Cottage Kitchen Goes From Dark and Gloomy to Light and Bright
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple, their grown children and their two dogs use this home as a weekend cottage.
Location: Whitewater, Wisconsin
Size: About 300 square feet (28 square meters)
Designer: Natalie L. Spiniolas, Geneva Cabinet Company
The homeowners bought their lakefront cottage in Whitewater, Wisconsin, many years ago, using it as a getaway and to host family and friends during summers and on long weekends. The cottage was built in the 1950s and hadn’t been updated since, so the homeowners brought in designer Natalie Spiniolas to turn the formerly dark and dated kitchen into a bright and light space. They foresee many more years of hosting family and friends, but now everyone will be gathered around the stylish new built-in banquette.
A staircase from the entry downstairs leads to the kitchen and dining area. The drop-leaf table against the shiplap-covered wall is usually filled with a puzzle in progress. “The homeowners are big fans of puzzles,” Spiniolas says. “A second table lets them eat at the dedicated dining table without have to eat around puzzle pieces.”
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The designer removed the old dark wood cabinets and replaced them with Shaker-style cabinets. The new lower cabinets are a shade of blue, and the uppers are crisp white. Both custom colors were made using Benjamin Moore paint.
Perhaps the biggest change was swapping out the old fluorescent ceiling lights for new recessed can lights. “The room has the same amount of windows and natural light, but it feels so much brighter now,” Spiniolas says.
Not wanting to overload the room with too many cabinets, the designer opted for a pair of floating shelves made out of alder wood against the back wall. The wood adds a natural touch and helps warm up the space.
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