Transforming A Monroe Kitchen With Quiet Luxury

*Update February 2026: This kitchen design was featured in the KCMA Design Awards 2026 Lookbook. Visit the link for the full Lookbook here or our summary page here.

*This post was revised 8/19/25 to update Ferguson Home product links

The homeowners had built their home brand new in the Old Owen area of Monroe in 2008. The home is nestled on a half-acre lot that is elevated from the street, giving it a very private feel with beautiful tree cover in the backyard where the kitchen is oriented. Having raised three children in the home, the space had been well-loved, and the kitchen was beginning to show signs of wear after nearly seventeen years.

As the president of a luxury residential home building company, the homeowner had planned to build a new custom home for him and his wife once the kids left the nest. After the COVID-19 pandemic with interest rates at an all-time high and land at a premium, they decided to look into renovating their current home with the luxury updates they desired instead.

When I met with the clients to look at options for updating their kitchen, we discussed different ways to approach the remodel from a very simple cosmetic update to a full renovation. The homeowner wanted to modify the island to make it larger, add additional storage, take out the dated kitchen desk and make it feel more modern and elevated. Ultimately, it was decided to do a full renovation of the kitchen so they could get all of the upgrades they wanted and so that it will last another twenty years (or as long as the homeowners wish to stay in the home).

Since they opted for the full renovation, it was basically a blank slate to create a kitchen that is really special and tailored to them. They had lots of great inspiration ideas to get the process started and we soon landed on a transitional style with nice blend of modern and classic elements. This kitchen required a high level of detail and craftmanship, so I brought on Ashis Bhakta of Elite Construction Contractors LLC due to his attention to detail and meticulous execution.

THE LAYOUT

One of the most dramatic changes for daylighting was enlarging the sliding door off the kitchen table area in both width and height to allow more natural light into the space.

We kept the major components of the work triangle close to their original location, so moving electrical and ventilation was relatively minimal. The cabinetry was extended on the sink wall, and the desk was converted to a built-in bar.

The recessed can lights were adjusted for the new layout and the light above the sink was converted to a semi-flush light. The dining nook chandelier and island pendant lights were replaced recently, so they were incorporated into the design. The upper cabinets were built with 1.5″ recessed bottoms to hide the electrical components below. Undercabinet lights were added throughout, puck lights were added inside the glass cabinets and angled plug mold outlets were added on the range wall so as not to interfere with the slab backsplash.

THE CABINET CONFIGURATION

We took out the angled pantry closet so that we could fill it in with more efficiently organized tall cabinetry. We added additional pantry storage on the window wall by extending the cabinetry closer to the sliding door. Since the length of the kitchen was extended on the window wall, we were able to extend the island to 84″ and max it out on the depth to 42″ to give it a more substantial look and feel. The upper cabinets are now 15″ deep throughout to provide additional storage. We extended the uppers to the ceiling with a 6″ transitional flat crown.

THE APPLIANCES

We did a Subzero/Wolf/Cove appliance package to elevate the kitchen functionality and give it a more custom look. On the range wall, we converted from a 36″ gas cooktop to a 36″ gas range and created a beautiful, balanced look with a deep glass upper cabinet with countertop drawers below on the left to mirror the tall cabinet to the right of the range. On the fridge wall, we had custom 27″ deep cabinets built to achieve a flush finish on all the built-in appliances. The microwave and wall oven are installed flush-inset, giving the major appliance wall a very sleek finish. The refrigerator, dishwasher and beverage fridge are now fully integrated with cabinet faces, so they now give the kitchen a more seamless and bespoke look. The new refrigerator is a 42″ wide model, providing ample storage inside.

THE SINK AREA

The undermount sink is a high quality Rohl workstation sink. The heavy gauge of the steel gives it a sturdier look and feel. The built-in ledge on the sink allows compatibility with many accessories that improve the functionality of the sink, and the bottom grid is a nice addition to keep it draining properly with everyday use. The sink is flanked on both sides with equal width cabinet fronts that house the dishwasher and the trash/recycle pull out, so it has a very balanced and symmetrical look.

THE BAR AREA

The area that was previously a desk was converted to a bar area. With special attention to detail, this area feels very organized. The bar nook is a great little space that provides easy beverage access to the family room and is great for entertaining. The base cabinetry features a pull-out bottle cabinet and paneled beverage fridge with the same bronze clear glass inserts as the other glass accent cabinets. The upper glass cabinets feature a bronze metal frame with bronze clear glass inserts and clear, low-iron glass shelves to allow the wood interior to look true to color.

