The inspiration for the kitchen ideas used in this Tampa couple’s new home came during their vacation in lovely Provence, France. “We stayed in these amazing villas in Provence and I was inspired by the beautiful kitchens,” she says. In addition to the homey atmosphere, one of the features of these kitchens that she loved was the old wooden support beams across the ceilings. This look was integrated into the design of this kitchen. “They add character. They are old world but transitional.”
“The homeowner had a clear vision of what she wanted in her new kitchen,” says Doug Amoroso, president of Amoroso Cabinets. “Amoroso helped her translate that into the reality you see here.” This collaboration, working closely with builder Windstar Homes, resulted in this kitchen winning the prestigious Southeast Builders Conference 2015 Aurora Award for Interior Merchandising /Design in the Kitchen category, projects $1,000,001-$2,000,000. “We really put most of our budget into the kitchen because this is the heart of the home where we all gather,” the homeowner says.
All the hardware and fixtures in the home are made by Rohl, an Italian company that is generally considered the Rolls Royce of the industry. The beautiful chrome pulls in the kitchen really grab the eye and are a major design element in the kitchen. “The lights in the kitchen over the island are called Sorenson Lanterns from the store Remains. I could not find something I liked; then I saw these in a magazine, fell in love with them and said ‘I have to have these!’ I called the store who directed me to their website.”
“The project highlights a lot of trends that are growing in popularity today. The design work draws lines from classical architecture. Everything has a warm homey feel to it yet it is clean and contemporary. We got rid of the fussiness,” Amoroso says. “There is a lot of tone on tone.” Continuing on he says, “A lot of what people are interested in right now is tones of grey, taupe, mushroom and using natural materials. They are forgoing fancy molding and carvings which are elements of high style architecture, and choosing simpler detailing for a cleaner, more contemporary feel.”
Since countertops and cabinets are generally the dominating features in a kitchen, the color and style chosen really set the tone of the space. Following the desire for tone-on-tone, the countertops of this kitchen are made of white marble called Mystery White while the cabinets, painted Rich White, initially appear to be white but as the homeowner says of the color, “they actually have a little hint of grey.”
All the cabinets are fully custom cabinets manufactured by Levant Kitchen Furniture. Amoroso says, “We used a beaded inset style of cabinetry. This is a traditional style of cabinetry but it is clean and uncluttered. It gives a contemporary farmhouse feel.” To keep with the streamlined look, the island cabinetry is the same color as that used on the perimeter. “We worked to create a harmonious feel. Although current trends are to have a different color cabinet for the island, you can reduce the feel of chaos by keeping them the same color.”
Integrated appliances are a big part of this design. “For the refrigerator, we used cabinetry to make it look like an armoire at the end of the room. The dishwasher and refrigerator drawers also have matching cabinet panels to make them disappear into the architecture,” Amoroso says. All the appliances are Wolf except the Sub-Zero refrigerator. Although the homeowner does not consider herself a very active cook, the kitchen is well used. “My housekeeper is from Peru and she loves to cook on the Wolf range. I tend to use the smaller convection oven portion,” the homeowner says with a laugh.
Francoise stone was used for the large hood over the range. This is a good example of how closely the homeowner was involved with the project. “For the hood, we custom designed the corbels to be smaller and slimmer for a more balanced look. This is the same company that did our fireplace so they tie well together,” she says. For more natural elements, neutral colored floors of taupe Ephesus marble were laid in a French pattern. According to the homeowner, this type of marble is very hard and thick with an unpolished finish that is very durable and should last a lifetime.
This homeowner has many favorite elements in her kitchen. “We put in a great beverage center for the kids so they didn’t have to open the Sub-Zero whenever they wanted some water. And I love my island. All my girls gather at this island to eat, talk, and be a family. We live at the island.”
Later she adds, “I almost forgot to add that one of the best things we did was our built-in Wolf coffeemaker in the butler’s pantry. It’s better than Starbucks!”