2013 Ultimate Up North Kitchen Tour: #6, Traverse City

Northern Michigan's 2013 Ultimate Up North Kitchen Tour: ?#6, Good Taste in Traverse City

Designer: Sandra Bargiel, CKD, Bay Cabinetry, Traverse City, 231.946.6882, baycabinetry.com

Find driving directions on your ticket: MyNorthTickets.com

Once again, kitchen designer Sandra Bargiel demonstrates her skill for blending styles and materials to create kitchens that are paragons of good taste. In this case, homeowners Madelyn and Bill Ryan wanted a kitchen that is as at home staging elegant Saturday evening cocktail or dinner parties in their Old Mission Peninsula home, as it is hosting quiet breakfasts for just the two of them. To that end, Bargiel fused the Neoclassical style that defines the home’s other rooms with contemporary materials for an ideal balance of sophisticated and intimate.

The backdrop of this kitchen is contemporary white cabinetry turned out with classic details, such as two-step crown molding and furniturelike bases. Black granite countertops are another contemporary touch—one that is balanced by the warmth of a chestnut floor. An iroko table-height counter performs butler service for elegant parties as well as a spot to sip coffee for two. Bargiel chose the woods for their warm brownish cast instead of the reddish tones of other hardwoods.

The earthiness of a seagrass limestone backsplash is the foil for a sophisticated built-in wine bar situated between the kitchen and the living area. The outcome more than met the Ryans’ expectations. “We love coming home to this space—Sandra was the designer who actually listened to what we wanted and provided it down to the last detail,” Madelyn says.

Builder:

Whiteford Associates

Appliances:

Max’s Service

Countertops:

Cadillac Cut Stone

Get a preview to the 2013 Ultimate Up North Kitchen Tour in the October issue of Northern Home & Cottage & Traverse, Northern Michigan's Magazine.