The dimmable undercabinet lighting and puck lights in the glass cabinets provide a warm glow that is very soft and inviting

Flush inset-ovens and integrated refrigerators give a clean and custom look on the appliance wall

BEFORE & AFTER SIDE-BY-SIDE KITCHEN COMPARISON

The before and after comparison is fairly dramatic. Eliminating the pony wall at the back of the island and removing the corner pantry altered the look significantly. Extending the cabinetry gives it a grand appearance.

The kitchen has a much taller presence with the cabinetry extending to the ceiling. The new kitchen is the perfect balance of functional and beautiful

KITCHEN BEFORE PHOTOS

BEFORE: An angled pantry closet divided the space
BEFORE: A pony wall on the island felt a little bulky
BEFORE: A dated desk area was under-utilized space
BEFORE: A 36″ Refrigerator stuck out into the space
BEFORE: There was space to expand the kitchen closer to the sliding door

THE DESIGN FINISHES

The color palette invokes a calm and relaxing respite in the home with warm wood tones, taupe grays and creamy whites. We utilized all matte finishes to create a very timeless and elegant look throughout all the surfaces. The matte texture allows for a subtle and quiet luxury with all high-quality materials that lend well to the warm neutral palette.

THE CABINET STYLE

The rift cut white oak cabinetry has a matte finish stain which has a very stately furniture quality to it. Custom plant on panels on the end of the pantry facing the family room gives the kitchen a high quality finished look. We kept the cabinet door style simple with a transitional profile that has a wide stile and rail and a large bevel so it will stand the test of time. The perimeter cabinetry is finished in a stain that neutralizes the yellow undertones of the wood while maintaining a natural look. The island is accented in a contrasting dark stain that works well with the black and bronze accents.

THE METALS

The glass accent cabinets have a bronze clear glass that harmonizes well with the matte bronze metal finish on the door frames. The glass doors feature touch latch hardware for a minimal look. Matte black cabinet pulls on the rest of the cabinetry pair nicely with the matte black faucet and the oil-rubbed bronze light fixtures. We used a beautiful classic style surface light from Rejuvenation to elevate the sink area and make it feel like the kitchen has always been there.

THE HARD SURFACES

The full-height range slab backsplash and the island countertop are a dramatically veined velvet-finish sintered stone from Dekton, making it a beautiful focal point that is also extremely durable with the high heat from the gas range cooking. We did a 3″ mitered build up on the island top to give it a more prominent look since the thickness of the material is only 2cm. For the perimeter counters, we did a 3cm light concrete-look quartz with a honed finish.

The tile backsplash on the other two perimeter walls behind the sink and at the drop zone is a matte white tile with high variation in color and an artisan edge style to it that gives it timeless appeal. We finished the window with tile and coordinating bullnose at the edges with a slab sill. The entire first floor hardwood was redone as well as some carpeted areas in the living room and office with a luxury vinyl plank with a low sheen that has a very convincing wood texture and works well with the natural wood finishes throughout. Luxury vinyl plank is extremely durable with pets and moisture and will wear better over time than natural wood. New carpet was installed in the adjacent family room to keep a cozy feel in that room. The homeowner kept the original stained baseboards and casing throughout, so we found a color that blends with the existing wood tones. We looked for an LVP floor with a warm color and matte finish to blend with all the other finishes. This floor was continued onto the stairs and custom square stair nosing was built on site to keep with the modern look.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Some of the features we included are adjustable roll outs in both tall pantries, a spice drawer organizer, a peg drawer organizer, cookie sheet dividers, a knife and utensil insert, and a blind corner pull out. LED undercabinet lights and puck lights illuminate the space. Hidden plug mold on the range wall offers a clean, uninterrupted look on the slab backsplash. USB outlets were added at the drop zone and kitchen island for convenient charging locations.

THE ENTRY STAIRS

Ashis and his team resurfaced the stairs with custom-made square bullnose treads made of the luxury vinyl plank. Since this is one of the first things you see when entering the house, this gave the formal living room a nice modern update.

THE POWDER ROOM

The Powder Room is located right off the family room and got a nice neutral update. New linen textured taupe vinyl wallpaper was applied to the walls for a sophisticated look that is easy to clean. New floor tile and tile baseboard was installed that gives it a whimsical patterned look. A new mirror was installed to blend with the existing chrome fixtures.