Bowman Group - Greg Bowman

Robert Stone, inc. works with a lot of absolute black granite and galaxy black granite to create a sheer look for kitchens and bathrooms.

This Modern European kitchen is perfect for cooking and entertaining guests! We love the open layout that allows for a seamless flow throughout the space. Jyland Construction Management Company Scott Amundson Photography

This is the most elegant and formal kitchen Bradford Design has created to date. Yet only a few steps through a paneled-finished interior refrigerator cabinet one will find a less formal, complimentary second kitchen with features such as “chicken wire” cabinet door fronts on furniture-like cabinetry. The kitchen has a custom Bradford Design range hood, an island designed to look like it is supported by furniture legs, and an especially large and dramatic wall built-in. All of the cabinetry - on each wall in both kitchens - were designed totally symmetrical and without a seam between cabinets on the same plane. Integrating the cabinetry crown molding with the architect’s integrate room crown was another design challenge that defines this room. A Bradford Design master vanity continues the “all white” theme throughout this new French home on the water. Photographer: Greg Hadley Featured articles: "Better Homes and Gardens" Special Interest Publication "Beautiful Kitchens", Summer 2009 and "Washington Spaces" magazine, Spring 2009.

Delicatus White Granite

Make no mistake: Heidi’s passion was the basis of the project. Heidi loves to cook. Given a choice, she might live full-time in the kitchen. She revels in creating culinary delights for family and friends. She lives to entertain. Her kitchen is her castle. It has to be just right. But, it wasn’t. For starters, she wanted a different stove. Looking around, other things jumped out. This wasn’t the cooking mecca she envisioned. There were better options available. The ball started rolling. “I needed a bigger island and a bigger stove,” Heidi said. “That led to ‘We need a bigger kitchen.’” This wasn’t a new revelation. She had been researching kitchens for some time. She didn’t have all the details, but she had a plan. “My vision was to have it very clean and simple, but I wanted some artistic flair,” she explained. Our task was to design the kitchen her passion demanded. It needed more countertop space. It needed more storage space. It needed functional elements that were big, bold and suited to the needs of an active, passionate user. So, first things first. We started with a Viking Professional stove and oven that would make Julia Child proud. “I told Kevin (her husband) it’s coming with us if we move,” Heidi said. The custom stove hood was custom-made on site of wood and dual-color Venetian plaster, with a Ventahood exhaust inside. Two corbels accent its artistic look and feel, hewing to Heidi’s desire to make the kitchen both fully functional and pleasing to the eye. When working at the deluxe Viking unit, Heidi doesn’t have to go far for pots and pans, either. The new island has three large base drawers built into it directly across from the range. She can literally turn around, take what she needs from the drawers, and go right back to work. We nearly doubled the cabinet space in the kitchen, offering many more storage and organizational options. The drawers are all soft-close, full-extension design. The doors are soft-close. The upper cabinet above the refrigerator has vertical tray dividers, easing the sometimes arduous task of sorting trays and cookie sheets. Heidi sought an antique look for her cabinetry. To achieve this, we utilized maple cabinets with a mink wash treatment and ancient bronze hardware. We ordered matching panels for the dishwasher and refrigerator doors, creating a seamless look with the cabinetry. We maintained visual interest by staggering the heights of the different cabinets. Upper cabinets feature double-stack crown moldings. Some cabinets have rain glass inserts to display decorative items within. Meanwhile, the entire area was brightened with a plethora of new lighting. Eight recessed lights in the 9-foot ceiling illuminate the counter space. Undercabinet lights brighten any food preparation work. In-cabinet lighting spotlights decorative items within glass-door cabinetry. Above-cabinet lights offer just the right ambiance to complete the scene. Above the island hang two distinctive, eye-catching chandeliers that definitely set off the kitchen’s mix of antiquity and artistry. Heidi simply would not be denied these fixtures, with their oil-rubbed bronze finish and Renaissance-era feel. “Everybody doubted me on them,” she said. “My kitchen’s not that big. I had to have these big, beautiful, glamorous lights. They make the room extra special.” The island itself took a bit of doing. Ultimately, we created a two-tier structure that provided invaluable food preparation and staging space, plus a dining area that allowed the owners to get rid of a kitchen table that had fallen out of favor. The 120-inch length of the island allows it to meet these dual needs. The island offers plenty of room for people to gather around during parties, with wide open spaces that offer guests ready access to food and drink. The increased seating space offers Heidi’s family a comfortable dining table, with more than enough room for plates and serving dishes. She bought accompanying chairs that blend with the island’s cherry base and the granite countertop’s multicolored brown hues. Two corbels built into posts on the island base give it a sturdy, dignified look. Heidi selected the white tumbled travertine subway field tile that makes up the backsplash ringing the main kitchen area. During its installation, she personally directed the placement of floral bronze metal accent pieces scattered into the backsplash. She helped create a six-tile decorative mural insert above the expansive range of her new Viking range. We put in a farmer’s sink with space galore for food, dishes or whatever Heidi desired. The structure and decorative feet of the sink, plus the mounted corbels above, create a furniture resemblance. “I just love my sink,” she said. “It’s big, it’s nice, and my family just loves it because they can help with the dishes and can easily reach into it.” Space wasn’t necessarily the final frontier in Heidi’s kitchen, but she definitely wanted more. We removed a wall from a pantry, transforming its small dark space into additional cabinets and counter area. Heidi keeps small appliances on the new counter and prepares her daughters’ lunches there. The rest of the former pantry was converted into a laundry area and new mudroom. By stacking the washer and dryer in the laundry area, space was freed up next to it to add new storage cabinets and a countertop for laundry sorting. On the other side of the mudroom, we opened and renovated a previous cramped closet for greater functionality and efficiency. By adding shelving and hanging hooks near the top, and storage drawers at the bottom, the variety and quantity of items it can accommodate was multiplied several times. This allowed the closet space to be narrowed by 18 inches, widening an adjacent hallway to the dining room. The top of the drawers doubles as a bench, further enhancing the area’s usability. The entire mudroom area can be closed off to the kitchen via a pocket door built into the reworked closet. The door has full-view etched glass, allowing light into the mudroom and visibility from the kitchen. The flooring in the kitchen and new mudroom – formerly engineered hardwood – was replaced with stonefire noce ceramic tile. Its color was chosen to blend in with the family room carpet, now a true neighbor after we took out a wall between the two rooms. The remainder of the living room wall was converted into two pillars that were custom-built on site and resemble the posts on the island. Removing the wall was a last-minute call by the owners. After living with the results for just a short time, Heidi called it “the best decision ever.” It’s not hard to see why – both the newly-remodeled kitchen and the family room seem larger, with a smarter and more efficient traffic flow. Accenting the freshly-opened space is a new sliding patio door whose color matches its casings. Its grid design matches those in nearby windows. The door casings bear the literal touch of the homeowners, who saved thousands of dollars by painting many parts of the project. Heidi personally painted the walls, window casings, base molding, shoe molding, pocket door and mudroom. She applied many coats of Venetian plaster to the stove range hood to create its soft, velvety look. We saved the homeowners at least $500 by researching the corbels used in the kitchen. After learning the steep price charged for corbels by the cabinet manufacturer, we found an online catalog that offered them for substantially less. Heidi gladly chose from the catalog, and this decorative touch was added at a great savings. In addition, we worked to keep the project within budget by providing Heidi with material allowances for the countertops, plumbing fixtures and all tiles. She had no problem working within these parameters – a win-win situation for all concerned. When all is said and done, the greatest achievement is hearing Heidi talk about the joy her new kitchen has brought her, and how it has benefited her family. “It’s exactly what I wanted,” she said, standing in front of the kitchen and spreading her arms wide to take in the expanse. “My vision is this right here.”

