Function of Beauty
Harrison Design and Design Galleria Kitchen and Bath Studio transform a kitchen into a serene, entertaining-ready retreat in this 2023 Kitchen of the Year winner
For an Atlanta family who loves to cook and entertain, functionality and tranquility were vital when it came to renovating the kitchen in their new home.
To execute these two themes, the homeowners tapped the talents of Harrison Design’s interior designer Betsy McBride and senior project manager Derek Hopkins, plus kitchen designer Matthew Quinn of Design Galleria Kitchen and Bath Studio and Paul Timoney of Timoney Construction who brought the team’s visions to life.
To increase square footage and open up the kitchen to the adjoining breakfast/keeping room, the team pushed back the oven wall to line up with the neighboring entertaining spaces. They also removed columns and stepped ceiling details to reduce visual clutter and add a sense of height. “It helped open up the space and make it feel more gracious,” says McBride. “Instead of feeling like two individual spaces next to each other, it feels like one large open space for gathering and entertaining.”
Appliances and work areas were thoughtfully arranged with practicality and symmetry in mind. Quinn designed wall niches to eliminate countertop clutter, where stainless steel pullouts provide easy access to daily appliances—and conceal them when they’re not needed.
“We tucked away some of the more hectic work zones—such as the working pantry with a sink and specialized kimchi refrigerator—into the back-of-house area,” says McBride, who cultivated calm with a soft, organic color palette and layers of texture.
Naica quartzite, for instance, was used on both the countertops and backsplash in contrasting finishes (polished and leathered, respectively) to create subtle dimension. Likewise, stained cherry wood cabinetry is softened by a bleaching and antiquing process. On the walls, three different sizes of handmade and hand-finished porcelain tile add dimension, as does a wire mesh on the cabinetry doors, which ties into the mix of polished nickel and dark bronze hardware.
“The client and I had already worked on a color palette for the whole house since we started by painting and furnishing some other rooms,” explains McBride. “When we met with Matthew [Quinn], he already had a similar color scheme in mind, so the overall design came together naturally and smoothly.”
KITCHEN DESIGNERS Betsy McBride, Harrison Design and Matthew Quinn, Design Galleria Kitchen and Bath Studio SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER Derek Hopkins, Harrison Design CONTRACTOR Paul Timoney, Timoney Construction CABINETRY Downsview Kitchens through Design Galleria Kitchen and Bath Studio HARDWARE Matthew Quinn Collection MARBLE BACKSPLASH AND COUNTERTOPS Naica quartzite through Pietra Fina PORCELAIN TILE Pratt + Larson porcelain through Renaissance Tile & Bath HOOD François & Co. PENDANT LIGHT Jonathan Browning Studios through R Hughes
See the other 2023 Kitchen of the Year winners:
