When an AC unit leaked and ruined a client’s oak flooring, designer Carol Twomey of Orlando-based S&W Kitchens stepped in to turn a crisis into a beautiful and transitional space.
To improve the layout of the appliances, Twomey moved the location of the refrigerator and freezer to a formerly unused wall; this left enough room to install a much larger 30-in. fridge and 30-in. freezer.
The new refrigerator and freezer become a highlight of the space with decorative mirrored doors.
“One challenge was the homeowner’s preference for a hood that was hidden,” said Twomey. “We designed a cabinet with the same mullion doors on the refrigerator/freezer, this time with wood inserts.”
The flow of the space was enhanced by widening the walkway into the kitchen and turning a former bar top into a standard-height seating space, which is easier for the children.
The splurge – and the main feature – of the project is the backlit natural quartzite stones, which were used for the island top, bar top and part of the backsplash.
Originally, the design team considered more expensive tile patterns for the rest of the backsplash, but they settled on a textured porcelain to lower their costs and to let the natural quartzite part of the backsplash shine.
Gold hardware and fixtures added another note of luxury into the design.
“With some major adaptations of their original wish list, we created a kitchen that brought light into the space in so many ways, from the back-lit counters and backsplash, to the elegant light fixtures and the mirrored refrigerator/freezer doors,” said Twomey.