Desperate Kitchen Makeover: Northern California Wine-Enthusiasts' Kitchen

Kitchen Cousins John and Anthony head to Carmichael, California to help a young couple with a truly desperate kitchen. For this makeover they undertake a stunning floor-to-ceiling remodel anchored by an open concept floor plan, multi-level island and custom glass-enclosed wine rack.

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July 27, 2016

By: David L. Haynes

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Photo By: Martin Klimek/Getty Images

Modern Wine-Lovers' Kitchen

Kitchen Cousins John Colaneri and Anthony Carrino turned a dingy, poorly lit, unfinished kitchen into this bright and open space with sleek lines, modern design elements and a custom temperature-controlled wine enclosure. The redesigned kitchen efficiently integrates prep, serving and dining spaces in one area and flows seamlessly into the adjacent living room.

Modern Wine-Lovers' Kitchen

Homeowners Trevor and Kelly wanted a space that was not only a functional cook's kitchen (Kelly's an avid baker), but also one that's conducive to hosting guests. To achieve that, Anthony and John expanded the kitchen and installed this large kitchen island with genereous prep surface and extension on a slightly lower, more dining-friendly height. For evening entertaining, the newly renovated space is warmly and elegantly lit with a whole new lighting scheme.

The Living Room, AFTER

The adjacent living room mirrors the kitchen's design aesthetic with a contemporary update drawing on the home's midcentury roots.

The Living Room, AFTER

Clean lines and simple geometry create a visually interesting space that's, at once, comfortable, casual and inviting. The color palette for both the living room and kitchen relies heavily on light neutrals, whites and grays helping to create a visually integrated space.

Modern Wine-Lovers' Kitchen

In lieu of a formal dining room, the spacious kitchen island includes counter seating. The drop-down countertop extension keeps the dining surface separate from the prep and work space.

Modern Wine-Lovers' Kitchen

The main surface of the island is white quartz in a waterfall edge design. The dining surface is in dark gray and is matched with black leather chairs in a contemporary design.

Modern Wine-Lovers' Kitchen

A large L-shaped counter configuration, also in white quartz, provides additional prep space and plenty of room for kitchen accessories and accents.

A Desperate Kitchen, BEFORE

Kelly and Trevor Runnel's midcentury era home had originally belonged to Trevor's grandparents. Prior to the renovation the kitchen had no dishwasher and still had its original '50s vintage stove – with only two burners now working. Trevor and Kelly wanted a kitchen that was more open and functional, but also wanted any improvements to be in line with the nostalgic feelings they had for the house as a whole.

AFTER

The renovation brightened up and improved the space considerably but stayed true to the period of the home. It included a modified and enlarged kitchen floor plan as well as updated appliances and all new lighting, cabinetry and countertops.

BEFORE

Trevor and Kelly had attempted to remove a pony wall that separated the original kitchen from the living room. After realizing that a kitchen remodel was more than they wanted to tackle themselves, they had abandoned the project midway, leaving just the bare wall studs and wiring.

AFTER

Anthony and John removed what was left of the pony wall, opening up the space, removing the barrier that had interfered with the room's overall flow and highlighting the vaulted ceiling.

BEFORE

The original kitchen was visually awkward, had a small footprint and was only marginally functional. Anthony and John's design plan called for: (1) relocating one of the exterior doors (the one seen here at right) to facilitate a better layout, (2) integrating a serving/eating area for a more open feel and improved functionality, and (3) adding a dramatic aspirational feature to help elevate the home's overall value and appeal.

AFTER

Moving the secondary access door further to the right helped open up the space for better placement of appliances and made room for additional counter space. The kitchen's signature feature is the custom wine wall that holds 400 bottles of wine and craft beer in a glass-enclosed, lighted and temperature-controlled space.

BEFORE

Prior to the renovation one of the more noticeable problems in the kitchen was inadequate and unattractive lighting. Aside from a small light over the sink, there was only a single light fixture for the whole space.

