Secretary of the Interior

Q. I like sleek and modern but my husband loves earthy and warm and our kitchen needs help. What can be done that will keep us both happy?

A. Dana King of Dana’s Design Studio (314-276-1129, danasdesignstudio.com) recently faced this dilemma with a remodel. The challenge was to make the kitchen and family room space larger without an addition—and to it in a style that pleased everyone. To make room for the refrigerator and pantry, she took space from a large guest bathroom. A drop zone—small storage shelf and outlets where papers and cell phone chargers can land and are concealed behind a cabinet door—was created next to the refrigerator. The wall ovens, induction cooktop, and hood went where the previous pantry had been. Freezer and refrigerator drawers, fronted with wood panels to look like drawers, were added in the island.

“Removing the pantry opened the space, but also exposed a door that leads to the office,” King says. “I didn’t want the door to disrupt the eye, but rather wanted to continue the run of cabinetry to make the space feel larger and to provide continuity. But moving the door was not possible.” The solution:  She disguised the door to look like a pantry door. “Rather than pulling open, the door pushes which hides the hinges when viewed inside the kitchen,” King says.

To solve the design differences, King picked Shaker-style cabinets with modern door and drawer pulls in warm oil-rubbed bronze. The granite of the countertops, Golden Lighting, inspired the backsplash of green glass tile and onyx. The sink pendant light is sculptured from cork. To update the family room, the existing brick fireplace was removed and replaced with a 12- by 24-inch stacked tile with a texture that looks like bamboo. The ceiling is painted a muslin color; the floor is Brazilian walnut.

Click through the gallery below for before and after pictures.