Kitchen Chronicles: I'm in Love With My Kitchen Makeover

Noelle and Brad Otts of Austin, Texas, go to food festivals like some people go to concerts. They have an organic vegetable garden in their backyard and raise chickens (one rooster and 11 hens).Their original kitchen — a tiny space with such limited storage that Noelle kept the plates in the garage — was just not going to cut it. Over the course of three months, they scrapped what was there to create a larger chef's kitchen with a cozy vibe.

The buttery yellow cabinets, screened pantry door (from vintagedoors.com) and frilly ceramic hardware (Melon handles from anthropologie.com) pile on the charm. The countertop accessories, like an old metal box, add to the vintage vibe. The commercial-grade Viking range is not just for show — Noelle and Brad use all eight burners, the griddle and the two ovens almost daily.

Brad and Noelle kept a consistent, colorful look throughout the space by mimicking the yellow cabinet panels on their Sub-Zero refrigerator (all from midcontinentcabinetry.com). The Otts’ kids, Cash, 6, and Maddie Rose, 3, join in the cooking fun, too, so some of the design choices — panel-front appliances instead of fingerprint-y stainless steel, dark gray grout instead of dirt-prone white — minimize the maintenance without sacrificing style.

Collections of cookbooks and wine are perfect for open shelving. "We thought about a wine fridge, but we didn’t want to lose valuable under-counter space — plus, we realized a wine fridge would cost more than the wine we drink," says Noelle.