Color Crush
Cathy Rhodes interiors creates a beautiful, yet functional kitchen for gathering and entertaining
It’s been 18 years since Cathy Rhodes, principal of Cathy Rhodes Interiors, last refreshed the kitchen inside this Brookhaven home. Now that her longtime clients’ kids are grown, they desired a modern, spacious hub to gather and entertain. To achieve everything on their kitchen wish list, Rhodes and builder Chuck Tice knocked down walls to create an open floor plan to the adjoining breakfast room and family room, added windows for more sunlight, and reoriented the kitchen to face the backyard. “It’s literally a whole new layout,” says Rhodes. “Nothing looks the same.”
The kitchen’s showpiece is a stunning island with a 3-inch mitered edge marble countertop, and other focal points include a custom hood with brass strap details and a marble slab backsplash that mimics the island. While the client desired an all-white kitchen, Rhodes added splashes of color for interest. “My client loves blue and green, so we painted the island a fun blue color which set the tone for the kitchen,” says Rhodes, who custom color-matched window treatments and the bench seat for further harmony and ran the cohesive blue-green colors throughout the three rooms.
Fluted cabinetry grandly flanks the sink, with a full fridge and freezer on either side. “I wanted it to have the look of furniture, so it wasn’t an entire wall of white cabinetry,” she says. A wall of steel windows in the breakfast room, with doors that lead to the loggia, and a large window above the kitchen sink allow ample sunlight to flood the spaces.
A scullery conceals a covetable prep area, morning coffee station, and large pantry storage, which can be closed off from the kitchen with a pocket door when guests arrive. Additional kitchen cabinetry can be opened and closed to hide a TV and appliances. “The beauty of this kitchen is that we were able to hide the function,” says Rhodes. “So, when they entertain, they’re sitting in this beautiful space and almost forget that they’re in the kitchen.”
INTERIOR DESIGNER Cathy Rhodes, Cathy Rhodes Interiors BUILDER and CONTRACTOR Chuck Tice CABINETRY Keystone Millworks MARBLE A Touch of Stone, Inc. FAUCETRY PDI ISLAND paint Sherwin-Williams Interesting Aqua BARSTOOLS Hickory Chair DINING TABLE Robert James Collection DINING CHAIRS Highland House ROMAN SHADES and BENCH SEAT FABRIC Galbraith & Paul LIGHT FIXTURES Vaughan Designs