It’s often said the kitchen is the heart of the home. At its best, a kitchen balances a family’s functional necessities with their sentimental experiences, where the practical act of eating becomes nourishment. To accomplish this, Caren Rideau, founder and principal of Kitchen Design Group, starts with the space itself. “The space tells me how we can direct it, especially if it’s a remodel where we’re not adding any additional space,” she says. “And then second to that would be my clients’ needs.”
In the Pacific Palisades, California, a Los Angeles neighborhood situated between the Santa Monica Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, chances are the space will call for a flood of natural light and lush views. The homeowners, casual cooks preparing to start a family, “wanted to create a kitchen that they had the opportunity to grow into,” says Rideau.
To start the remodel, Rideau created a sense of spaciousness. She removed the wall that once separated the kitchen from the dining area and added windows and sliding glass doors to open the poorly lit, enclosed home to the exterior. A waterfall island helps complete the transformation into an “entertaining space,” Rideau calls it, where the homeowners can prep meals, offer additional seating, and keep an eye on the surrounding areas.
“I wanted to keep the kitchen really light and airy, and because it’s so open to the dining room, not make it feel like it’s a kitchen full of cabinets,” says Rideau. “So that’s why we did the plaster hood—to give a more subdued look; and then by adding in the sconces, it gives it more ambience.”
The space is grounded by dark honed stone countertops and a matching backsplash; Rideau softened the contrasting walls with greige-stained oak cabinets and drew the neutral palette into the dining area. There, a built-in credenza matches the kitchen cabinets, while a custom table layers a lighter natural oak tone. A series of large light fixtures hang above the table, mirroring the curves of the dining chairs below and gently communicating with the original leaded window above the kitchen sink. Meanwhile, a drop ceiling offers a subtle separation of space.
“At the beginning, they were just going to do some very light work in their kitchen,” Rideau recalls. “And then when we talked about what it could be, it kind of grew into this evolution of a really nice, open space.”
Bringing the Inside Out
Taking advantage of the tiered backyard, Rideau created additional eating and lounge areas on a balcony just off the dining room. She used wood plank flooring between hardscape to distinguish between the two spaces, flanked by a grill on one side and an outdoor fireplace on the other.
Here, the natural materials and clean lines breathe a contemporary energy against the home’s Spanish-style exterior. Continuing the neutral tones from inside, Rideau encourages a celebration of nature’s color palette, playing up the blue skies and greenery that Southern California boasts year round.
“Their backyard is so fantastic,” says Rideau. “It literally looks out to the Pacific Ocean on the left side, and then the Santa Monica Mountains on the right, so they really have one of the best views. To be able to integrate the inside to the outside is great, whether you’re entertaining or you’re just a small family during the week.”
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