Cartersville, GA — 30 minutes or so north of Atlanta — is one of those towns where entertaining is everything. “It’s what everybody does on the weekends — we have people over,” says local interior designer Beverly Baribault, whose work has been featured in Better Homes & Gardens, Renovation Style and Southern Living over the years.
Interior designer Beverly Baribault chose warm, neutral shades for kitchen cabinetry in this Cartersville kitchen, going with Benjamin Moore Ice Formations 973 on wall cabinets and Benjamin Moore Fallen Timber 9940 for the island.
As added texture, the designer used reclaimed pine beams, stained dark for contrast and salvaged from a local building, on the ceiling.
For this kitchen redo, Beverly gave the homeowners a sophisticated farmhouse look that can accommodate both large cocktail parties and smaller family dinners. To create that ideal open floor plan, she took four existing spaces — the previous kitchen, a small eating area, a “weird sunroom” and unusable storage — and combined them into one big, open space. “The homeowners really wanted more seating, as well as a bar and flat surfaces for putting out a spread of food,” says the designer.
“The towers hold a lot of china and glasses,” says Beverly. “It’s always a challenge to hide those.” Seeded glass on cabinets keeps the look light and bright.
The built-in bar has drawers, a wine refrigerator and bottle storage. “The best feature is the cottage window,” says the designer. “The client loves this feature for parties and family functions, and they actually serve beverages through the window onto the deck.”
An added bonus of a separate bar area is that guests can serve themselves away from the often-clogged kitchen area.
Beverly came up with a design that incorporated custom cabinetry and an oversize island, special storage for entertaining essentials, a large farmhouse table and chairs, and last, but not least, a clever bar area that includes a pass-through window to the side yard. Dark-stained ceiling beams, glass pendant lights and counter-to-ceiling subway tiles add even more layers of interest.
The designer placed a large, custom, vent hood as a focal point on the wall of tile. “When I made the room bigger, I didn’t want it to look heavy,” says Beverly. “Since there was so much storage included with the new design, I gained the luxury of creating a ‘wow wall.'”
Subway tiles with dark grout add a sophisticated touch to the back wall.
The 8.5-foot x 4.5-foot island houses the sink, dishwasher, trash receptacle, microwave and lots of drawers on the front for dishes, silverware and serving platters.
Thank you to Dara Lowman for her ability to capture the spirit and style of this home with her amazing photographs.
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