Written by Darius Amos
Design by Linda Klein
Photography by Chris Veith
It was the best of both worlds for designer Linda Klein of Summit-based Kitchen Expressions, who was hired to create a space for a Bedminister family in their newly constructed home. In addition to working with an entirely blank slate, Klein was given free rein to develop a concept that included outside-the-box ideas.
“Most projects 20 years ago had to fit inside the box, but today we can step out,” she says. “There was an old barn on the property that the homeowners decided to keep, and they wanted a feeling of a luxury barn in the kitchen. So we came up with a design that blends rustic, modern and other styles. The idea let me take the homeowners to the edge of their comfort zone, but they loved it.”
Klein used reclaimed wood for the floors as well as the double pantry doors to forge a rustic look. The door handles and decorative lighting are also older fixtures, she says, and serve to cement the feel of the room.
And to make those elements stand out, Klein kept other design features fairly simple. New shaker-style cabinets from Signature Custom Cabinetry in off-white provide plenty of storage above and below the spacious Caesarstone Bianco Drift countertops. The same cabinets in a bleached walnut were used for the large island. “We made it a very homey island, with vegetable basket drawers and a Sharp microwave drawer,” says Klein, noting that the extensive surface area gives the homeowners, who are avid cooks, serious food prep and cooking space. (The stainless steel Wolf rangetop, oven and warming drawer also come in handy.) A custom metal rangehood with copper detailing and beveled tile backsplash also add to the contemporary look. The straight edges, glossy finish and groutless appearance of the tiles rarely would have been found in a rustic space, she adds.
“I tell my clients to have 100 points of wow in their space,” Klein says. “And in part because of the reclaimed elements, I think we easily hit that number.”