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Turnkey Transformation
A dated kitchen gets a warm, upscale design for its young, growing family. By Melissa Mauzy Design by Anne Marie Design Studio Photography by Nicole Miget photography
Flow and functionality were top of the list for a young family embarking on a kitchen renovation. Anne Marie Boedges, president and designer at Anne Marie Design Studio, joined forces with the couple shortly after they took ownership of the home. The goal was to make the kitchen reflective of their personalities while keeping the design functional, warm and tasteful. “The only thing they didn’t want was a white-and-gray kitchen,” Boedges says. The husband and wife were opposites when it came to color preferences, with the husband drawn to warm, earthy colors and the wife to color and pattern. Boedges suggested a warm, creamy white for the main color for a fresh look. Additional color was added through the stained island, countertop, refridgerator and built-in bar area. The designer’s intent was to create focal points on each wall in the space starting with the range wall. “The homeowner wanted the biggest range we could fit,” Boedges says. So she designed a 60” double range from Wolf. Stone was installed up the columns to a new wood beam, and the wall is capped off with a grand custom metal hood. Custom-built wood-stained spice shelves are tucked into the stone columns for easy access.
58 JAN/FEB 2024 STLOUISHOMESMAG.COM
The sink area already had the sink placed under the window, but the base was oversized and bumped out. Wall cabinets were all glass so the homeowners couldn’t store everyday kid’s items. Boedges chose to design the far left and right cabinetry in the sink area shallower to give more walk space at the doorways outside. She added a secondary dishwasher and created symmetry around the window by adding gold sconces to the side of the enclosed wall cabinets. A coffee station with pocket doors is to the right side of the sink, and a special base cabinet houses all the kid’s dishes. Walnut-stained beams complement the newly installed hardwood floors. The beams were symmetrically placed perpendicular to the quartersawn white oak double islands in the center of the kitchen. Boedges loves to create a double island for a family whenever possible, with one “working” island and one “gathering” island. These particular homeowners did not want a table in the kitchen, so the gathering island was designed to seat six diners across from one another with storage on each end. The working island features a prep sink, trash can, microwave drawer and storage for pots and pans. The island is stained a natural griege and is topped with two clear glass pendants