The art of rearranging
White and walnut mix in kitchen redesign with an easy flow
Rachel Cleaveland Riedy clearly remembers her childhood pastime: rearranging rooms.
As an adult, she found her calling in the hobby of her youth. After a success fun career photo styling for companies like Restoration Hardware, Williams-Sonoma Brands and Roost, she teamed with another photo stylist, Jody Kennedy, to launch Cleaveland & Kennedy Design.
“All the years behind the camera and seeing our work in print have taught us a special gift that not all designers have,” Riedy says. “Scale and balance are crucial when it comes to decorating your home.”
That was evident when it came to updating a tired 1960s Mill Valley kitchen that presented two main challenges: an awkward diagonal shape and a small footprint. “I tend to like symmetry and worry about angles being dated over time,” says Riedy, who worked alongside homeowner Barbara Siskin to reconfigure the kitchen to better fit Siskin’s midcentury modern aesthetic and her passion for cooking. “Barbara managed and sourced the entire project, but I suggested ideas and steered her toward materials and finishes.”
Originally, Siskin was only going to change out the kitchen cabinets and possibly open one wall to the living room. “But after we brainstormed over too much coffee, we scratched that and decided to go big,” says Riedy, who convinced Siskin to paint the beige kitchen white in order to visually enlarge it. She also persuaded Siskin to forfeit her sizable pantry for a larger kitchen footprint, which would yield breathing room and additional space for storage.
For the cabinetry, Siskin preferred dark wood over trendy all white. “I generally don’t like wooden cabinets unless they are white or light oak or dark walnut,” says Riedy. The duo ultimately settled on dark walnut, balanced by white in a few up-
per cabinets, the island base, modern floating shelves and a Heath tile backsplash.
Siskin and Riedy share a mutual friend, Tripp Carpenter of Espenet Furniture in Bolinas, who designed all the woodwork. “Having Tripp contribute to the project made it more special and personal,” Riedy says. “Barbara and I took a field trip to his workshop to help select the boards and sequence them for the butcher block on the island.”
The island’s shape was the brainchild of Siskin’s husband, Steve, who stumbled into one of the women’s design conversations. “I’m sure he was feeling a little left out of the kitchen mix, as we are two very strong and opinionated women,” Riedy says. “He popped in with his jolly smile and said, ‘What about a bean shape?’ ”
The organic-shaped island gives the kitchen easy flow without any hard edges to walk around. Riedy and Siskin used Concreteworks for the other countertops and incorporated white shiplap (a type of wooden sheathing) to the perimeter of the kitchen’s work space. They also added a built-in sectional and bookcase to give the kitchen a proper sitting area. “C&K is really big on built-ins, and custom cabinetry, especially for small spaces,” Riedy says. “This is the hangout area. Her family can all be together and enjoy the fire while she cooks.”
The built-ins feature drawers that mimic those found in the rest of the kitchen. Riedy suggested nautical-inspired cutouts on each drawer and cabinet rather than hardware. “Both Barbara and her husband are water people,” Riedy says. “They surf and live for the ocean, so it made sense. Plus, it’s very tactile. Each time you open a drawer, you connect with the wood, with nature.” The kitchen’s color palette doesn’t compete with the wooded views and outdoor focal point: an epic view of Mount Tamalpais. The modern bar stools’ deep green-gray hue echoes that of the trees outside, while all the dark walnut plays to the forested vistas.
“I love the flow, the nice light and the adequate surface area and storage,” Riedy says. “We were looking for timeless modern design, with a natural sensibility, and I think we were successful.”