White candles chandelier. A beautiful two story great room with our contemporary multi pendant chandelier. The beautiful hand made white candles lighting fixture, is made of detailed fused glass, in a unique texture of a "wrinkled" glass that creates a graceful chandelier. The art glass pendants are uniquely created by our artist and bring the beauty of art to the space. The custom-made candles chandelier in white Can be designed with any number of fixtures, color and size, upon our customers request. Size: 16" x 3" x 3" www.GalileeLighting.com for our catalog by email or more details contact us: Sales@GalileeLighting.com

Homeworks of Alabama, Inc., Auburn, Al, rustic, contemporary, straight lines, reclaimed lumber, granite, chrome fixtures, recessed lighting, mono point lighting, soothing paint colors, plank walls, kitchen island, granite surround island, white cabinets, open floor plan, kitchen living combination,

Randall Perry Photgraphy www.randallperry.com

Large open kitchen. Original island was removed, new custom rift sawn white oak cabinets. The wall is floor to ceiling glass tile. Photos by Nate Koerner

A bold statement with yellow river granite counter tops from Brazil. Pictures by La Pietra Marble.

Always popular Polished Black Granite with natural gold flecks. Installation in Esher Surrey

This ultra modern white kitchen design was inspired by both the home owners who love cooking and Astro's designer, an expert in the modern style. This collaboration resulted in a super slick, and stunning kitchen that is perfect for someone who enjoys cooking. The open concept is great for hosting and no shortage of counter space here with lots of room to store cook books as well. Who needs a kitchen table when you have two huge islands instead! Brands: G monogram, Blue Star oven and hood.

Ken Smith Photography

The resort pool at White Surf - to swim or not swim, that is the question! White Surf is a newly renovated custom designed 7,000 sq.ft. oceanfront home offering unsurpassed amenities and possibilities unique to the Vero Beach, Florida area. This home can be rented (when not in use by its owner) for family vacations, see http://www.vrbo.com/496214 for details. The excellent location (next to Round Island Oceanfront Park and directly across from Round Island Riverside Park) offers breathtaking unobstructed 360 degree endless views of both the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway and surrounding wetlands. The home sits in the heart of Vero Beach's acclaimed South Beach Estate row among $20+ million homes. The Green Antiques Design and Development Team imported a full container of the finest antique Chinese architectural elements and antique Chinese furniture to complement White Surf's stunning custom designed interior, which includes an indoor home theater with 200 inch high-definition Mitsubishi projection screen, Bose theater sound, and 11 comfy seats, lower level recreation zone with 13 foot ceilings, two full kitchens on the first and third floors, elevator, fitness room, multiple living and family rooms on three floors, six bedrooms including a six person bunk room which allows the house to sleep 17 comfortably in bedrooms, and up to 20 if the sleeper sofa and Qing Dynasty Bed are used. White Surf offers a luxurious custom designed resort pool featuring four waterfalls, lighting, surround sound outdoor speakers, and magnificent landscaping. Outdoor lovers will enjoy sunbathing or a nip in the ocean at the life-guarded beach, or even the experience of kayaking and surfing at adjacent recreational park areas with public beach access including boat ramp! The soothing waters and white sandy beaches of the Atlantic Ocean await you at White Surf! www.shanghai-antiques.com

Angle Eye Photography