Newly UnitedA renovation joins a once closed-off

kitchen with the adjacent living room to create an airy space with a cohesive

approach to color and comfort.by lisa frederick | photos edmund barr

styling annette joseph

New ovens and a wall of cabinetry take advantage of space formerly occupied by a dark laundry room. A small existing window was extended to the floor to allow a flood of light.

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home | kitchens

BEFORE

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A granite-topped breakfast bar, this photo, replaced a wall that closed off Pam and Don McNutt’s kitchen from the living room. Pine beams mirror those on the fireplace wall, opposite.

P am and Don McNutt’s kitchen suited them fine when they built their Birmingham, Alabama, house 26 years ago. But increasingly, the wall between the kitchen and living room left Pam

feeling isolated from guests.“For years, I had been looking at that wall and

dreaming of knocking it down,” Pam says. So the couple called on contractor George Williams and architect Mike Gibson to transform the claustrophobic kitchen into an airy space that lives for get-togethers.

First, they revamped the floor plan. Out went the divisive wall; in came a two-tier breakfast bar. Out went the space-hogging laundry room next to the kitchen; in came storage-rich cabinets and a generous new window.

Pine beams from an 1830s South Carolina cotton mill, resawn to update their appearance, frame and define the remodeled kitchen. “They are absolutely my favorite feature,” Pam says. “They make the space.” A second set of beams accents the fireplace wall, which also has new windows.

Creamy white cabinets and wall paint, a subway tile backsplash, a beaded-board ceiling, and 5-inch oak floor planks play up the home’s farmhouse style. Industrial-look lighting and barstools give the kitchen a little edge.

The pale green hue of the kitchen island echoes the living room sofa—a subtle link between two spaces that the McNutts now, happily, call one.

home | kitchens

Load-bearing beams at one end of the island serve a pretty purpose, too: housing a custom wineglass rack.

home | kitchen

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home | kitchens

BEFOREPlan points To enlarge the kitchen, the washer and dryer were relocated upstairs and the wall between the kitchen and laundry room was removed. The original island was replaced with a larger one equipped with a sink rather than a cooktop. A second island takes the place of the wall between the kitchen and living room, creating additional seating space. The breakfast area wall was bumped out and squared up to accommodate built-in seats with storage.

AFTER

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LAUNDRY

The McNutts bumped out the breakfast nook wall and rimmed it with built-in benches to expand seating. A floor-to-ceiling cabinet stows dishware. The cow painting, by local artist Amy P. Collins, adds a touch of the farmhouse style that Pam loves. n

BEFORE

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home | kitchens

For buying information see page 194.