated the layout and designed new cabinetry to maximize storage space. In the narrow three-inch spaces between the cooktop and lower cabinets, we installed narrow pull-out spice pantries on both sides. We also extended the new upper cabinets to the top of the sloping ceiling—our Craftsman was able to modify the backs of the cabinets to accommodate the slope. Custom built L-shape floating shelves beautifully display dishes and offer everyday convenience.

To visually connect the entry, living room, and kitchen, we wrapped the existing paneling profile around to the kitchen. A furniture-quality corner cabinet with an open shelf provides a gracious transition between living and kitchen areas. It also serves as a handy catch-all surface.

The color palette with blue and light green tones provides a beautifully updated beach theme. Full-height decorative tile definitely gives this kitchen a design accent with punch.

But the star of the show is the gleaming Kohler faucet. It is an impressive design statement and functions fabulously with a magnetic catch (brilliant idea!) in the faucet head. We love products that work this well!

We replaced the existing picture window with a new window that opens to let in the fresh coastal air. The original wood floors were refinished and shine with a brand-new luster.

Client comments:

​“I pinch myself every day for being lucky enough to have this lovely kitchen, it really turned out more than we could have hoped for. ​We could not be happier with our remodel and really appreciate all the input, design and hard work from C&R.”