Kitchen of the Week: ‘Raising’ the Ceiling in a Creative Way
A smart design solution helps a South Carolina kitchen feel more spacious and adds industrial style
Empty nesters Pat and Beth McNamara enjoy cooking and entertaining in their two-level stone cottage, which overlooks a lake in Greenville, South Carolina. But for more than 12 years, they made do with a small and antiquated kitchen that lacked good flow with the rest of their home and made dinner parties a challenge.
Working with designer Karen O’Neal and builder Lucas Anthony, the couple used a creative design solution to visually raise the kitchen ceiling. They improved the layout for a more user-friendly space, and included industrial-style elements in addition to reclaimed wood and other design details that reflect the history of their 1930s home.
Working with designer Karen O’Neal and builder Lucas Anthony, the couple used a creative design solution to visually raise the kitchen ceiling. They improved the layout for a more user-friendly space, and included industrial-style elements in addition to reclaimed wood and other design details that reflect the history of their 1930s home.
AFTER: The design team, along with Heritage Custom Builders’ Lucas Anthony and Rob Young, removed the wall separating the kitchen from the dining room (a dining table for entertaining now sits in an adjacent living area). This made room for a spacious center island with prep sink, seating for casual meals, and a microwave and warming drawer. There’s also a new six-burner, 36-inch gas range with a custom hood of reclaimed wormy chestnut.
The option to raise the ceiling was out of the question. A double-duty loft with a home office and seating area sits on the floor above the kitchen. To make the room feel more spacious, Anthony removed the Sheetrock ceiling and wrapped the ceiling joists with clear pine to make them look like beams. This lifted the ceiling height up 8 inches, to 8¼ feet.
Of course, this made installing lighting a challenge since the ceiling above the beams is the hardwood floor of the loft above. The solution was to go with an industrial look, and use surface-mount boxes and metal conduit with exposed bulbs. “The room doesn’t have lots of natural light, so this decision was very important,” O’Neal says.
The option to raise the ceiling was out of the question. A double-duty loft with a home office and seating area sits on the floor above the kitchen. To make the room feel more spacious, Anthony removed the Sheetrock ceiling and wrapped the ceiling joists with clear pine to make them look like beams. This lifted the ceiling height up 8 inches, to 8¼ feet.
Of course, this made installing lighting a challenge since the ceiling above the beams is the hardwood floor of the loft above. The solution was to go with an industrial look, and use surface-mount boxes and metal conduit with exposed bulbs. “The room doesn’t have lots of natural light, so this decision was very important,” O’Neal says.
A sage backsplash of 3-by-12-inch ceramic subway tiles highlights the range and sink areas, and meshes with the earthy palette. “Our lot is 5 acres and the rear of our home is a wooded area, so we wanted to maintain those earth tones and a warm cottage feel,” Pat says.
Custom antiqued and distressed cabinets and drawers with inserts give the couple the improved and organized storage they wanted. “Having drawers to store all the pots, pans and cups is so much more convenient,” Pat says.
Backsplash tile: Clayton Tile; custom cabinets and range hood: Americraft; hood liner insert: Vent-A-Hood; pot filler: Rohl; cabinet hardware: Richelieu; wall paint: Parsnip, Davis Paint; range: BlueStar; integrated warming drawer: Dacor; island stools: Wine Enthusiast
Custom antiqued and distressed cabinets and drawers with inserts give the couple the improved and organized storage they wanted. “Having drawers to store all the pots, pans and cups is so much more convenient,” Pat says.
Backsplash tile: Clayton Tile; custom cabinets and range hood: Americraft; hood liner insert: Vent-A-Hood; pot filler: Rohl; cabinet hardware: Richelieu; wall paint: Parsnip, Davis Paint; range: BlueStar; integrated warming drawer: Dacor; island stools: Wine Enthusiast
Reclaimed-wood shelves with brackets flank the range, holding everyday dishes and preventing the cooking zone from feeling too heavy. Classic industrial-style bronze wall sconces with antique mirror glass fitted inside the shade create elegant reflectors that highlight the items on each shelf.
LED strip lighting tucks under each shelf to illuminate the counters below. “Lucas put those lights on a motion sensor, which is great when you want to get a glass of water at night,” Pat says.
Shelves: Americraft; brackets: Van Dyke’s Restorers; sconces: Manuscript, Currey & Co.
LED strip lighting tucks under each shelf to illuminate the counters below. “Lucas put those lights on a motion sensor, which is great when you want to get a glass of water at night,” Pat says.
Shelves: Americraft; brackets: Van Dyke’s Restorers; sconces: Manuscript, Currey & Co.
