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Swartz and her team made sure this space felt clean and refreshing and supported the clients' laid-back lifestyle. A small fridge next to the bar stools stores beverages; its location next to the deck makes it convenient for stashing drinks before heading outside. "There's no such thing as unusable space," says Swartz. "We took full advantage of that dead corner."

Cabinetry, shelving: Crown Point Cabinetry; cabinetry color: Farrow & Ball, Stone Blue; bar top: custom in cherry, Doyle Construction; bar stools: clients' own
by Elizabeth Swartz Interiors formerly ERS Design LLC  
Limited wall space and many windows meant little room for upper cabinetry, so Swartz looked to other areas for storage. The team converted a mudroom in the back of the kitchen into a pantry with a refrigerator and full-height cabinetry, keeping the main space open.

Countertop: Costa Esmeralda Bianco Marble; flooring: cork tiles, Duro Design
by Elizabeth Swartz Interiors formerly ERS Design LLC  
The blue and white palette resonates through the home, conveying a fresh Scandinavian style.

Pendants: LBL
by Elizabeth Swartz Interiors formerly ERS Design LLC  
This is a walk-through kitchen with entrances to the outdoors and main portion of the house, and its square shape presented a challenge at first. Eliminating a potential island kept it open and easily to maneuver around in.

Drawer pulls: Crown Point Cabinetry; sink: Franke; faucet: Rohl
by Elizabeth Swartz Interiors formerly ERS Design LLC  
This window to the right of the oven and close to the stove has a direct view of the home's screened porch, allowing the clients to chat with visitors and each other while they cook.

Wall oven, cooktop, dishwasher, hood: Thermador; backsplash: Akdo frosted blue glass
by Elizabeth Swartz Interiors formerly ERS Design LLC  

Comments

Lanie Brown It's so fresh and blue. I would like to see heavier accents in the pink and yellow.
7 months ago · ·
dcer good idea, Lanie! I just love this kitchen in general. It is so bright and airy.
7 months ago · ·
The Kitchen Loft Choice of the blue finish nice change of pace from current use (overuse) of white/off-white. Couple of design issues. First, why does the door on the wall cabinet to the right of the cooktop appear to be non-operable -- no hinges? And second, though close to the peninsular seating area, would have added a wall cabinet to the right of the sink window for balance and storage.
7 months ago · ·
ladymojo I agree with Kitchen Loft, a cabinet on the right of the sink would balance, but perhaps it would block too much light. I think the cabinet to the right of the cooktop is a pullout spice type cabinet, hence no hinges.
7 months ago · ·
Cheryl Johnson The cabinet to the right of the cooktop has shelves behind it, so it's just for looks. You can see this in the picture!
7 months ago · ·
sjmom Pretty but not for me. Though blue is one of my favorites I'd prefer some contrast; love blue and yellow.
7 months ago · ·
gillianne Pleasant vacation space. (I'd use a dark glaze to add a bit of moody hue to those blue-blue cabinets, but color is a deeply personal preference.)
7 months ago · ·
CAROLE MEYER Wonderful....love the blue cabinets.
7 months ago · ·
woofwoof OK. So, no cabinet to the right of the sink? It would 1) eat light 2) block flow 3) be accessible only to the tallest of people and 4) probably block counter seating on the other side of that raised counter.. No cabinet there was a good move. On the other hand, they did put a "fake" cabinet door under the cooktop for symmetry. The open shelves for towels or whatever is a nice touch. no stooping to open a cabinet that would have very little space. And bravo to using a shade of blue that can be so cold, but using a traditionally warm style of cabinetry paired with antique bronze hardware that totally makes it work with the gray countertops and the warm touches of wood used throughout the rest of the space.
7 months ago · ·
piscesfille Woof Woof.....couldn t have said it more eloquently!
7 months ago · ·
msfitness40 I really like the blue cabinets but the stainless steel appliances seem out of place here. I think going with retro appliances that are available in a variety of colors could have been an option. I guess I'm pretty much tired of everybody jamming stainless steel appliances down our throats. There are other options that are available to people who prefer to think out of the box and not blindly follow a trend that may not work with your cabinets and countertops.
7 months ago ·
Francesca You know, up until I saw this (and thought about it for a while), I was convinced I was going to paint my cabinets in my kitchen white. But, I have fallen in love with the blue cabinets. I am seriously considering painting my cabinets blue. I think this will seriously save me some of the agony I had over white cabinets and stained woodwork (that I love and wanted to leave stained and not painted).

