Kitchen of the Week: White, Wood, Gray and a Backsplash Surprise
A Maine couple with three young daughters ask a designer to help them create a clean space with custom style
This professional couple and their blended family of three young daughters fell in love with the scenic location of a Shingle-style home that sits on the edge of a wildlife preserve just outside Portland, Maine. But after they purchased the home, some of its design details had to go.
In the kitchen, that included dated materials like black tile floors that transitioned into black-and-white checked floors in the dining area. Plus, a tight layout shut the kitchen off from the dining room and family room. The couple hired designer Tina Rodda of Eyder Curated Kitchens — and used Houzz ideabooks — to create a brighter, more open kitchen with a custom look and feel. One of its standout features is a sliding marble backsplash that hides cooking oils and spices behind the range.
In the kitchen, that included dated materials like black tile floors that transitioned into black-and-white checked floors in the dining area. Plus, a tight layout shut the kitchen off from the dining room and family room. The couple hired designer Tina Rodda of Eyder Curated Kitchens — and used Houzz ideabooks — to create a brighter, more open kitchen with a custom look and feel. One of its standout features is a sliding marble backsplash that hides cooking oils and spices behind the range.
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After: A hutch-style paneled refrigerator and pantry cabinet unit on the left stands in about the same spot as the previous refrigerator. The wood is walnut in a light finish. Incorporating the guest room closet and the walk-in pantry enabled Rodda to gain extra cabinet and countertop space while keeping the range in the same location.
Removing the peninsula and taking down a wall opened the kitchen to the family room and dining room and created space for a large island.
The inset paint-grade maple cabinets and drawers feature a creamy white paint (Ballet White by Benjamin Moore) that offers subtle contrast to the warm gray walls (Moonshine by Benjamin Moore) and soft white trim (White Dove by Benjamin Moore). The island base is painted a deep gray (French Beret by Benjamin Moore).
“This kitchen has elements of traditional styling, but the lines are cleaner,” Rodda says. The homeowners “wanted this space to feel light.”
This photo offers a peek at the sliding slab of polished Calacatta Bluette marble that serves as backsplash while also hiding cooking oils and spices. “Because [the homeowners] love marble and we weren’t using it on the countertops, I had the idea of using the marble for the backsplash,” Rodda says. “The backsplash adds a very luxurious, refined element to the kitchen. I wanted it to be a focus, so we also used it over the range for the trim around the hood.”
Island pendants: Goodman medium hanging light in bronze with antique white shade, Visual Comfort
Shop for counter stools on Houzz
Removing the peninsula and taking down a wall opened the kitchen to the family room and dining room and created space for a large island.
The inset paint-grade maple cabinets and drawers feature a creamy white paint (Ballet White by Benjamin Moore) that offers subtle contrast to the warm gray walls (Moonshine by Benjamin Moore) and soft white trim (White Dove by Benjamin Moore). The island base is painted a deep gray (French Beret by Benjamin Moore).
“This kitchen has elements of traditional styling, but the lines are cleaner,” Rodda says. The homeowners “wanted this space to feel light.”
This photo offers a peek at the sliding slab of polished Calacatta Bluette marble that serves as backsplash while also hiding cooking oils and spices. “Because [the homeowners] love marble and we weren’t using it on the countertops, I had the idea of using the marble for the backsplash,” Rodda says. “The backsplash adds a very luxurious, refined element to the kitchen. I wanted it to be a focus, so we also used it over the range for the trim around the hood.”
Island pendants: Goodman medium hanging light in bronze with antique white shade, Visual Comfort
Shop for counter stools on Houzz
The marble slab backsplash consists of a fixed middle section and two sides that slide open to reveal shallow storage with adjustable walnut shelves. “We used sliding hardware that is rated for the calculated weight of each stone door,” Rodda says. “We also upgraded the fasteners to ensure durability. The walnut has a finish that makes it feel lighter and less gold than natural walnut.”
The backsplash is currently unsealed but Rodda says the homeowners keep the backsplash clean and don’t often cook with grease, so maintenance isn’t a huge concern for them. “A backsplash is more forgiving than a countertop,” Rodda says of the potential for cooking messes to stain marble. The owners have the option of sealing the marble in the future if they want.
For anyone who wants to seal marble, Rodda recommends wiping down the material with a marble sealer once a year, and to always wipe the marble down when you’re done cooking. “Don’t let stains sit,” she says.
Brass brackets coordinate with the unlacquered brass cabinet pulls and knobs, as well as the brass sconces that flank the range.
