Kitchens can’t just be beautiful – they have to be durable and practical.  That’s why I shy away from wood floors and delicate countertop stones in a kitchen. For Calibu Vineyard, I chose Namib Fantasy soft-quartzite, which is dramatic and stunning, and quartzite is heat and stain resistant in ways marble isn’t.  And the floors are Pocono Oak faux wood tile laid in a herringbone pattern. So the rich, warm look of wood anchors the kitchen, but the tile is practically bulletproof.

We’re seeing a move away from the white-on-white kitchen, towards two-toned cabinetry in blacks, greys, and ashy woods.  At Calibu Vineyard, the perimeter cabinets are a taupe-gray, which offsets the satin gold hardware beautifully.  The long black island provides striking contrast, and the deep slate blue of the backsplash and sink detail is another hot color in kitchens right now.

My trick for mixing and matching is to not use two similar materials in the same space, as they can compete and cancel each other out.  For example, I wouldn’t use two different types of natural stone in one kitchen, or wood cabinets with wood-look floors.  Instead, I’d mix a stone counter with a quartz counter, as we’ve done at Calibu Vineyard, and pair
a wood-look floor with painted cabinetry.

Three elements we’re seeing right now in the open floor plan kitchen are all incorporated at Calibu Vineyard: the home wine cellar, the oversized island, and the prep kitchen. The wine cellar we’ve created is see-through and replaced a solid wall between the kitchen and foyer, which allows bright sunlight and vineyard views to show all the way into the center hall of the house.  The 19 ft. island is the gathering point of the kitchen, with refrigeration, cooking, storage, prep sink, and trash disposal all integrated.  By placing the 48” gas range top in the center of the island, the chef now becomes the star and focal point while entertaining.  And prep kitchens are becoming increasingly popular, for those times when you want the main kitchen to remain pristine while the real work happens in a more intimate and less visible cooking space.

Touchless faucets are delightful!  My clients love these, especially for the messy cooks who don’t want to glom up their beautiful faucets with food-covered hands.   Dimensional backsplash tile is one of my favorite kitchen items, as it gives a great mix of materials instead of running the same counter material on the walls, and a textural tile with dimensionality adds great richness to the walls.  And a separate prep sink in addition to the main sink is one of the biggest requests from clients – it’s nice to wash fruits and veggies in a different place than dirty dishes.

Whether you’re a five-star chef or a takeout expert, one thing everyone needs in the kitchen is great lighting!  Food appearance, prep work and cooking, entertaining and dining – it all needs great lighting to enhance the experience.  I suggest layers of lighting, all dimmable, with LED ceiling cans to offer a general spread of light, dramatic pendants and sconces to add focal lighting, and under cabinet or hood lighting to provide task lighting.  

Change your cabinet hardware.  Statement pulls in today’s finishes, like satin gold or matte black, are an inexpensive way to update cabinetry.

Add statement lighting. A large chandelier or three bold pendants over the island function as art in a kitchen, and can be very easily installed by an electrician in a few
hours.

Clear off the counters.  Take all the clutter and tuck it into cabinets, then add just a few curated items, like a vase of fresh flowers and a cluster of glass canisters filled with dry goods. Suddenly the kitchen feels less like a work horse and more like a show piece.