Living on Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay results in two certainties: beautiful views and frequent guests. So when this husband and wife bought a home near the water, they knew the house’s dated and boring kitchen needed a major overhaul to make it worthy of the spectacular scenery and fit for spur-of-the-moment entertaining.
For help they hired the husband’s sister, designer Jennifer Gilmer, who began by removing a peninsula and expanding the kitchen footprint into a former laundry room to gain 48 square feet. That created room for a hardworking new island with a sink on one side and a wine station on the other, with a walnut countertop, a wine fridge and glass-front cabinets for glassware. Across from the island is a separate entertaining hub with a prep sink, coffee station, ice maker and a TV, where guests can make drinks without getting in the way of the cook in the main kitchen area. Meanwhile, a mix of blue-painted cabinets, watery blue backsplash tile and light maple veneer cabinets deliver an upbeat style that nods to the waterfront location.
