05/05/2017

GRAFF's Adley Faucet l Beautiful Kitchens & Baths

The frequent weekend visitors to Yvonne and Neil O'Kane's Westport, Connecticut, home head straight to the kitchen table. There, they're likely to find Yvonne preparing a party menu, Neil reading the paper and the kids enjoying snacks and texting friends. 

Such a scene is exactly what the O'Kane's envisioned when they purchased the charming, but at the time outdated, 1908 home. They were drawn to the home's heritage details, such as a back staircase and a kitchen fireplace, but they knew it would take some design dexterity to turn the existing kitchen into the family hub they desired. "I wanted a kitchen that was luxurious but also easy to live in, work and clean," Yvonne says. Never a fan of kitchen islands, Yvonne also wanted the space to be large enough to accommodate the family's much-loved farmhouse table--a primary gathering place and the true heart of the home. 

Enter kitchen designer Veronica Campbell of Deane Kitchen and lifestyle expert Mar Jennings. Working from Jennings' six core design principles (see Designer Insights), the team designed a light, airy space that marries the warmth of the lovingly used table with the luxe amenities of a modern kitchen. 

A royal blue La Cornue range anchors one end of the kitchen. It’s gorgeous hue inspired the room's soft blue-and-green color palette--a perfect complement to the earthiness of the farm table and the wood-look textured ceramic tile floor, and a striking contrast to the perimeters gleaming finishes. Custom lacquer cabinets finished in bright white and sage green and easy-to-clean white Glassos countertops glisten like wet paint and reflect the shimmery backsplash of blue, gray and white tile. The existing fireplace was boxed off and painted a deep blue-gray to give it a vibrant look, while high-gloss white paint on moldings and mantels provides a lustrous sheen that makes visitors want to reach out and touch. 

"The glossy surfaces showcase beautiful details and have a reflective quality similar to a body of water," Yvonne says. "It's inviting, like my table. It draws you in and makes you want to stay awhile--and people do."