I won't do blue and white exclusively, as I think that it's a little too modern for what I want in the house. I think a weathered (looking) copper counter would look phenomenal on this.
7 months ago · ·
Revival Room This is a brave choice of color- but I don't think I would ever get sick of it! Well done.
7 months ago · ·
Nicole Iorg I would not have put a cabinet to the left of the sink either. The kitchen has plenty of cabinets. It looks odd with just the one. I love everything else!
7 months ago · ·
midmodfan I agree with Nicole Iorg that the wall cabinet to the left of the window is not a good idea. That really leaped out at me. Also, the crown molding extends into the door frame. Not a friend of that either.
But I absolutely love the blue in this context. It's not for every home but here it works very well.
7 months ago · ·
judyg The Vineyard…a tiny island full of color. The "Painted Ladies" have to have this kitchen.

7 months ago · ·
genise308 Great work!! I'm posting about this kitchen @ prettybluerose.com tomorrow (11/27). This kitchen is divine!
7 months ago ·
pawpawgardener Not a great work triangle here.
7 months ago ·
Artisan Kitchens LLC As a professional kitchen designer I'm having a teeny bit of trouble getting past the way the cabinets run way over the trim at the doorway into the pantry and the crown protrudes into the doorway at the wall ovens. Those types of technical details are important to me in a finished job, and mistakes like that are usually not acceptable to my clients.

I do really like the bold use of color in the cabinetry but other than that, it's a fairly straightforward, simple design.
7 months ago ·
sweetpf01 I agree with Artisan Kitchens LLC. Don't like the way the cabinet run way over the trim at the doorway into the pantry and the crown protrudes into the doorway at the wall ovens. Details are important. Love the color.
7 months ago ·
mtg67 A nice kitchen indeed. The blue looks good but I’d say if it were a full time residence it may wear on you over time.. I agree take the cabinet off the wall to the left of sink, the imbalance looks poor. The openness really works well keeping cabinets off that wall. The area of the double wall oven/coffee pot is just like my space, it works very well however I have the microwave there. I have a two-tiered island and it works great, this design looks smooth however a more pronounced overhang makes seating/eating more comfortable on the other side. The pendulum lights, stools and small fridge really work well here. Great job. MTG
7 months ago ·
lovemypet Just seems to be too much blue. The cabinets appear to be one big blob of blue. I would have found a way to break it up somehow. Maybe used a lighter shade on the upper cabinets and a more contrasting color for the counter tops. Just my opinion. We all have different ideas.
7 months ago · ·
lovemypet Forgot to add. Something tall, perhaps a tall topiary could be placed in the corner on the right side of the sink to add balance since there is no upper cabinet there. Another idea is to add a shelf that is level with the bottom of the upper cabinet. This would definitely add balance to the wall. I am surprised the designers didn't address that empty space.
7 months ago ·
Shweta Sachdeva Nice..
7 months ago ·
dianedanelle Wonderful use of space. The mud room turned to pantry is a terrific way to keep kitchen open and neat. Cool color. Love simple lines of counters. Windows used to see porch . Well thought out and creative.
7 months ago ·
gardienn The blue might have worked if the walls were cream color with some accent, but as it stands, the blue cabinetry overpowers the space and throws the whole kitchen off balance.
4 months ago ·
tamibretz It's beautiful, love the use of space in the corner with the beverage fridge.
3 months ago · ·
Gary Presto This REALLY works for me. The blue brings out the best in the furnishings, style and vibe. Great work, examples and photos!
3 months ago ·
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