Room for a coffee bar
This builder-grade kitchen was ready for an upgrade to add character and warmth to it. Cabinets and backsplash of the main kitchen were all in white, and we decided to paint the cabinets in a warmer off-white tone while adding a new focal point - a coffee bar.
The kitchen had a large inset pantry and a coat closet which didn’t really belong there with the main entrance for guests being on the other side of the house. The pantry was moved into the previous coat closet and we then ripped out the old pantry, opened the framing and created space for a beautiful arched coffee bar (scroll down for in-progress photos). The warmer yet more muted stain really brings out the movement in the white oak, and the black quartzite countertop and backsplash in leather finish bring a lot of texture and contrast while making the appliances disappear. It also echos the charcoal tone that is used in the finishes in the main kitchen.
Personal items like handmade pottery and a vintage pear bell add warmth and character to this space and make it more personal and intentional with every use.
Overall it took about four weeks with a few stop and gos along the way. Here are the things that made this project a little more complex:
Finding a framer was a little harder than we anticipated and Dan ended up driving around the neighborhood looking for houses that were under construction and speaking to the workers on the construction site
We learned the hard way that you need 1/4” thick drywall to create an arch. Anything thicker will break when trying to achieve this radius
Wood stain shows slight variety between hardwood planks and hardwood vinyl
It was a good thing we started with electricity. Having the light fixtures determined ahead of time helped know where to position and where to drill holes and pull electricity through to
Drywall cutting, drywall installation and drywall mudding are all super dusty. We should have built the little tent a little earlier to avoid the find dust getting pretty much everywhere in the kitchen
We had to move the thermostat and the doorbell. We learned the hard way that you should always switch off the A/C first before disconnecting the thermostat as otherwise you may need to reset the fuse.
It was a long labor of love but we couldn’t love this project more. Hard to imagine that this wasn’t always there!