Honed black granite covers the island and perimeter counters. “We wanted to use soapstone but were already over budget, so we decided we would go with the Absolute black granite,” O’Neal says. “It gave the same effect for half the price.”
The base of the island features a darker finish than the surrounding cabinets to create definition and add dimension to the room.
Counter fabricator: Campbell Tile Co.
The base of the island features a darker finish than the surrounding cabinets to create definition and add dimension to the room.
Counter fabricator: Campbell Tile Co.
The designers changed what was once a single window to two double-hung windows to make the sink area feel more expansive and to bring in more natural light. “We have such a pretty view of the front yard, we wanted to maximize that space,” Pat says. “We made sure to leave enough room for the backsplash, which frames the windows nicely.”
This photo also highlights the wall-to-wall brick floor, consisting of bricks recycled from an old mill in Chicago set in a herringbone pattern. The quarter-sawn white oak inserts in the floor were finished by Pat, who enjoys woodworking in his free time. “I antiqued the planks and then sanded them down, leaving the saw marks exposed,” Pat says. “I used a darker stain with a quick wipe-off, and then went back with a lighter stain so the saw marks are highlighted and give the floor some character.”
Farmhouse sink and faucet: Rohl via ProSource Plumbing Supply; light fixture above sink: Pottery Barn; stainless steel dishwasher: Bosch
This photo also highlights the wall-to-wall brick floor, consisting of bricks recycled from an old mill in Chicago set in a herringbone pattern. The quarter-sawn white oak inserts in the floor were finished by Pat, who enjoys woodworking in his free time. “I antiqued the planks and then sanded them down, leaving the saw marks exposed,” Pat says. “I used a darker stain with a quick wipe-off, and then went back with a lighter stain so the saw marks are highlighted and give the floor some character.”
Farmhouse sink and faucet: Rohl via ProSource Plumbing Supply; light fixture above sink: Pottery Barn; stainless steel dishwasher: Bosch
A custom wine cabinet with an angled design is recessed under the stairs, which lead to the loft. At the bottom of the wine cabinet is a shelf that pulls out to create a wine bar.
This photo also shows the island’s stainless steel prep sink with filtered cold water, which Pat and Beth use to clean vegetables. “It’s also nice to wash our cast-iron pans there, instead of washing them in the main porcelain sink,” Pat says.
Pat made the walnut cutting board on the island top from wood left over from the counters in the couple’s new laundry room.
Custom wine cabinet: Americraft; single-bowl prep sink: Elkay; prep sink faucet: Rohl; stainless steel refrigerator: Sub-Zero
This photo also shows the island’s stainless steel prep sink with filtered cold water, which Pat and Beth use to clean vegetables. “It’s also nice to wash our cast-iron pans there, instead of washing them in the main porcelain sink,” Pat says.
Pat made the walnut cutting board on the island top from wood left over from the counters in the couple’s new laundry room.
Custom wine cabinet: Americraft; single-bowl prep sink: Elkay; prep sink faucet: Rohl; stainless steel refrigerator: Sub-Zero
The new laundry room, which was completed before the kitchen renovation, features a light-toned ceramic subway tile backsplash and a handsome walnut countertop built by Pat. Open wood shelves for laundry supplies and decorative accessories complement the open shelves that flank the kitchen range. “They can use the laundry room as overflow for when they entertain,” O’Neal says. “This gives them extra space right by the kitchen.”
A new mudroom with upright freezer, ice maker and storage for seasonal items occupies the laundry’s previous location, providing a nice transitional space from the outdoors to the inside of the home.
Tile backsplash: Clayton Tile; washer and dryer: Electrolux
A new mudroom with upright freezer, ice maker and storage for seasonal items occupies the laundry’s previous location, providing a nice transitional space from the outdoors to the inside of the home.
Tile backsplash: Clayton Tile; washer and dryer: Electrolux
AFTER: This shows how removing the wall separating the kitchen from the old dining room, expanding the footprint, switching the location of the laundry room and adding a mudroom created better flow and a more user-friendly layout.
“We were able to create a new additional living space the family could enjoy while keeping with the integrity of the original house,” O’Neal says.
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“We were able to create a new additional living space the family could enjoy while keeping with the integrity of the original house,” O’Neal says.
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Pat and Beth McNamara
Location: Greenville, South Carolina
Size: About 320 square feet (30 square meters)
Designer: Karen O’Neal
BEFORE: The 165-square-foot kitchen, with its olive-green cabinets, felt cramped and cut off from the adjacent dining room. The ceiling was only 7 feet 7 inches high, which made the room feel even more confined.