grosse ile glow up

a project with B&B Custom builders & jen hutchinson

Challenged with reinvigorating this Grosse Ile kitchen, our team set to work by first studying the floor plan to see how we could bring in more natural light and views of the water. It’s always such a shame when the kitchen ends up at the center of the home, landlocked and void of any views. With the home’s only stairway positioned between the kitchen and windows to the lake, we tried to come up with a creative solution to embrace the light and the views, without moving the existing stairway. Fortunately, nestled just under the stairway was a small server that showed tons of potential!

We introduced floating cabinetry into the servery nook, and removed the back wall to allow views and light to flood through and around the servery cabinetry. Positioned between the kitchen and the front of the home, the servery functions as a fantastic serving space, fully capitalizing on the pass-through feature into the kitchen. In order to accommodate the structural requirements for the stair after removing much of its support wall, we added the large timber beam running across the kitchen to pick up the load. It also functions nicely as an element to denote the kitchen space, which previously seemed ungrounded, floating around the center of the main floor.

The warm tones of the timber beam tie in well with the brass elements and warm tones found in the Macchia Vecchia porcelain. A niche to the left of the range provides a hidden spot for cookbooks and small appliances, like a stand up mixer. Antique mirror mullion doors on the fridge wall bounce like back from the servery towards the water. It was the perfect way to try to bring in light and views on both ends of the kitchen. Brass, polished nickel, marble and mirror all work together to create interest and intrigue with the mixed palette.

Repeating the same servery cabinetry in the bar worked well to tie the two similar spaces together and create a nice balance of serving spaces. Tucked just around the corner from the bar lies the powder room. Instead of a moody or spunky powder room, this homeowner had envisioned something softer and more ethereal. A subtle, unsaturated light green color adorns the vanity cabinets, while the same color is picked up in the mural wallpaper. Brass hardware with green marble centers brings an elegant, unexpected touch to this dream-like space. Darker metal accents in the sconces and mirror help tie in the dark tones found in the mural enveloping the whole room.