As Seen in Home and Design Magazine ‘Kitchens to Envy’ Profile, January 2025
Our clients purchased a home on a beautiful wooded acre lot outside Washington, DC. The kitchen was dark, dated, felt closed off to the rest of the home, and did not have any views of their fabulous new property.
Client Objectives:
- Open kitchen to adjacent dining and living rooms; creating better circulation
- Increase views to rear yard
- Improve general lighting plan and create more access to natural light
- Add a beverage space/buffet area for entertaining
- Create privacy between the kitchen and the powder room
- Increase storage
- Modernize the kitchen aesthetics and functionality
BEFORE
AFTER
With the camera virtually in the same location, this is an overview of the before and after kitchen.
BEFORE
Before Kitchen Problems:
- Kitchen was closed off from adjacent rooms
- Multiple ceiling lines and odd ceiling lighting were visually chaotic
- Lack of windows in the kitchen meant no views of the beautiful yard or natural light
- The kitchen didn’t have adequate space for an “entertainment zone” to include the client requested buffet & beverage area
- The powder room entered directly into the kitchen and included an extra bathroom sink in the kitchen area
- The space lacked sufficient storage for day-to-day use and bulk items
- Overall, the kitchen was outdated
AFTER
After Kitchen Solutions:
- Kitchen was closed off from adjacent rooms
- Solution: Walls were removed and altered to create a more open, connected space.
- Lack of windows in the kitchen meant no views of the beautiful yard or natural light
- Solution: A “backsplash” of glass was added above the prep area for better views and more skylights were added for access to natural light.
- The kitchen did not have adequate space for an “entertainment zone”
- Solution: A 90-degree feature wall was created to house a buffet area as well as a beverage refrigerator and ice maker.
- The powder room entered directly into the kitchen and included an extra bathroom sink in the kitchen area
- Solution: A hallway was created behind a new wall of cabinetry. This new wall provides privacy to the powder room entry and provides access to a new walk-in pantry for extra storage.
- The space lacked proper storage
- Solution: Customized storage in the cabinetry was designed to meet the clients’ specific needs. The new walk-in pantry provides loads of new storage.
OBJECTIVE 1: Open the kitchen to the dining and living rooms
BEFORE: The kitchen was dark and closed off to the adjacent rooms.
AFTER: The walls have been altered to create a more open floor plan, creating better circulation and more functionality.
BEFORE: The walls between the kitchen and other rooms impeded the open circulation the clients wanted in and around the kitchen. Mixed ceiling lines and flooring were visually disturbing.
AFTER: Expanding the kitchen footprint and altering the walls created open and clean lines of sight. Natural color tones in the cabinetry and uniform wood flooring instill a sense of calm. Natural wood cabinets and shelving provide excellent storage and display surfaces.
OBJECTIVE 2: Increase views to the yard
BEFORE: The kitchen had no windows with views to the yard.
AFTER: We eliminated the single exterior door in the kitchen and replaced it with double windows. By adding more base cabinets and a new wall of cabinetry, we were able to minimize the exterior wall cabinets and install a large window the full length of the wall to extend the views significantly.
OBJECTIVE 3: Improve general lighting plan and create more access to natural light
BEFORE: In addition to the kitchen having no windows, the skylights were small and the general lighting poor.
AFTER: We eliminated the “waffle artificial light” ceiling lights and installed a dropped beam to create a cleaner ceiling plane which allowed the dormer window to be more visible. We also added a third skylight over the prep area for more natural light. Modern Kuzco pendant lights provide great LED task lighting on the island.
OBJECTIVE 4: Create an entertainment zone with buffet and beverage area
Not only did we create an attractive entertainment zone with buffet area and beverage frig and ice maker with floating shelves above, but we also created a second buffet area between the kitchen and dining room with service area on top and drawers to accommodate table linens and serving supplies.
These custom panels disguise Jenn Air 15” ice maker and 24” undercounter beverage refrigerator.
OBJECTIVE 5: Create privacy between the kitchen and the powder room
BEFORE POWDER ROOM ENTRY: The powder room was part of the kitchen…
… including an odd second bathroom sink outside the powder room.
AFTER
AFTER: We created a hallway behind a new wall of cabinetry to provide private entry to the powder room and new walk-in pantry.
OBJECTIVE 6: Increase storage
Keeping with our design theme of “no wasted space”, we sought opportunities for customized storage and increased functionality throughout the kitchen.
A focus on customized organizational accessories and more storage were a priority for the clients.
The before pantry was combined with an adjacent closet to create this large walk-in pantry for extra large storage items.
OBJECTIVE 7: Modernize the kitchen aesthetically and functionality
State of the Art Appliances…
24” Sharp Flat Panel Microwave Drawer
30” Miele stacked Steam Oven, Wall Oven and Warming Drawer
36″ Flush mount, contemporary gas cooktop with cabinet front knobs. 36″ Best custom hood insert with external blower.
24″ Jenn Air column refrigerator and freezer with custom wood panels.
Modern Finishes create polished feel in tune with the home’s natural surroundings…
Cambria quartz in White Cliff countertops with waterfall feature at the island.
Brady flat panel white oak cabinets stained in teak tone throughout.
Top Knobs Riverside pulls in satin nickel. White Oak floating shelves stained in “teak”.
5″ wide white oak stained a light white or gray wash.
BEFORE: The ceiling lines and lighting were busy and visually distracting.
DURING: To clean up the ceiling lines, a flush beam replaced an undersized drop beam.
AFTER: Ceiling lines offer a more aesthetically pleasing look in addition to making access to the dormer window larger for more natural light.
WIDE VIEW
CLOSE UP
WIDE VIEW
CLOSE UP
We created calm out of chaos…
The result of this remodel was a beautiful kitchen that felt modern, open, and in tune with the natural surroundings. We met all our clients’ objectives for this project by applying creative solutions to:
- Create a more open space with better circulation
- Increase views to the yard
- Improve general and natural lighting
- Add a buffet area/beverage center to the kitchen
- Create privacy for the powder room
- Increase storage space
- Overall, modernize the kitchen aesthetics and functionality
Award Winning Remodelers in Northern Virginia – Bowers Design Build has specialized in providing the best overall experience in the remodeling industry since 1990. Bowers Design Build specializes in Northern Virginia Remodeling and Northern Virginia Custom Homes. Our numerous industry remodeling awards have been great, but the true measure of our success has been high marks in overall customer satisfaction
Service areas: McLean, Arlington, Falls Church, Vienna, Oakton, Great Falls, Alexandria, Fairfax County and Middleburg.
Specializing in: Northern Virginia New Custom Homes, Northern Virginia Whole House Renovations, Northern Virginia Kitchen Renovations, Northern Virginia Master Bathroom Renovations, Northern Virginia Interior Renovations, Northern Virginia Basement Renovations, Renovations for Aging-in-Place and Northern Virginia Outdoor Living Spaces.
