Kitchen of the Week: Warm and Cheerful Style With Pink Cabinets
A design-build pro opens up a tight layout, adds more storage and creates a happy look full of colorful personality
This couple wanted a kitchen that sparked joy — and they definitely weren’t getting that with their existing kitchen’s basic white and gray finishes and closed-off layout.
In search of a brighter, cheerier look with more storage and an improved layout, they turned to design-build pro Philip Hide. Hide replaced load-bearing walls with a wood-wrapped steel beam to open things up, expand the footprint and create space for an island with a gas cooktop that helped form an efficient work triangle. Soft pink cabinets, dark green backsplash tile and warm yellow walls bring a happy feel. “It’s classy but also has a jolly, cheerful vibe to it,” Hide says.
In search of a brighter, cheerier look with more storage and an improved layout, they turned to design-build pro Philip Hide. Hide replaced load-bearing walls with a wood-wrapped steel beam to open things up, expand the footprint and create space for an island with a gas cooktop that helped form an efficient work triangle. Soft pink cabinets, dark green backsplash tile and warm yellow walls bring a happy feel. “It’s classy but also has a jolly, cheerful vibe to it,” Hide says.
After: Hide knocked the kitchen back to the studs and removed load-bearing walls that separated it from other areas of the home. A walnut-wrapped steel beam provides structural support, which allowed for the open layout with an island. These decisions helped add 22 square feet to the kitchen footprint.
Shaker-style maple cabinets painted a soft pink (Bella Pink by Sherwin-Williams), green backsplash tile and warm yellow walls (Lily by Sherwin-Williams) gave the couple the joyful style they sought. “Pink isn’t for everyone, but in this case the color addressed a specific desire from the client,” Hide says. “I think confident tastes from the clients was key. They weren’t afraid to be bold with the color.”
Red oak flooring, walnut floating shelves, wood stools and brass hardware and other brass details add warmth.
Cabinet hardware: Kane knob and Kane cup pull, both in Golden Champagne finish, Amerock Hardware; ceiling and trim paint: Westhighland White, Sherwin-Williams
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Shaker-style maple cabinets painted a soft pink (Bella Pink by Sherwin-Williams), green backsplash tile and warm yellow walls (Lily by Sherwin-Williams) gave the couple the joyful style they sought. “Pink isn’t for everyone, but in this case the color addressed a specific desire from the client,” Hide says. “I think confident tastes from the clients was key. They weren’t afraid to be bold with the color.”
Red oak flooring, walnut floating shelves, wood stools and brass hardware and other brass details add warmth.
Cabinet hardware: Kane knob and Kane cup pull, both in Golden Champagne finish, Amerock Hardware; ceiling and trim paint: Westhighland White, Sherwin-Williams
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Before: This look inside the former kitchen shows the tight galley-style layout with the range and microwave on a wall separating the kitchen from other areas of the home. A bay window took up valuable wall space. The sink, on the right, sat beneath a leaky garden window that the couple decided to close in to gain more cabinet storage.
Wood-look vinyl flooring gave the room an ashy appearance.
Wood-look vinyl flooring gave the room an ashy appearance.
After: With the range wall removed and the support beam in place, Hide expanded the kitchen and added an island with a cooktop. He replaced the bay window with an awning window and relocated the new apron-front sink beneath it to create a more efficient work triangle with the cooktop and refrigerator, which stands to the right of the wall ovens seen here.
The cooktop setup allowed space below for drawer storage. “We have a lot of drawers. It’s a really nice practical use of space there,” Hide says. “We tried to add as many drawers as possible in this kitchen for ease of use and easy access.”
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The cooktop setup allowed space below for drawer storage. “We have a lot of drawers. It’s a really nice practical use of space there,” Hide says. “We tried to add as many drawers as possible in this kitchen for ease of use and easy access.”
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The countertops are marble-look quartz. A stainless steel dishwasher sits to the right of the sink. A paneled trash and recycling center is to the left.
Sink: Fireclay reversible farmhouse sink, Ruvati; faucet: Trinsic in Champagne Bronze, Delta Faucet
Sink: Fireclay reversible farmhouse sink, Ruvati; faucet: Trinsic in Champagne Bronze, Delta Faucet
To the left of the trash and recycling center are two open shelves with posts spray-painted to match the cabinet hardware. “They wanted some open shelves and also to make that end of the kitchen decorative,” Hide says. “It’s somewhere she can display cookbooks and plants. It also softens that corner of the kitchen.”
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Walnut open shelves with a faux live edge hold everyday dishes and decorative items.
The green backsplash is 4-by-4-inch handmade Moroccan terra-cotta tiles. “We definitely wanted a contrast for the pink cabinets,” Hide says. “There’s not a huge amount of area for the backsplash, so we wanted a statement. The homeowner loves pink and green, so this made sense. The tiles have a unique texture and rawness to them. I think the green tiles also actually ground the kitchen a bit too.”
A powder pink stand mixer coordinates with the cabinet color.
The green backsplash is 4-by-4-inch handmade Moroccan terra-cotta tiles. “We definitely wanted a contrast for the pink cabinets,” Hide says. “There’s not a huge amount of area for the backsplash, so we wanted a statement. The homeowner loves pink and green, so this made sense. The tiles have a unique texture and rawness to them. I think the green tiles also actually ground the kitchen a bit too.”
A powder pink stand mixer coordinates with the cabinet color.
Eliminating the garden window and relocating the sink made space for the new cabinet-depth French door stainless steel refrigerator and wall ovens.
A tall pantry cabinet to the right of the refrigerator features rollout shelves. The cabinet above the refrigerator has dividers for cookie sheets and baking pans.
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A tall pantry cabinet to the right of the refrigerator features rollout shelves. The cabinet above the refrigerator has dividers for cookie sheets and baking pans.
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Read more kitchen stories
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Hire a kitchen remodeler
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two young children
Location: Minneapolis
Size: 178 square feet (17 square meters)
Design-build pro: Philip Hide of Wise Design & Remodel
Before: In the former layout, several walls separated the kitchen from a family room and dining room. This photo also shows a bit of the basic white and gray finishes in the kitchen. Even the flooring was shades of gray.