Call it a classic tale of the best-laid-plans variety: A young couple with two small children sets out to build their first home from the ground up, but along the way is taken under the spell of an old house. The story is, however, never quite that simple. What they thought would amount to a quick fix of the found structure turned into a total gut renovation. Interior designer Alisha Gwen had consulted with them on their new-build project, but then the pair found their (almost) dream house on a whim and fell in love with the neighborhood, the building (well, at least its bones), the yard, and swimming pool. “The interior . . . not so much,” says Gwen, who worked with them throughout, advising on everything from construction to décor.

The family didn’t have a strict move-out date for their current situation, so there was ample time for the thorough plan needed for the extensive remodel. “Upon first seeing the kitchen, laundry room, and primary bedroom, I knew a little facelift wasn’t going to be the best long-term investment.” And even though a gut reno hadn’t been the original plan, all parties involved realized it was best for all-around happiness down the road.

In terms of a brief, the couple requested a beautiful and functional space. Other than that, Gwen drove the design, tapping into her experience about how families actually utilize spaces. (As a teenager, Gwen worked nights and weekends in her family’s large restaurant, an experience that gave her a deep understanding of how one moves in a kitchen and the importance of proper layout and storage.)

When Gwen first toured the original house, she identified several critical flaws. In the kitchen, for example, the cabinets stopped a foot short of the ceiling, losing a ton of valuable storage space in the process. A corner pantry was badly conceived and of little use, the island was too small, and an odd nook constructed around the range chopped up the counter space.

She eliminated the pantry, moved the location of the refrigerator, and centered the Wolf range to create symmetry. The island was enlarged and as a result—in addition to extra space for baking projects—provided additional storage for items only periodically used, such as holiday platters. (Gwen is pictured with the client’s children decorating cakes and cupcakes.)

Otherwise, the layout stayed largely the same, although she enlarged the range, added that additional sink and a dishwasher to the island. A Dacor warming drawer is used both for keeping plates toasty for serving but also as a dough-rising area. The Bosch dishwashers were paneled to keep the lower cabinets unified.

Contemporary kitchens often need to strike a balance between being super-traditional and super-modern. Appliances can often pull a project into the latter camp, but there are ways to change that. Gwen chose a curved, old-school Faber ventilation hood instead of a gleaming stainless model. “Kitchens can often become so streamlined and square, so we incorporated softer, rounded shapes in the hood, hardware and lighting,” she says.

As it is for many families, the kitchen is a hub in this household. In the spring and summer, they entertain more often, taking full advantage of the pool and enjoying having over lots of people. His parents live with them part of the year and during those times his mother does the lion’s share of the cooking, although her daughter-in-law often helps with the preparations, and takes over as the primary chef when her in-laws are not there.

One of Gwen’s signature designs is to have two sinks in her kitchens when possible, one for food prep and the other for washing dishes, pots, and pans. “When a kitchen is being used for intense meal preparation, there is almost always someone cooking and someone cleaning up behind them.” So one sink is placed strategically across from the range, the other beside the dishwasher. (This arrangement is especially helpful when mother and daughter-in-law are working in tandem.) The dishwashing sink has a view of the pool so the owners can keep an eye on the kids. From the island, one can see into the great room beyond the kitchen, a place where the children play and watch television.

For the palette, the couple wanted it to feel timeless but also wanted to incorporate some color so it wouldn’t feel like every other plain white kitchen they’d seen. Gwen chose pinks and (mostly pale) blues and greens to predominate, along with several shades of wood in the floors, island, and breakfast table for contrast. This somewhat unusual pairing provides unusually deep visual depth and character. (People don’t often think of mixing pastels with darker woods, but they absolutely should!) The blues and greens occur in not only the stools, curtains, and shades, but also on parts of the pendant lamps over the island and in the backsplash tile, a subtle mint and white pattern. (Gwen calls it “a match made in heaven!”) In addition, the pinks of the dining chairs are echoed in appliances and accessories. Mixing metals in the lighting and hardware is another Gwen signature, another depth-adding technique.

In the end, the success of such a project—especially one that starts in one lane and pulls into a completely different one—depends on trust. Gwen easily identified what wasn’t going to work for them and was able to orchestrate the perfect solution. “We had a great relationship and I understood their vision for their future, forever home.” And they all lived happily ever after.

alishagwen.com

APPLIANCES SOURCED BY DON’S APPLIANCES

Sub-Zero Side-by-Side Refrigerator

Wolf Pro-Style Gas Range

Bosch 800 Series Dishwasher

Dacor Professional Integrated Warming Drawer

Sharp Stainless Steel Microwave Oven Drawer

XO Stainless Steel Frame Beverage Center

Story by Andrea Stehle / PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE BRYCE

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