AUSTIN, TX — The kitchen in this Austin, TX home was typical of its 1990s/2000s time period. As Madelyn Roberts describes it, most other designers can likely picture it without even seeing it in person. It had the predictable office desk workspace and an awkward corner pantry. The island was multi-level with a cooktop that left minimal usable workspace to either side, despite the island’s large dimensions. The cherry cabinetry was dated and provided relatively inefficient storage.
When asked how they wanted to change the space, her clients expressed a desire for a cozy, warm sanctuary that was reflective of their interest in travel and new foods. As the owner/principal designer of Madelyn Roberts Design in Austin began delving into the kitchen’s transformation, which she carried out in collaboration with Longbow Construction, she found a one-of-a-kind piece at a local Habitat for Humanity thrift store that ultimately drove the entire project.
“I had some ideas about where I wanted to go with the project, but I hadn’t actually selected any materials yet,” she says. “As I was looking for inspiration, I found a beautiful, apron-front marble sink tucked into a crate on the floor of the store. It was in perfect condition. I knew it probably wouldn’t be there the next day so I took a picture of it and sent it to my clients right away. They loved it, and it ended up kicking off the entire kitchen!”
With the sink in hand, Roberts began building the kitchen, filling it with functional and aesthetic design elements and materials like the Bianco Carrara marble island and perimeter countertops that complement the sink.
“I love this particular marble,” she remarks. “It’s one of my favorites to use. It’s the little black dress of countertops because it can go modern or traditional, and it plays well with so many other materials used in a kitchen.”
Hand-Selected, Custom Backsplash
Another one-of-a-kind element is the focal- point custom backsplash, comprised of ceramic tile from Fireclay Tile. Roberts hand selected each of the five colors for the Sintra pattern, creating a unique palette that features multiple blue and blue/green hues accented with white and yellow.
“The client really loves blue, so I leaned heavily into it,” the designer relates. “Yellow serves as a complementary color and the white really makes the whole design pop.”
Roberts found the custom process easy to navigate, working closely with a Fireclay Tile representative to achieve the vision.
“I knew I wanted subway tile for the perimeter walls, and I also knew I wanted something attention-grabbing for behind the range,” she indicates. “Initially I went the route of Mexican clay tiles because my client loves patterned tile, but we just couldn’t nail down the colors for any that were in stock. I’ve always loved using tiles from Fireclay Tile, and when I found the option to do something custom, it was perfect.”
Madelyn Roberts hand selected to create a unique palette that features multiple blue and blue/green hues accented with white and yellow. Roberts built the rest of the kitchen around several of the colors within the tile.
Roberts built the rest of the kitchen around several of the colors within the tile. For example, the 2″x6″ matte white subway tile used for the perimeter matches the tile’s white central burst and corners. Light gray grout adds a slight differentiation to the white, without being too overpowering. The designer stacked the subway tile horizontally to elongate the wall and add a bit of contemporary yet classic styling to the space.
“My client wanted some contemporary touches without being too stark,” she explains. “And, she didn’t want anything too trendy or too traditional. We actually had a lot of conversations about trends and fads, and she didn’t want anything that would date her kitchen. So, as I considered stacking patterns – ironically a horizontal stack, although popular now, is actually quite historical and has staying power without being too traditional like a stacked brick.”
Roberts pulled the cabinetry color from the tile as well, using Benjamin Moore’s Lucerne on the custom pieces.
“Initially my client was hesitant to do painted cabinets because she was used to the wood cabinets in her previous kitchen,” she relates. “But I let her see renderings with the colored cabinets to help her understand just how it would look.”
- Bianco Carrara Marble Countertops: Complement the apron-front marble sink, which kicked off the entire kitchen
- Focal-Point Custom Backsplash: Comprised of ceramic tile that was hand-selected to create a unique color palette
- Blue Painted Cabinetry: Inspired by the client’s love of the hue, as well as the custom backsplash
Improving Functionality
Roberts contrasted the blue hue with white oak for the island, which although about a foot shorter than the previous island, is actually much more functional than its predecessor.
“We made the island shorter so it was easier to navigate around,” she explains. “Before, it was a tight squeeze between the refrigerator and the countertop, so to maximize walking space, we shrunk the island a bit. But even after doing that, we ended up with more storage and countertop workspace in the new kitchen.”
In part, that improved functionality is achieved via the island’s single-plane design. Roberts also made it just a touch wider and moved the seating to an adjacent nook where her clients can have a cup of coffee while they eat their breakfast and enjoy the view to their backyard.
Roberts repeated the white oak as custom spice storage in the cooking niche and as floating shelves that flank the custom range hood, the latter of which is painted in Dunn and Edwards’ Foggy Day to further brighten the space. The floating shelves’ open design breaks up the expanse of cabinetry situated along the perimeter wall.
“That back wall is nearly 17′ long,” she indicates. “Having that much cabinetry, without any breaks, can get really heavy visually. My client was hesitant at first because she didn’t want décor and tchotchkes that would collect dust. But she now loves them. And, by using the shelves for items she uses every day, she doesn’t have to worry about anything getting dusty.”
Extending the Kitchen
Improving storage was a main consideration for this kitchen’s transformation. To accommodate, Madelyn Roberts removed the awkward closet-style corner pantry and replaced it with a more streamlined and functional 3′-deep, step-in pantry.
“Now it is more of an extension to the kitchen, sort of like a butler’s pantry on a smaller scale,” she explains.
Access to the pantry is made via vintage doors that were restored and shipped from Peoria, IL. Installed as pocket doors, they slide into the wall to provide an expansive 48″ opening that reveals shelves, drawers and a Pure White quartz countertop from Maestro Quartz. A ceiling-mount light illuminates the space.
“She can store all of her countertop appliances – her crockpot and coffee maker, stand mixer and microwave – in the pantry, along with dry goods,” Roberts relates. “Because the doors open so wide, she can easily use the countertop to assemble a meal for the crockpot, brew some coffee or reheat some leftovers, without feeling claustrophobic. When she is finished, she can close the doors and not have to worry about a cluttered counter.”