When an empty-nester couple moved from a country-like setting in Katonah to downtown Greenwich, their new home reflected a lifestyle change. With their daughters away at college, they wanted a house that was conveniently located, walkable to restaurants and shops. At the heart of their new Victorianesque townhouse, the kitchen needed to do double duty: serve as a comfortable, intimate space for the couple to cook and spend time together, and expand to welcome a group for entertaining and the whole family when the girls are home.
To help the couple create an inviting kitchen that’s well organized and party ready, builder Andy Toth recommended they work with Danielle Florie, senior designer with Bilotta Kitchen & Home. Florie and the homeowner hit it off right away and collaborated with Toth to create her dream kitchen. The homeowner was involved in every step, selecting materials and sharing her Instagram and Pinterest favorites with Florie.
The resulting design is a blend of clever features and smart storage in a room that’s warm, modern, and distinctive. The homeowner knew before construction began that she wanted a mix of natural wood and paint for the cabinetry, which is all from the Bilotta Collection with one-inch-thick doors in a mix of Shaker and Slab. Paint in Farrow & Ball’s subtle-green Pigeon helps define a storage area they call the hutch, while the cooking nook features deep drawers for pots and pans, pullouts for spices, and a hood all finished in a custom-stained rift cut white oak. The 10-by-4-foot island is painted in Farrow & Ball’s School House White, topped with a honed, leathered granite that won’t stain or scratch. The island’s legs are capped with brass feet. In addition to housing plenty of storage and open shelving, the island functions as a cooking prep space and a spot where the couple can sit to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, or have dinner together when it’s just the two of them. The kitchen opens into an eating area with a round table on one end; two pivot doors lead to the dining room on the other, making it easy to accommodate guests and extended family.
Besides the blend of cabinet surfaces, the kitchen plays with mixed metals; there’s a stainless steel Thermador cook-top and double oven, a polished nickel faucet, a black light fixture over the island, and drawer pulls and ceiling fixtures in brass. The kitchen also encompasses two types of counter materials: The perimeter is finished in a polished Bianco Extra Marble, a contrast to the honed black granite on the island.
Personalized details make the kitchen the most loved room in the house. One favorite feature is the Waterstone instant-hot faucet at the main sink — perfect for making tea. When the kids are home and there’s more action in the morning, the homeowner loves to put on a pot of coffee and then hide it all away behind the appliance garage. She also loves her large, window-facing Kohler sink, which has its own cutting board, strainer, and other accessories. Decorative touches like the gallery railings on the hutch, which Florie sourced, complete the look.
When asked what advice she would give others designing a kitchen, the homeowner says, “Enjoy the process and have fun!” It helped that the team, including architect Gustavo Leitenberger and RB Woodworking, which fabricated and installed the ceiling trim and beams, oak trim, and oak jamb under the archways, worked so well together. They appreciated the homeowner’s vision and eye for design. “Everything about the house is swoon worthy,” says Florie. “She has fabulous taste.”
The Team:
Andy Toth, Builder
Danielle Florie, Senior Designer with Bilotta Kitchen & Home
Gustavo Leitenberger, Architect
RB Woodworking, Woodworking
