After making minor renovations to their galley kitchen for nearly 30 years, a retired couple in Alexandria, Virginia, were ready to create their dream kitchen — something with sparkle and cheerful pink walls.
BEFORE: The old galley-style kitchen in the 1980s-built, four-level townhouse felt dark and dated, with basic cabinets and dusty rose walls.
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The short peninsula seen in this photo divided the kitchen from a breakfast table and made the kitchen feel smaller.
AFTER: Working with designer Stephanie Dickens, the couple created a brighter and fresher space that incorporates the wife’s favorite color with elegant design details and a bit of bling.
Dickens eliminated the short peninsula and a portion of wall with a pocket door that previously divided the kitchen from the living room (located on the left side of this photo). This improved the connection between spaces and allowed natural light from patio doors in the living room to brighten the kitchen.
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Bright pink walls perk up the mostly white space. “It really pops with the crisp white cabinets and coordinates with the fabric for the banquette upholstery,” Dickens says.
The elegant raised-panel cabinets have traditional detailing, with double molding on top, plus crystal knobs with satin nickel trim and satin nickel pulls. The white cabinets work nicely with the kitchen’s light gray porcelain tile floor, which exhibits subtle movement and texture.
Dickens had the tiles laid in a herringbone pattern with an off-white grout. “It’s very classic, but also a great way to add visual interest and help visually widen the space,” Dickens says. “The pattern helped the kitchen avoid that bowling alley effect.”
BEFORE: This photo shows the solid wall with small pocket door (seen at the back left) that cut the kitchen off from the living room. The couple also disliked their previous black appliances.
AFTER: Now the couple have a new gas cooktop with custom hood and a microwave-convection oven combination with separate oven. A flat-screen TV mounted on the wall to the right of the cooktop (not pictured) swivels to be viewed from both the kitchen and living room.
The custom wood hood provides ventilation and creates a stylish focal point. “Many wood hoods can look heavy, but this one is simple and elegant,” Dickens says.
Glass-front cabinets above the refrigerator display an extensive Franciscan Desert Rose dinnerware collection that the couple have collected for more than 30 years.
A classic farmhouse sink was one of the couple’s must-haves for the updated kitchen. A paneled dishwasher sits to the right of the sink, with a pullout paneled trash can to the left. An appliance garage (seen on the counter at the right side of this photo) helps keep the Caesarstone Misty Carrera counters free from clutter. “We went with a honed finish on the counters,” Dickens says. “To me, it softens the kitchen a little, and the ogee edge dresses it up a bit.”
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The pink-and-green floral fabric on the banquette has a gray background that works nicely with the new tile floor.
The banquette, where the couple eat, watch TV, read and pay bills, includes custom pillows in a coordinating fabric. The table was an item the couple previously owned; it was repainted in a bright white to match the cabinets.
We love this colorful makeover!