To The Lake House

The owners of this waterfront home in Lake Monticello wanted a showcase kitchen in which all generations of their family could gather without getting under each other’s feet and the new layout certainly achieved that, but we also helped them utilize every available inch of storage space by making the most of Kraftmaid’s extensive range of interior options.

Taking its cue from boat design, there’s a place for everything and everything’s in its place—pots and pans are easy to grab from the drawers under the stove top, lazy susans prevent corners from becoming black holes, and pull-out pantries flanking the fridge ensure that ingredients remain readily accessible.

Even decorative end-caps have hidden doors and drawers to store trash bags or first aid kits. When everything has a logical place to go, putting things away becomes a pleasure.

Pull-out pantries keep everything close to hand.

And all those drawers mean there’s no more back-breaking bending to find something in the nether regions of a base cupboard.

White cabinets don’t have to be bland, clinical, or one dimensional. On the contrary, they allow for greater flexibility. Any time you feel like changing things up a bit, it’s much easier—and cheaper!—to simply change the color of the walls than replace the cabinets. Here, an aqueous blue connects the interior to the lake, while red accents add a dash of complementary color, and glass-fronted cabinets reflect restful views.

The winning combination of personality and efficiency makes this one of our favorite kitchens to date, and a perfect reflection of those who use it.