Bell House Project Part II

Welcome back for Part II of the Bell House Project Reveal!

Right in the middle of the main floor at Bell House is a butler’s pantry/wet bar that needed a facelift along with the rest of the kitchen cabinets. The cabinets were original to the house and screamed mid-2000s.

BEFORE - BUTLER’S PANTRY

AFTER - BUTLER’S PANTRY

Creating open shelving where there was once a wine rack, allows for display of drinkware and carafes.

BEFORE - KITCHEN

AFTER - KITCHEN

We decided to keep the existing cabinet boxes, but replace the fronts with a simple Shaker panel. Next, was to determine how much color to bring into the space. After going back and forth on a few options, we settled on Farrow & Ball’s Inchyra Blue which is both refreshing and unique. Continuing the Simply White paint color on the walls throughout the main floor unifies the color palette and served as a perfect backdrop to a more adventurous cabinet color.

The quartz we chose for the countertop had just enough veining for visual interest, but didn’t compete with the pop of color coming from the cabinets. We brought the quartz up as the backsplash material to create vertical movement up the wall. Adding island pendants with the appropriate scale and simplicity has this kitchen begging to be the sort of space you want to enjoy even when you’re not having a meal.

BEFORE - EAT-IN KITCHEN

The previous owner had a table far too large for this space that made it challenging to get into the chairs by the window.

AFTER - EAT-IN KITCHEN

A smaller table now allows for easy movement on all sides. The new light fixture above the kitchen table creates emphasis and anchors that space separately, yet ties back to the kitchen pendants as well.

BEFORE - FAMILY ROOM

This family room area off of the kitchen had such amazing potential to be one of the most used spaces in the house.

AFTER - FAMILY ROOM

Now this is the ideal spot for their family to spend time together and the console serves as a great way to easily stow away toys.

BEFORE - MUDROOM

AFTER - MUDROOM

The original footprint of the mudroom wasn’t terrible, but the quality of the cabinets could have been better as could the storage layout. In a space like this, we always want to optimize everything for the way the client will use it. In this case, we went with custom cabinetry that created more cubbies (for quick organization of easy to drop things like gloves and hats), closed door storage (to keep the countertop and bench free of miscellaneous items) and taller shoe openings on the bottom for snow and rain boots. A pop of pattern on the walls completes the space and keeps it playful.

We used a black hex ceramic tile on the floor so that it was durable for their sweet golden retriever and would help hide the messes that life inevitably creates.

What do you think about the finished product? Did you have a favorite part of this project? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!