The One-of-a-Kind Feature
With builder-grade finishes and zero personality, this kitchen in Tenleytown “didn’t have any soul,” says designer Zoë Feldman. It also didn’t have enough storage for its owners, a busy young family who had relocated from Utah. So when the wife scored a pair of Gothic Revival stained-glass doors at Community Forklift in Hyattsville, Feldman knew they’d be just the thing to conceal a new built-in pantry and give the space the kind of character it lacked.
Once the doors were in, the rest of the design fell into place. “We wanted the overall palette to be kind of quiet so the stained glass could be the star,” Feldman says. To keep the focus on the doors, she opted for plain cabinetry painted Farrow & Ball’s “Elephant’s Breath,” a ruddy neutral that lends the space a warm pinkish glow. Brass minimalist hardware and Via Lactea granite countertops round out the look.
The High-Contrast Nook
Cheerful and colorful was the directive from the owners of this Wesley Heights home, so designer Lisa Shaffer of Lisa & Leroy crafted a kitchen that delivers sunny vibes year-round.
After brightening the cabinetry with a coat of white paint and adding a heritage-tile backsplash that complements the house’s cottage vibe, she painted the walls Sherwin-Williams “Vogue Green.” Capitalizing on the client’s fondness for yellow, she highlighted the breakfast nook with Sherwin-Williams “Different Gold,” a happy hue that energizes the millwork. Carrying the color through to the window seat, she upholstered the bench in a playful thistle-print fabric from Schumacher.
Opting for a not-so-mellow yellow turned out to be the signature move that paid off. “When you walk into this room, the nook is the first thing you see,” says Shaffer. “It’s a major star moment.”
The Showpiece Pantry
Pantries tend to be closed-door affairs, but for this Westmoreland Hills home, architects Thomson & Cooke, who worked with Erica Burns Interiors, took a different approach. “Utility spaces get a bad rap because they often feel like a closet, but we saw an opportunity to create something really beautiful,” says architect Neal Thomson.
By encasing the pantry in a glass box that echoes the grid of the nearby windows, a small space that’s usually an afterthought became a showpiece. Cabinetry, painted Farrow & Ball “Downpipe,” and Virginia Mist granite countertops match the black framework of the room-within-a-room, offering a dramatic contrast to the adjacent kitchen. Meanwhile, vertical oak paneling mirrors the rift-sawn white-oak cabinetry in the main cook space, and Allied Maker lighting coordinates with Waterworks fixtures and the brass Riloh pendant over the island. With a cleanup sink, dishwasher, and vegetable drawers for food prep, the pantry is every bit as functional as it is good-looking.
The Power Pattern
The owners of this 1960s home in Stevensville, Maryland, wanted the kitchen to feel European, so Tanya Smith-Shiflett of Unique Kitchens & Baths and Amanda Chandro of Details and Design leaned into a quirky British aesthetic. A walnut-paneled range hood, along with cabinetry painted Farrow & Ball “Pitch Black,” set off white quartzite countertops and a creamy zelligetile backsplash. The rose-colored floor tile inspired the final element: a fanciful floral wallpaper by House of Hackney that ties everything together. “The client wanted something dark and dramatic, and that paper hit all the right moody elements,” says Smith-Shiflett.
Wallpaper in a kitchen might seem a gamble, but Smith-Shiflett says it’s surprisingly practical, especially scrubbable or vinyl styles. Her advice on pattern? “Look for wallpaper that’s been out at least five years, to avoid the trendy trap. If it’s had a five-year run and you continue to be drawn to it, you’ll probably still love it in ten years.”
The Fluted Finish
This 1954 midcentury-modern home in Chevy Chase was all right angles and clean lines, so Sandra Meyer of Ella Scott Design decided to throw the interiors a few curves. To soften the kitchen’s edges, she devised a rounded custom island and created an arched built-in niche for cocktail prep nearby. Then she gave both features a coat of Benjamin Moore “Under the Sea,” a deep jade green. Oak cabinets, quartzite countertops, and a brass Regina Andrews pendant light complete the scene, but it’s the island’s ribbed base that warrants a double-take. Reeded finishes, which are showing up on everything from cabinet fronts to vanities, lend a textural element to any surface, evoking both classical columns and Art Deco styling.
“Because we kept the oak cabinetry simple, we added the fluted detail to the island,” says Meyer. “Fluting lends itself to going around a curve, plus it adds a little funk.”
This article appears in the October 2024 issue of Washingtonian.
