Before and After: Kitchen Gets a Bold New Look in Black and White
A built-in banquette, a herringbone-pattern backsplash and touches of black transform this California kitchen
Before. The former kitchen featured a small center island and a corner sink. The space also had light stained oak cabinets, recessed lights and a pot rack over the island. The homeowners kept this layout in the makeover.
After. In the “before” picture, you can see a slice of the dining room through the open doorway. The black-and-white wallpaper in that room inspired the color palette for the kitchen. “I think it’s important for the different rooms in a house to connect to one another,” Grey says. “Continuing the black and white in the kitchen helps make the entire area feel cohesive.”
The new countertops are covered in a white quartz with veining, meant to mimic the look of marble. “They’re great — you get the look of marble but the durability and hassle-free qualities of quartz,” Grey says.
To add the new Shaker-style cabinets that go all the way up to the ceiling, the designer removed the soffits above the old cabinets. “The old soffits were not there for any functional reason,” she says. “Removing them and bringing the cabinets all the way up really raises the eye and makes the ceiling look higher.”
Find marble-look quartz countertops
The new countertops are covered in a white quartz with veining, meant to mimic the look of marble. “They’re great — you get the look of marble but the durability and hassle-free qualities of quartz,” Grey says.
To add the new Shaker-style cabinets that go all the way up to the ceiling, the designer removed the soffits above the old cabinets. “The old soffits were not there for any functional reason,” she says. “Removing them and bringing the cabinets all the way up really raises the eye and makes the ceiling look higher.”
Find marble-look quartz countertops
Grey added glass-front doors to one wall of cabinets to keep the space from feeling too heavy and also to display the homeowners’ collection of brightly colored dishware. “Some clients can pull off glass-fronts and others cannot,” Grey says. “These homeowners are so meticulous that I knew keeping the cabinets organized would not be an issue.”
An appliance garage underneath the glass-front cabinets houses a coffee station that the homeowners use every morning.
An appliance garage underneath the glass-front cabinets houses a coffee station that the homeowners use every morning.
The homeowners wanted more drama with their kitchen lights, so Grey removed the recessed lights in favor of a large black farmhouse-inspired fixture over the island and a fixture with an exposed filament bulb above the sink.
Grey laid slim white subway tiles on the backsplash in a herringbone pattern with dark-colored grout in between. “All the white needed to be broken up a bit, but I didn’t want to introduce a new color, so just changing the direction of the tile added the right amount of contrast,” she says.
Light fixtures: RH
Grey laid slim white subway tiles on the backsplash in a herringbone pattern with dark-colored grout in between. “All the white needed to be broken up a bit, but I didn’t want to introduce a new color, so just changing the direction of the tile added the right amount of contrast,” she says.
Light fixtures: RH
Before. The former kitchen featured a breakfast area with a traditional dining table and chairs. The three large windows overlooking the backyard did not have any drapes or shades.
After. Grey had a custom banquette built below the windows and added window shades to create a cozy breakfast area. The banquette has drawers at the bottom that the homeowners use to store table linens. Assorted colorful pillows atop it add comfort and bring a splash of color to the space. A light fixture above the table features three exposed lightbulbs, complementing the fixture above the sink.
“There’s an informality to the breakfast area now that encourages the family to hang out longer and take in the morning sun,” Grey says.
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“There’s an informality to the breakfast area now that encourages the family to hang out longer and take in the morning sun,” Grey says.
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with three college-age boys
Location: Agoura, California
Size: About 400 square feet (37 square meters)
Designer: Jennifer Grey Interiors Design & Color Specialist
With their three boys “sorta moved out,” these homeowners were ready to give the kitchen in the home they raised their family in a fresh new look. They brought in designer and color specialist Jennifer Grey to create a space that would feel brighter and bolder while still staying within the footprint of the original kitchen.