The perimeter and island countertops are quartz. “With their girls and busy lifestyle, they didn’t want anything that would take lots of maintenance,” Rodda says.
Sconces: Presidio, Visual Comfort
The backsplash is currently unsealed but Rodda says the homeowners keep the backsplash clean and don’t often cook with grease, so maintenance isn’t a huge concern for them. “A backsplash is more forgiving than a countertop,” Rodda says of the potential for cooking messes to stain marble. The owners have the option of sealing the marble in the future if they want.
For anyone who wants to seal marble, Rodda recommends wiping down the material with a marble sealer once a year, and to always wipe the marble down when you’re done cooking. “Don’t let stains sit,” she says.
Brass brackets coordinate with the unlacquered brass cabinet pulls and knobs, as well as the brass sconces that flank the range.
The perimeter and island countertops are quartz. “With their girls and busy lifestyle, they didn’t want anything that would take lots of maintenance,” Rodda says.
Sconces: Presidio, Visual Comfort
The cabinets include three sections of drawers. Two flank the range, and this bank of drawers sits to the left of the range area.
Elongated white marble subway tiles accent the walls above the perimeter countertops. Vertical brass liners between the tiles add an unexpected luxe touch. “I spent a lot of time on that backsplash to figure out what it needed to be,” Rodda says. “I love it. It’s just so gorgeous.”
She replaced the previous tile flooring with engineered European oak with a matte whitewash finish for a natural look.
Elongated white marble subway tiles accent the walls above the perimeter countertops. Vertical brass liners between the tiles add an unexpected luxe touch. “I spent a lot of time on that backsplash to figure out what it needed to be,” Rodda says. “I love it. It’s just so gorgeous.”
She replaced the previous tile flooring with engineered European oak with a matte whitewash finish for a natural look.
On the island, two pull-down motion-sensor faucets in a gold finish arch over a 5-foot-wide stainless steel sink workstation. “It was designed with the idea that two people can work at the island at once,” Rodda says.
Sink: Workstation, The Galley
Sink: Workstation, The Galley
In the paneled hutch-style cabinet, a storage unit to the right of the refrigerator holds small appliances and breakfast items. “There’s an outlet inside, so it’s a flexible space,” Rodda says.
Three rollout drawers below offer space for beverages and dry goods. A cabinet to the right of this pantry unit hides a microwave.
Three rollout drawers below offer space for beverages and dry goods. A cabinet to the right of this pantry unit hides a microwave.
A drink station sits to the left of the paneled refrigerator. A slide-away door with back-painted metallic glass opens to liquor bottles and glasses. “When they have a gathering, they leave that door open,” Rodda says. “There is also a cabinet below with a paneled beverage refrigerator.”
This side of the island, across from the range, includes pullout trash and recycling bins and two paneled dishwashers.
In the adjacent dining area, a curved wall of windows overlooks the lush backyard. Rodda designed a new built-in banquette with tongue-and-groove siding and a faux leather upholstered top.
Chandelier: Bryant, Visual Comfort
Chandelier: Bryant, Visual Comfort
Before: A floor plan of the previous home shows the closed-off layout of the kitchen, middle left, with the family room, right, and dining room, top. You can see the guest room closet, bottom left, and walk-in pantry, bottom center, that Rodda incorporated into the new design.
After: Removing the walls and incorporating the closet and pantry created a more open connection between the kitchen and surrounding rooms. “They now have an open and airy kitchen that allows more than one person to use the space at the same time,” Rodda says.
More on Houzz
Before and After: 5 Kitchen Makeovers in 200 to 245 Square Feet
Get kitchen design ideas
Find a kitchen designer in your neighborhood
Shop for kitchen furniture and other products
More on Houzz
Before and After: 5 Kitchen Makeovers in 200 to 245 Square Feet
Get kitchen design ideas
Find a kitchen designer in your neighborhood
Shop for kitchen furniture and other products
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional couple with three young daughters
Location: Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Size: 385 square feet (36 square meters)
Designer: Tina Rodda of Eyder Curated Kitchens
Before: The previous kitchen had a tight layout. The two-level peninsula partially cut the kitchen off from the dining room, and a wall across from the range wall completely separated the kitchen from the family room. (See the “before” floor plan below.)
The kitchen was built on a heated slab floor, so moving plumbing would have been expensive. “It was important that we tried to work with what was there,” Rodda says.
A closet in a guest bedroom behind the refrigerator wall and a walk-in pantry to the left of the refrigerator offered Rodda a little extra space to expand the kitchen by about 30 square feet.