Home design inspiration: working with a U-shaped island
Ana Bonilla completely reconfigured her clients’ Newton kitchen. To remedy the disjointed layout, the owner of AnaVera Design took down a wall between the kitchen and family room and closed the doorway to the formal dining room. While the clients didn’t request an open kitchen, creating one allowed for a cohesive, U-shaped arrangement with a storage-filled center island. “They felt strongly about keeping the dining room separate and having a table where the five of them could eat in the kitchen,” Bonilla says.
1 The hard pine table ties to the beam that the team added when opening the ceiling in the adjacent family room. “The table is very sturdy, which was important because they use it for rolling out dough,” Bonilla says.
2 To save on the cost, roman shades, made from Schumacher Citrus Garden fabric, don’t move. “They didn’t need privacy, but the shades added a lot of look with a punch of color,” says Bonilla.
3 “The ceilings aren’t tall enough for pendants over the island, but the globe lights are still fun,” the designer says of the Mitzi flush-mount fixtures. The Mitzi pendant over the table ties to the navy island.
4 Open shelves for cookbooks and herbs occupy a corner next to the newly enlarged window over the sink. “Rustic wood accents help the space look more eclectic and less pristine,” Bonilla says.
5 Hand-painted tiles make a statement behind the range, while the rest of the backsplash is done in textured, machine-made tiles in various shades of white. “We guided them on where it made sense to spend,” Bonilla says.
6 The family can pass items through the glass-front cabinets between the kitchen and dining room. The setup also provides display space and lets light penetrate the room.
Marni Elyse Katz is a regular contributor to the Globe Magazine. Send comments to [email protected].