AFTER

The new kitchen is lighted by an impressive chandelier with a modern design and multiple globe fixtures. Throughout the kitchen there are fourteen new fixtures and multiple light sources including track lights, recessed lighting, lighted range hood and a modern styled pendant over the sink. The location of the range and sink have been flipped and the window over the sink has been notably enlarged to bring more natural light into the space.

Modern Wine-Lovers' Kitchen

The kitchen's signature feature is a custome wine wall that holds 400 bottles of wine and craft beer in a glass-enclosed, lighted and temperature-controlled room.

Modern Wine-Lovers' Kitchen

The new refrigerator, located at the end of the new run of white cabinets, is concealed behind an integrated panel of dark-stained wood. Likewise the new dishwasher is concealed from view behind a white panel in the lower cabinets. For a decorative accent, Anthony and John attached two-inch maple slats, stained in transluscent gray, over the black face of the island.

Modern Wine-Lovers' Kitchen

The island surface has two distinct planes — the main prep area in white quartz and the lower dining surface in dark gray with a concrete look. The lower surface is mounted using quarter-inch steel brackets for a float-mount effect. For the lighted wine enclosure, the 3/8" tempered glass surround is installed in a manner similar to a glass shower. The glass panels are secured to both the floor and wall using prefabricated metal rails.

Modern Wine-Lovers' Kitchen

The kitchen is brightened dramatically by the white cabinetry and quartz countertops. The kitchen and living room are unified by wood-look vinyl flooring in natural limed gray finish. The spaces are visually tied together also by the gray tones in the island's dining surface, the tile backsplash, the reclaimed wood backing above the mantel and gray furnishings for the living room.

Modern Wine-Lovers' Kitchen

The kitchen backsplash is of handmade 4" hex tiles in steely blue-gray with a crackle pattern. With the location of the sink and range reversed, the sink is now below the large picture window that replaced the tiny window that was there previously. The new 7-foot by 3-foot window provides an improved view of the outside, more natural light in the kitchen and, since there was an existing picture window on the living room side, provides a more balanced appearance to the home's exterior.

Kitchen, Detail

The refrigerator is concealed by custom wood panels and wood cabinets in matching finish.

Kitchen, Detail

The enclosed wine rack is backed by a gray oak panel and surround in black-lacquer finish. The bottles are held in floating horizontal position by brushed metal pegs.

Kitchen, Detail

By adding the island extension dropped to table height, the need for a separate dining table is essentially eliminated.

Kitchen, Detail

Modern, Open Living Room

Living Room, BEFORE

Prior to the renovation, the living room was unspectacular, but John was encouraged to see that the original mid-century vintage fireplace, with elongate bricks for the hearth and surround, was intact.

Living Room, AFTER

John and Anthony kept the original fireplace and simply updated it with fresh paint. Its authentic mid-century style meshes well with the new chandelier and other modern touches.

Living Room, Detail

The fireplace was freshened up with bright white paint and a new wood panel installed above the mantel. The wood backing is reclaimed wood that was custom planed to the proper thickness using a custom planer. Only the back side of the planks were planed, deliberately leaving the aged silver-gray patina of the surface side intact.

Living Room, Detail

New window treatments, neutral gray wall paint and white trim alter the room's ambiance, giving it a fresher, lighter feel.

Living Room, Detail

Living Room, After

The existing wood beams are given a darker finish, providing a dramatic contrast with the room's lighter palette.

Living Room, Detail

Nested metal-frame coffee tables pair nicely with the contemporary sectional sofa in dark gray.

Living Room, Detail

Living Room, AFTER

Modern Wine-Lovers' Kitchen

"Our kitchen was a dark, scary hole that you couldn't cook in; now it's open and bright" --homeowner Kelly Runnel

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The Living Room, AFTER

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Modern, Open Living Room

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Living Room, AFTER

Modern Wine-Lovers' Kitchen

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