Stylish Midcentury Kitchen Balances Openness and Privacy
A custom wall of walnut shelves and a waterfall breakfast bar create just enough separation in an open floor plan
The homeowners asked for bright white cabinetry. Jorgensen softened the look with walnut trim. The new island, also a breakfast bar, is a waterfall design made of solid white quartz from Cambria. The walnut chairs around the island are a classic midcentury design.
Browse midcentury wooden bar stools
Browse midcentury wooden bar stools
Jorgensen located the range and hood on a wall that once had windows that looked directly into the neighbors’ house. The wall is covered in a mosaic of small Carrara marble tiles. Placing the stove here also helped facilitate a better work triangle. The flat-panel custom cabinets have a sleek, minimalist look.
The sink is set along a small inside wall. The walnut shelves to the right of the sink extend out towards the breakfast bar and serve as a divider between the kitchen and the living area. The floors are a dark stained oak.
The kitchen packs a lot of punch in the open-plan living, dining and cooking area. From the breakfast bar, the couple can look out through windows to views of the Mississippi River. The Sputnik-style chandelier is from Restoration Hardware. The dining table migrated to this home from the couple’s former house. “It’s an heirloom to them,” Jorgensen says, “so why not include it in their midcentury home? A little Craftsman never hurt anyone.”
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The Case for the Midcentury Modern Kitchen Layout
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A retired couple
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
Size: About 175 square feet (about 16.2 square meters)
Designer: Jennifer Jorgensen of J. Jorgensen
When a retired couple purchased this midcentury gem from Jennifer Jorgensen’s close friend, they asked the designer to help them renew the main living areas, including the kitchen. “They were open to suggestions and wanted to bring back the midcentury feel,” Jorgensen says. The previous kitchen had a mishmash of white-and-wood cabinets installed between the 1960s and 1980s, with a small island and a countertop that had tiny tile and large grout lines.
The homeowners wanted to keep the open feel of the original kitchen but also have a sense of separation from the living area. Jorgensen designed a custom wall of open shelves in walnut to delineate the space without blocking views. The walnut used for the shelves relates to the walnut-covered fireplace in the living area.