Kitchen Showcase: Cool, Clean and Elegant
No matter how big the house, the kitchen is where the family gathers, whether to cook meals, eat dinner or entertain.
Gerry Roth, president of G.M. Roth Design Remodeling in Nashua, is used to accommodating his clients’ tastes. When it came to his own home, however, he admits he forgot to consult his most important audience: his wife, Sandy. “We built the house in 1998 when our kids were young,” he says. “I was on a roll to get it done, and never really talked with Sandy about how she envisioned the kitchen. She never complained, but I found out years later that it was not to her tastes. I was determined to make it up to her, so when we decided to remodel, she was involved in every detail. This kitchen is totally different, and we both love it.”
The first goal was to create more space, so a wall between the kitchen and the dining room was taken out, enabling them to design a larger kitchen and also creating an open, airy feeling in both rooms. Minus the wall, the kitchen is now flooded with natural light streaming in from the dining room and foyer windows. “It feels so bright and airy that you want to spend time here,” says Gerry. “With better flow between the two rooms, we actually use the dining room more, which has been nice.”
Sandy loves symmetry and was not a fan of the previous island, which had been placed at an angle. Now, a magnificent 10-foot island, done in creamy white, is the hub of the kitchen. A main food prep area, it seats four and houses an under-counter microwave and lots of storage space. When family members arrive, they gravitate to this gathering spot.
The kitchen cabinetry aligns perfectly with the island, and is the same gleaming white. Sandy wanted to avoid clutter, so small appliances are hidden behind flip-up door cabinets in the kitchen and pocket-door cabinetry in the beverage center. Clever paneling disguises the refrigerator and dishwasher, so the overall impression is one of a clean work space.
Sandy further streamlined the kitchen by opting for an easy-to-clean induction cooktop, a built-in oven and a steam oven. When the wall was removed, the kitchen lost its pantry, so Gerry converted a small office, adjacent to the kitchen, into a walk-in pantry/bar. The new space has 12 feet of pantry cabinetry, a beverage center with sink, two under-counter beverage refrigerators and a large upright freezer. In a nod to Sandy’s late father, the pantry door is etched with “East Side Café,” the name of his popular Nashua restaurant.
The previous kitchen was darkened by a lot of cherry wood; this time, Sandy wanted everything white, with a touch of bling. Brushed-brass crystal pendant lights and brass drawer and cabinet pulls are glittering accents. Texture is introduced by an arabesque-patterned white marble and mother-of-pearl backsplash as well as by the taupe and white cushions on the island’s chairs. The pantry provides a dramatic counterpoint with black- and mushroom-hued cabinets, a teardrop glass backsplash, and a drum-shade ceiling light in a similar pattern.
“Everything about the new kitchen and layout is wonderful,” says Gerry. “The family — all 20-plus of us — can easily gather in the new space, and it works like a dream. I can safely say my most important client, Sandy, is now happy. This more than makes up for those years in the old kitchen!”
