The Right Lights and White Quartz for a Bright Kitchen

This St. Louis Park Minnesota home was built in 1938, with several remodeling updates and the addition of a four-season porch over the years. But the kitchen looked dated with its dark Oak cabinets, and the appliances were tired. So, the owners chose to transform a smaller kitchen and dining room into an amazing living/entertaining space. To open up the space the non-supporting wall that separated the kitchen and the dining room was removed. The new open design features a peninsula with seating for three, just right for casual dining and conversation. Extra-wide drawers below provide storage for those larger kitchen utensils. New 1 ½ inch Red Oak flooring was installed and stained to exactly match and connect the existing living room and dining room. White flat-panel upper and lower kitchen cabinets and drawers feature brushed nickel hardware. The white double bay undermount kitchen sink features Kohler faucets with detachable spray head. New stainless-steel appliances are featured throughout, and the custom wood-paneled clad stove hood is vented outdoors. But maybe the most interesting part of this kitchen’s appeal are the bright “Calacatta Plazo” Quartz countertops. This choice of this Quartz shows subtle gray veins. Finding Subway tile in the color of that gray vein was challenging. But it was worth it. “Greige” colored Subway tile was chosen for the backsplash. White grout and the horizontal orientation of the tile makes the room feel larger, making this backsplash the perfect complement to this kitchen design. With all this white the kitchen is already pretty bright. But the perfect lighting combination brings it all together. Pendant lights above the sink and peninsula offer just the right design touch. Bright, under-cabinet lights make meal preparation easy. The in-ceiling and pendant lights are on dimmers – something Rick suggests for all his remodeling projects. Lights and music for meal preparation are remotely controlled using Apple’s assistant, Siri. The result: A bright white kitchen that opens up the room and blends perfectly with the existing design.