By Becky Harris | Houzz
Sitting in this kitchen, it’s hard to tell that the recent renovation was a gut job. Interior designer Dominique Tharp and the homeowners prioritized keeping the 1940s beach bungalow’s charm, perhaps nowhere more so than in the cheerful kitchen. Beadboard, retro-style appliances, a Hoosier-style cabinet, schoolhouse pendants, seeded glass and crystal drawer knobs are just a few of the details that keep the home’s original spirit alive in this vacation home in Coronado.
Houzz at a Glance
- Who lives here: This is the vacation home of a couple from Arizona whose kids have grown up and have kids of their own.
- Location: Coronado, CA
- Kitchen Size: 200 square feet (18.5 square meters) to the outer edge of the island
- Designer: Dominique Tharp of QualCraft Construction
While I wouldn’t usually begin a kitchen story with a photo taken from the sidewalk, the architectural style and era played important roles during the remodel. The team was careful to maintain the vintage beach bungalow charm while updating the home. Preserve Your Home’s Charm With Help From a Professional Designer.
When Tharp presented her clients with design boards, they instantly went for ocean-inspired blue-green colors such as teal, aqua and seafoam. Tharp brought in punches of turquoise via the vintage-style refrigerator and the paint color on the island. Overhead, beadboard inserts on the coffered ceiling are painted seafoam blue.
Tharp was able use some of the walls for open shelves, where a display of Fiestaware adds color and playfulness. Beveled subway tile, schoolhouse pendant lights, open shelves with custom corbels, beadboard accents, cabinet feet and seeded glass in the upper cabinet doors are some of the details that give the kitchen its vintage sensibility.
A white enamel Aga range fits right in with the period look. Tharp covered the modern-looking appliances like the dishwasher and built-in warming drawer with panel fronts and tucked others, such as the microwave and small beverage refrigerator, into the counter-facing side of the island. The top of the island is walnut that is fully functional as a workstation surface for cutting. Find a Retro Range.
Tharp designed the oak cabinet to resemble a Hoosier cabinet one might have seen in a kitchen in the 1940s. The roll-top portion is an appliance garage.
Tharp opted for a fireclay farmhouse sink and a bridge-style faucet to maintain the classic bungalow look. One challenge was marrying the modern soft-close cabinetry the clients wanted with the era. “We scoured the Internet and found faux hinges that keep the look consistent but serve no function,” she says.
Here’s a plan of the kitchen-dining room. On paper, the space reads as an eat-in kitchen, but the way Tharp outfitted it makes it feel more like a dining room. I hesitate to say “formal dining room” because the room maintains the laid-back beachy style of the rest of the home.
The home is the base for lively family gatherings, and the couple wanted a dining table that would accommodate everyone. Tharpe custom-designed one that seats eight for the long, narrow space.
She specified walnut for the tabletop to play off the walnut butcher block island top in the kitchen. Likewise, seafoam backsplash tiles in the built-ins tie the color in from across the room. A mix of cross-back chairs and end chairs and oversized lanterns lends a relaxed, eclectic look.
The narrowness of the room also inspired built-ins for storage, as a free-standing buffet would have been too clunky. There’s plenty of room to store china, glassware, collections, linens and silverware. The center portion extends out a bit, which breaks up the piece and provides a buffet area for serving.
Indoor-outdoor living is a big part of the family’s lifestyle when they are in Coronado; this porch is off the dining space. Large bifold doors create a wide opening to the outdoors.
“We chose porcelain planks for the flooring indoors because this particular one can also be used outdoors,” Tharp says. “It extends right outside, making the transition seamless.”
The palette of sea and wood tones continues out on the porch. The building across the way is a guesthouse-garage that was also part of the renovations.
The kitchen is also open to the living room, where the beachy turquoise accents continue. Here you can see how the architecture of the ceiling delineates the space, with a break in the coffers between the two spaces.
More from Houzz: Bungalow Kitchen Finds a New Life After Hurricane Sandy.
