La Buena Tierra Kitchen Reveal

This project really holds a special place in my heart - so much so that one of our MND pillows is named after this client! I'm so grateful for their trust throughout the project, especially in the design process when we realized that the architectural plans for this kitchen weren't originally drawn to reflect realistic daily life for her cooking and cleaning in this space.

Have a look through to see their new kitchen and pantry in all its glory!

These clients purchased this house about 10 years before they contacted us. They knew it was a great investment, and it had great views on a hill, but they didn't love the interior by any means. Like a lot of people, they lived with what they had all those years, and then finally decided that they could enhance the functionality and beauty of their home.

Just beyond this kitchen was their laundry room, and the entrance that everyone used to come in to the house. Next week, you'll see how we redesigned a proper entry for them, and below you'll see how we transformed the laundry room into the pantry and where the refrigerator lives!

We wanted a more substantial island for them that felt more like a furniture piece, rather than something that completely matched the other cabinetry. Our original intent was to make it look more distressed once we stained the white oak this darker color, but once we brought it in, everyone loved it as is! The choice of unlacquered brass hardware gives it more of that vintage look, but it does look really beautiful in person. I also love the double globe pendant above the island as well!

And they now have a substantial amount of extra counter space for meal prepping, and more storage that allowed us to use the back wall for the fridge and an entrance to the new pantry. Freeing the walls up from storage and moving the fridge made the entire kitchen so much larger.

We used zellige tile for the backsplash that gives the wall great visual texture, and Taj Mahal quartzite countertops that are so beautiful! The cabinets are painted with Benjamin Moore Newburg Green, and the color looks gorgeous in person.

We kept the sink at the window to enjoy the view when they were doing dishes, and used this hammered copper apron front sink. It does tarnish very quickly, but she can polish it out and it will come back to the original copper color. As with the island, the touches of looking 'lived-in' were part of the plan, so the rings that have already formed in the sink is a welcome addition to the space!

We used tongue and groove detail for the back wall to hide the refrigerator and pantry door as much as possible, and used my favorite runner of all time. I already told this client that if she ever wants to switch it out, it has to come back to us/my house because it's just that beautiful!

The kitchen used to be quite closed off from the rest of the dining and living space, and the peninsula didn't have the option of having stools to increase the amount of people they can host.

But now they have plenty! I really love the curve of these barstools - they have such a cool shape, and they're comfortable to boot! We also raised the counter to bar height to hide the cooktop from view and give more of a visual barrier between the main living areas and the kitchen, since we opened the entire space up to be one large room.

We went through a few different layouts for the oven and cooktop, but this felt like the most efficient place to do it and give everyone breathing room in the kitchen.

This space was directly across from the kitchen and was used mostly as a walk through and overflow storage for their bar, but there was great potential to make it flow from the kitchen!

We decided to replace the sliding door with a window and add a built in banquette surrounded by extra storage. We didn't want it to feel quite as heavy, so we went with a white upper cabinet with stained wood doors and glass insets.

This is used now as their bar and where their kids eat breakfast every day, so we definitely went with bleachable, stain resistant fabric for the banquette.

Adding these storage cabinets allows the walkthrough to still exist, and makes the kitchen feel like it really extends to this back wall now, especially after using the same zellige tile all the way up the wall.

In this shot, you can see that the laundry room was right behind the kitchen, and we did have to lose some storage to open that wall up. It was replaced by the cabinets near the banquette though, so it was a net positive change!

This pantry is a total jewel box when you open that door! I am obsessed with the really thin terracotta tiles that we laid in a herringbone pattern for the floor - just beautiful!

The layout was very intentional, in that you cannot see the functional things like mops, brooms, and cereal dispensers when you open the door. Everything like that is to the left of the door, so the pantry can't really get to the level of not wanting anyone to open the door at a party because you will die from embarrassment (you know the feeling).

The backsplash tile is a nod to to the Spanish style of the home, and really acts like an art piece in here, which I love. The open shelving allows it to shine, and gave us room to hang her copper pots up to grab easily during the cooking process.

We also carried the tongue and groove paneling into the pantry, and went with a warmer cream color for the cabinets to enhance the warn tones in the tilework and the copper pots as well.

All of us really love how this space turned out, and there's still more to show you! Stay tuned next week for the entry, living room, and dining room reveal.