Before and After: Transitional Contemporary Kitchen in Guilford, CT

About the Design

One of the most amazing transformations we’ve ever completed, this kitchen went from cluttered French Country to modern contemporary. The homeowner, Dara wanted a kitchen that felt clean and up to date. She fell in love with luxury features like Waterstone’s antique brass faucet and beautiful backlit cabinetry. In addition to the high end feel, Dara also wanted a much more functional space to cook in.

Before: Transitional Contemporary Kitchen in Guilford, CT

Is there anything unique about this kitchen?

This kitchen boasts a custom Rangecraft Hood designed by both Dara and The Kitchen Company co-owner/designer, Gail Bolling. Dara wanted the antique brass to play out in her hood but didn’t want it to be overpowering so they came up with the idea to mix metals. Dara and Gail also decided to use gray throughout the kitchen, but mix rustic wood cabinetry on the island with painted cabinetry on the perimeter. The color is Collingwood by Benjamin Moore.

The rustic wood island was inspired by the beams going across the homeowner’s adjacent family room. As this contemporary style is quite different from the former French Country, Gail wanted to ensure that the kitchen didn’t feel out of place and blended in with the rest of the soon-to-be contemporary home.

After: Transitional Contemporary Kitchen in Guilford, CT

What was the most challenging part of the design/remodel process?

The huge space and high ceilings proved a challenge for Gail to find the right proportions and scale for the cabinetry. The desk was particularly difficult since the cabinets had to go up to the top of the ceiling to match the surrounding kitchen cabinets but desk height is much lower than cabinet height.

Transitional Contemporary Kitchen in Guilford, CT

Lighting was also a challenge for this job. We have done lighting before on jobs but not to this scale. This kitchen has under cabinet lights, lights that illuminate the glass cabinetry, and lights on the interior of the cabinets as well as overall lighting and pendant lighting.

Transitional Contemporary Kitchen in Guilford, CT

Throughout this entire remodel Gail and Dara worked closely together. Gail provided insight for things like the custom hood, faucet, and door style and colors while Dara brought in the finishing touches, such as pendant lights, wallpaper, bar stools, and dining table. The two created a beautiful kitchen, between Gail’s eye for design and product knowledge, and Dara’s amazing ability to pull together different colors and textures.

If you like this kitchen and are thinking about a remodel contact us for a free design consultation or visit our process page to see how we work.