REVAMPED & REVITALIZED
A cottage kitchen in the hills of San Diego gets a complete makeover.
Discover how a cottage kitchen in San Diego got a complete makeover and now blends perfectly with the style of the rest of the home.
“Ultimately, they wanted the kitchen to fit in with the rest of the home.”
When remodeling a kitchen, everyone’s needs are different.
For some, maybe a simple paint job is all that is needed. For others, a complete overhaul is required. Jen Pinto, Senior Interior Designer of Jackson Design & Remodeling, was tasked with completely revamping this kitchen located in a historic neighborhood in the San Diego area.
START FROM SCRATCH
Before the current homeowners purchased the home, the kitchen was newly remodeled. “Unfortunately, they remodeled it in a contemporary style, which did not fit the style of the home at all,” says Jen. The home has a Spanish bungalow-style feel, and the kitchen was noticeably out of place, as it felt small and isolated from the rest of the home. It felt more like a butler’s pantry.
Oversized pendants may not be for every kitchen, but they work when they hang over something like this island, which has a custom-built walnut table attached to its side.
The blue color of the island perfectly complements the subtle blue hues of the flooring.
The current homeowners love to invite guests over to their home, so this style did not match their needs and the functionality they desired. They wanted to expand the usable kitchen area without extending into the backyard, and they desired a space with a more informal and welcoming style as well as modern appliances to make it practical for 2019. “Ultimately, they wanted the kitchen to fit in with the rest of the home.”
CREATE SPACE
To eliminate the claustrophobic feel and add more extra room, a couple of walls were removed. “People are looking for that open context right now, and it is very common for us to take walls out and give them an open space,” says Jen. In addition to the walls being removed, a window was removed and the wall was flattened out to add even more extra space. Since the home already had a formal dining area and living room, the extra space was used to expand the usable kitchen area. The extra area gave the kitchen larger aisles, perfect for entertaining guests and when multiple people are cooking and preparing food at the same time.
ESTABLISH AN IDENTITY
One of the problems of the previous kitchen was the sink-area view, of the neighbor’s fence. After the remodel, the sink was in a completely different area of the kitchen. “Instead of staring at a fence while you are washing dishes, [it’s] a much nicer view of the backyard and canyon they have behind their house,” says Jen.
The color palette of the island was something Jen suggested to the homeowners. “They were looking for a white kitchen that was more neutral,” Jen says. “They were a little afraid of going that bold with the island, but once they saw everything put together, they were really on board with trying something new.”The blue color of the island perfectly complements the subtle blue hues of the flooring.
Inspired by one of the homeowner’s military background, Jen incorporated a masculine feel into some of the design elements. And she used hammered metal accents in the cabinetry hardware and lighting fixtures to add a bit of Americana. The pendants are oversized and help bring warmth with their color. “They create more of a drama to the kitchen and add a little touch of modern,” says Jen.