Inspired by the hues of water, stone and sand, these three, blue Northern Michigan kitchens truly capture a lakefront feel.
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Sailing Away at Pickerel Lake
Builder: Nick Fettig, Harbor View Custom Builders | Architect: Elaine Keiser | Kitchen Designer: Dawn Whyte, Petoskey Kitchens
Blue is the homeowner’s favorite color, so kitchen designer Dawn Whyte used a pale blue glass tile backsplash that looks as fresh as a wave against the white cabinetry and sea glass–colored subway tile in this Pickerel Lake home. Brass fixtures, cabinetry handles and pendants above the black-walnut island countertop hint at a nautical feel—a sentiment that is brought home with the cobalt blue island cabinets. “Blue is timeless, classic, soothing and on-trend,” says Whyte. “It is a neutral enough color that can blend with almost everything bright or light. Blue evokes a calming essence and just makes you happy.”
Photo by Petoskey Kitchens
Related Read: Design & Build Team Transform Downtown Marquette Condo.
Splashed with Aqua in Glen Arbor
Builder/Renovation: Kitchen Choreography | Kitchen Designer: Kitchen Choreography
Central to the renovation of a 1990s home on Sleeping Bear Bay was a kitchen redo. Angela Goodall and her team at Kitchen Choreography brought their inspired style to the task, beginning with a timeless backsplash of water-colored glass tiles by Ann Sacks. The white macaubas quartzite used on the countertops is the shade of beach stones, and the pantry door, painted a soothing aqua (Covington Blue by Benjamin Moore), pops against white walls and cabinetry like a lagoon by a white-sand beach. A bronze band around the custom range hood (fabricated by Kitchen Choreography) lends a nautical feel. The aqua pendant lights, hand-crocheted at the U.K. artisan lighting studio of Naomi Paul, offer a bespoke touch that reminds of old-time fishing nets.
Photo by Jason Hulet
Photo by Jason Hulet
Cool Blue on Old Mission Peninsula
Designer: Sara VanderStelt, Creative Kitchens
When food photographer Amanda Abajian asked kitchen designer Sara VanderStelt of Creative Kitchens to help her renovate her Old Mission kitchen, she had a specific mission: “As a food photographer, creating balance between the food and its environment poses a constant challenge. Anchoring the background in cool colors allows the contrasting warmth in foods to stand out,” Abajian says. VanderStelt responded with inspirational, cool blue Shiloh Cabinetry painted in Restorative by Sherwin Williams. Corian countertops add to the watery calm and, says VanderStelt, latch hardware pulled it all together. Abajian added the warm red brick to complement the existing darker brick behind the double ovens. “My vision in designing this kitchen was to create a space where the warmth of family, friends and food are always the main focus,” Abajian says. Vision accomplished!
Photo by Dan Zeeff
