When it came time to remodel their summer retreat in New Seabury on Cape Cod, the clients approached the Design Studio, an award-winning design-build firm based on the South Shore. The studio’s trio of owners—Judith Whalen, Julie Lyons, and Bill Duchesney—bring to the table decades’ worth of experience in residential design.
In dreaming up their new kitchen, the clients envisioned something clean and contemporary but also a little beachy. “They are very forward-looking and experimentative,” says the project’s lead designer, Julie Lyons. “With the inclusion of warm walnut and expanses of plaster, this kitchen reads a bit more West Coast than East, which makes it fun and different. It’s still coastal but a different coast,” Lyons adds.
“We kept the Shaker-style cabinets simple, isolating the walnut as the star of the show,” she continues. “The walnut shiplap on the hood and the island’s seating side is where the beach feel comes in. We had the shiplap custom crafted with metal seams to add more visual detail.”
Durable, stain-resistant white Rino stone graces the island as well as the cooking area’s backsplash. Since the island is visible from both the living and dining areas, Lyons opted for sleek, uncluttered waterfall ends.
For their appliances, the clients decided on a microwave drawer in the island; two Wolf wall ovens, one of them convection-steam; and a dual-fuel Wolf range. But they took a non-traditional approach to their Sub-Zero refrigeration, keeping a 36-inch white-paneled refrigerator column in the cooking triangle and placing a walnut-paneled freezer column in between the kitchen and dining area.
“With Sub-Zero, one of the things we love to do is play with the different columns,” says Lyons. “They give us so much design flexibility.”
Clever Sub-Zero refrigeration continues in the dining area, where Lyons incorporated beverage chiller drawers and a wine cooler into the built-in hutch. Here, shiplap walls and a handcrafted driftwood serving board nod to the home’s coastal setting.
