What was once a cramped and dark, dated kitchen is now a bright focal point of this home thanks to designer Fabrice Garson of Bilotta Kitchen & Home. The designer was given a completely blank slate for this kitchen design for a young, growing family with kids (and a sweet dog). “They said they wanted something beautiful, but usable — a place to entertain but also live in — a place that had plenty of workspace (both for cooking and work/homework) with plenty of storage.”
The family wanted white with a pop of something — not too bright, and not gray — so the designer went with black and white as the color palette.
“The kitchen is both classic and modern at the same time,” says Garson. “Its inset cabinetry (except for the paneled refrigerator and tall pantry) is clean and contemporary. All the hinges are concealed. The white is more classic while black is more modern.”
The cabinetry is Bilotta’s private line, the Bilotta Collection. The refrigerator and tall pantry are frameless to aid with limited space and to hide the appliance. The kitchen door is a simple modern Shaker style with a step profile. Cabinets were painted a mix of Benjamin Moore’s Super White for the perimeter and black for the island.
“The kitchen is both classic and modern at the same time.”
— Fabrice Garson
The designer chose Calacatta Gold quartz for the countertops and backsplash. “This is a man-made version of quartzite allowing the clients to select the exact veining they want,” says Garson. As a result, they chose to book-match behind the range and to have dramatic veining on the waterfall edge. “Having the countertop continue up the wall as a slab backsplash is a big trend right now — a more contemporary look [with] no little tiles or subway tiles,” he says.
The plumbing fixtures are all in matte black while the lighting and hardware — and the knobs on the Wolf range — are brass/honey bronze.
The custom hood was an original design of Garson’s and manufactured by RangeCraft. “The ceilings aren’t very high, so it limited the size but worked beautifully with the overall space,” says Garson. “Instead of a boxy look, I rounded the edges for something softer, more fitting for the overall design and I brought in the black of the cabinets and plumbing fixtures. It’s a real statement piece.”
And style isn’t the only thing the designer brought to this project. There is also plenty of functionality and storage. “We basically doubled the amount of storage they had in the existing kitchen, and we utilized every bit of possible space,” says Garson. In the two blind corner cabinets, the designers added Le Mans pullouts, which are kidney-shaped metal shelves that sit tucked into the blind corner cabinet and swing out for easy access. The tall pantry has five rollout shelves with wine bottle storage above. And there are other roll-outs throughout the redesign, as well as inserts for various utensils, spices, and serving trays.
While the final kitchen remake was dynamic, the designer’s favorite part of the project was working with the clients. “Not everyone clicks with their designer. We clicked right away,” says Garson. “They are a lovely couple and family, and they trusted me. That’s why they gave me carte blanche to completely change the layout. That’s a real honor and [it] makes a project so much fun.”
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