TALLADEGA LAKE HOUSE KITCHEN + LIVING   |    TALLADEGA, AL    |    COMPLETED 2016

This house had great bones: a wonderful view to the lake in every room, a nice material palate, and good symmetry. However, it suffered from outdated finishes, minimal storage and very closed-off and segmented rooms. The kitchen felt disconnected from the living room and the gorgeous views to the lake. The appliances and sink were oriented away from the lake and the D-shaped kitchen wrapped around anyone working in the kitchen and separated them from the other activity in the house. The homeowners requested an open concept kitchen and living space in order to host their increasing number of grandchildren comfortably. The wall between the kitchen and living room was completely removed and a 20’-0” LVL was installed to catch the structural load from the vaulted ceiling in the living room. The LVL was wrapped in rough-hewn cedar to match the existing exposed beams on the living room ceiling. New, bright white perimeter cabinets were installed in the kitchen along with a seven-foot-wide island in a contrasting gray stained finish. New hardwoods were laced in to the original hardwoods with a header board to transition between the two different angles of the wood. The entire main level of the house was refinished with a lighter stain to keep the space from feeling to heavy and dim. Popcorn ceilings were removed throughout the project.

The kitchen is organized along a single axis line towards the living room and view to the lake. Their existing fridge was incorporated into the kitchen design and wrapped in full-height panels to give it a built-in look. Custom shelving next to the fridge anchors the kitchen to the existing angled floor plan and maximizes the storage and display capabilities of the room. The L-shaped floating shelves wrap to the existing window and keep the corner light and airy while emphasizing the symmetry of the upper cabinets flanking the hood vent. Moving the wall containing the door to the Master Bedroom to the other side of the window allowed space for a walk-in pantry to tuck in behind the main cabinet wall of the kitchen space. This also gained the homeowners one more full-height window in their kitchen with views to the lake. Double doors were used at the pantry to ensure easy access and adequate space to stand between the doors and the exterior wall. Two full-height pantry cabinets fit nicely between two windows around the transition from kitchen to living room making up for almost all of the storage that was forfeited from the original kitchen. Twelve-inch-deep cabinets on the back side of the island under the countertop overhang ensure maximum storage potential for the new kitchen. With the addition of the pantry space, the homeowners were able to surpass the storage they previously had in the original kitchen. An almost silent dishwasher was selected for the newly opened space. At first use, the homeowners were concerned that it was not functioning properly because they couldn’t hear it running. Fortunately, this is the way it was designed and they quickly learned to use the indicator light that shines on the floor to determine if the load is complete. The new gas range has a double oven feature and is connected to their underground liquid propane tank since natural gas is not available in the area. The smaller upper oven is perfect when cooking for two while the larger lower oven gives them the ability to cook for larger groups of visitors.

This biggest challenge with this project was joining two spaces along the unique angle of the original floorplan to make them feel unified, but distinct and balanced. Careful consideration was needed in order to meet the homeowner’s request for more storage in a very open-concept space. Overall, it was a well-designed house that adapted well to the modifications for modern-day living for this family.