With two dogs at home and two adult children nearby, the Veshas wanted an unpretentious space that focused on entertainment and convenience to match the open floorplan of the house the family built in 1988.
“Kitchens, at least in most residential homes, are the center of entertaining,” Harvey says. “Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter, it seems like that’s where almost everybody is, and it’s hard to make it large enough to satisfy that need.”
Expanding the kitchen by eliminating a den and some closet space made room for gathering with the Veshas’ children and grandchildren. With the open layout, adults can cook while keeping kids in sight or joining a conversation at the table.
The update also made room for almost any amenity. A large flat-top stove is perfect for cooking pancakes and bacon with grandchildren. The oversized refrigerator and pantry ensure there’s room for even rarely used ingredients.
Courtesy of NJW Renovations Unlimited
Harvey told the kitchen designers, contracted through NJW Renovations Unlimited, to stock it with the works.
“Whatever it is from the whisk to the spatula to the frying pans hanging on the wall, I said, ‘Let’s just go ahead and get it,’” he says. “Whether it’s a panini press, which I think I’ve used three times, it’s all here if I want to use it.”
Diner style kitchens provided one point of inspiration for that ready-for-anything approach. The Veshas’ kitchen includes a deep fryer built into the countertop and open shelving.
“I always thought, ‘Why do we try to make kitchens look like living rooms with walnut cabinets?’” Harvey says. “I thought, ‘Why are we trying to hide what’s in there?’”
Leaving cups, plates and kitchen utensils in the open also serves a universal design strategy.
“For the over 70 crowd, which I am, you want to make it as accessible as possible,” Harvey says. “Bending down to those bottom drawers to get pans out that you use once a year, I just said, ‘We’re not going to do that.’”
Mostly, that decision gives the kitchen a more practical and functional appearance. For the Veshas, a committedly casual family, that’s exactly the intention.
The Veshas’ collaboration with NJW was key to making the renovation process easy. Given the time a renovation can take – this project lasted roughly four months – and particularly in a space as essential as the kitchen, Harvey says that choosing who to work with is the most important piece of the process.
“Price, of course, is a factor, but you really do have to consider that the contractor, whoever you choose, literally becomes part of the family,” Harvey says. “You want to make sure your contractor is somebody that you can say, ‘I trust that person.’”
Cameron Carr is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at ccarr@cityscenemediagroup.com.
