Client: The Country House Kitchen

Nestled in the woods of central Alabama, a new construction kitchen was finished with cabinetry and a country-style, eat-in kitchen. The design direction and vision were to create a kitchen and home with a nod to a relaxed country living where any visual reference to modernism was ignored–to create a truly timeless kitchen.

Behind the Design

Several years ago, I received a call from a young man looking for an interior designer. He and his wife were self-contracting a new home in the country. Over the phone, he explained his overarching vision for his rustic home—a home that was timelessly rooted in the past, so much so that one might wonder, “When was this house built?”

Upon the first drive up the dusty tree-lined road, it became clear exactly what he meant. A quintessential rustic wrap-around porch was the dominant feature. The exterior was clad in timber and stone, with no period reference. I was so thankful it was not a modern farmhouse with architecture to be regretted in the coming years.

Their project was initially stalled by indecision. Beyond the fantastic reclaimed wood floors, no other finishes had been selected.

The homeowner shared the original drawings of the floor plan for the kitchen. The original design plan included a peninsula dividing the area just in front of the French doors. Immediately, I knew that plan was all wrong for his vision for the home. There was also no allowance for a pantry in the original drawings.

This “modern” kitchen floorplan would never have felt like a timeless country house. I shared a few immediate ideas to gauge their acceptance of moving the kitchen into an entirely different direction.

The new design and kitchen cabinet sketches took shape with perimeter cabinets wrapped around an antique farm table. Additional light was captured by adding an antique iron window. The new kitchen would be where their family would gather to enjoy meals, play games, do homework, and share stories of the day.

Once the new floor plan and design direction had been drawn up and approved, we scheduled an appointment to pick out finishes.

Often, my design process involves guiding the client through the stone yard to see and touch preselected options and repeating this process with tile. These tactile meetings demonstrate what a client is drawn to and can spark a vision for the space for a client.

Leslie

Sadly, even with completed drawings and renderings, the wait for cabinet delivery was over a year. Despite the delays, the kitchen was a beautiful execution of a relaxed, timeless space that was even better than the young homeowners had imagined. Once complete, they were especially thrilled to see the exceptional finishes, a farmhouse sink, quartz countertops with custom quartz window sill and a considered aproach to the cabinet hardware.

The hood was the one design element that changed the final overall look of the kitchen. It is undoubtedly beautiful, with a limestone finish and handmade tile. The original design featured a large tumbled stone backsplash. The stone would have perfectly complemented the rustic oversized fireplace in the adjacent sitting room.

The one takeaway from this project I would like to share with future clients is that this project became the “worst-case scenario” for choosing a cabinet provider not on my vetted list. No one should have their project stalled for over a year while waiting on cabinetry. The only saving grace was that the workmanship was good, and after many conversations with the carpenter, it was executed to my specifications.