INTERVIEW WITH KARIN LIDBECK, HOMEOWNER
Rebecca Reynolds Design helped TRANSFORM a large sunporch into a ONE-OF-A-KIND kitchen layered with colors and textures
Age and style of home: 1970s Cape
Length of renovation: The whole-house renovation took seven months.
Setting the scene: The original kitchen was much smaller, with Formica counters, linoleum floors and limited storage and counter space.
Design concept: I wanted an inviting kitchen with layers of different textures and colors creating visual interest. I think multiple treatments of cabinetry in different colors and materials create a kitchen that feels more like a room and less like a kitchen. That was the direction we headed!
What launched the design: My husband and I sold our Connecticut home and moved to Cape Cod, where we bought my parents’ home in Chatham. The house was worn and needed a complete renovation.
Making an impact: We moved the kitchen from its smaller, closed-in location and used the large sunporch as the footprint for the new kitchen.
Favorite/unique feature: From the beginning, I visualized the back wall of the kitchen filled with windows surrounded by a beautiful tiled wall, creating dramatic impact and a wow factor as you come into the space. I wanted a wall of unobstructed window light providing views to the outside. We knew the right tile would be the key to a thoughtful design. I looked and looked, yet nothing seemed right until Rebecca found a tile she thought might be perfect at one of her local sources, Tile Designs by Laura. She had just brought in this new of line of artisan tiles, and when I saw the samples, I was so excited. Laura suggested I take the sample board home to see it in the space. This is when the last piece of the kitchen puzzle fell into place.
Biggest challenge: I didn’t want the typical one-color white kitchen. The challenge was using multiple materials and colors. Finding all the right components that worked together harmoniously was key.
A signature touch: We integrated dog bowls into the base of a cabinet.
A special request fulfilled: Finding the right cabinet company is the first and most important decision in the kitchen process. Rebecca suggested Crystal Cabinetworks, one of her go-to custom cabinet companies that would not only meet our needs for customizing cabinet design details but also accommodate special finishes and woods, including the driftwood look I was hoping for. For the color of the cabinets, I really liked that I could send them any Benjamin Moore color, and they could create the cabinets in the color of my choice. Once I had my colors chosen and samples in hand, Rebecca and I searched for the perfect stone for the counters. I looked from Connecticut to Massachusetts for one that would work with my cabinet colors. We then found a quartzite stone with streaks of blues and greens that reminded me of the colors of Chatham’s water.
RESOURCES:
Kitchen designer: Rebecca Reynolds Design, Westport; 203-972-8300; rebeccareynoldsdesign.com
Architect: Sam Streibert, Streibert Associates, Chatham, MA; 508-945-1459; streibertarchitects.com
Builder: Jim Gronski Construction, West Chatham, MA; 717-870-6683; jimgronskiconstruction.com
Cabinetry: Crystal Cabinetworks, supplied by Rebecca Reynolds Design
Tile: Tile Designs by Laura, North Haven; 203-407-8453; tilesbylauract.com