KSI Kitchen & Bath Blog

Award-Winning Kitchen Gets Creative with Storage

Written by Sandra Daubenmeyer | Mar 24, 2023 12:55:00 PM

When Moceri Custom Homes reached out to me to collaborate again on the design of a new luxury kitchen, I was excited to see if we could achieve the success of our nationally recognized work in the previous year.  Would lightning strike twice?

The project was what Moceri calls their Modern Prairie style design, a new construction ranch home with a large open floor plan. We envisioned a modern design with warm wood tones and lots of texture and movement. We selected Dura Supreme Bria cabinetry in the Carson door style, achieving a warm feel with quartersawn oak in Heather finish. Our goal in this kitchen was to be creative with storage and not just fill the space with cabinets. By designing hidden work areas like the coffee bar and smoothie prep station on the fridge wall, we were able to create a beautiful aesthetic that also brought added function to the space.

 

Clever Coffee Bar with a Pantry Look 

This elegant pantry wall features a hidden refrigerator, freezer, coffee bar, and smoothie station!  A lot of thought and detail went into making sure that, when closed, the coffee bar and smoothie station looked like a full wall of pantry cabinets. The pocket door system had to be engineered onsite - I worked very closely with my installer prior to installation to ensure their function! For durability we used black granite on the interior countertop. 

 

Island Integrates Wine Fridge for Easy Entertaining

The double waterfall island side with a semi-hidden wine fridge was an interesting design challenge. I had to reduce the depth of the front island cabinets to make room for the full depth wine fridge and added trim above the cabinets to increase the overall height of the counter due to the change in materials for the island countertops. The contrasting double waterfall island side creates an exciting accent with an onyx maple stain on the cabinetry which repeats in the glass cabinets and wall behind the floating shelves throughout the kitchen. The island features four waterfall sides; two in quartzite to match the hood and two in leathered black quartz to match the perimeter countertops.

 

Quartzite Hood Heightens Interest

The quartzite wall and hood are a statement piece in this kitchen that tie in to the island beautifully. Envisioning this look was one thing, but engineering it was another! We had to make sure the extra large quartzite hood was able to be supported by the surrounding cabinetry.

The quartzite shelf above the range adds function and visual interest to the wall of quartzite - it's a great detail that allows the home chef to keep their favorite ingredients close at hand. 

We designed a contrasting onyx maple stain for the interior of the all the glass cabinets and the floating shelf area to add visual contrast to the quartzite and warm wood tones.  

 

Representing the Best in American Living

 

Our efforts to create a beautiful space with creative storage paid off!  In February the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) recognized this luxury kitchen with the Platinum award in the Interior Architecture & Design: Kitchen, Production/Spec category at the 2022 Best in American Living Awards! It's an incredible honor to be recognized by my peers in the home building industry for my work with Moceri Homes crafting this elegant and functional kitchen.

This project also went on to be Featured On Houzz in articles about how different generations spend their remodeling dollars, as well as the 10 Most Popular Kitchens of 2023 and Best of Houzz 2024.

Photography by Martin Vecchio Photography