Kitchen Makeover: Coastal Classic Meets Contemporary Character

This coastal-inspired kitchen design delicately blends classic and contemporary styles, creating a setting where every day feels like a vacation.

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Coastal Character

Classic Appeal with a Twist

A Pleasing Balance

Charming Farmhouse Sink

Stylish & Functional Food Storage

Tile Kitchen Backsplash

Colorful Open Storage

Perfectly Paired Appliances

Let There Be Light

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Coastal Character

With a large island, metallic finishes, and modern conveniences, this South Carolina kitchen is a fresh take on traditional coastal style. Designed to blend naturally with the architectural character of older homes in the area, nearly everything in this kitchen -- from the high tongue-and-groove ceiling to the rich hardwood floor -- nods to its historical roots.

Classic Appeal with a Twist

A sea-inspired color scheme of robin's egg blue, warm white, and splashes of contemporary sheen update the look of this classic coastal kitchen. Shaker-style cabinetry and beaded-board panels on the kitchen island blend perfectly into the relaxed setting. The U-shape floor plan is modest in size, making it efficient and comfortably intimate for a couple.

A Pleasing Balance

A large marble-top island provides plentiful work space and comfortable seating in the center of the kitchen. The blue island base provides a bright contrast to the crisp white kitchen cabinetry. Metallic finishes tie together several elements in the kitchen, such as the stools, sink faucet, cabinetry hardware and refrigerator.

Charming Farmhouse Sink

Grooves on the apron-front sink echo the lines of the blue beaded-board cabinets, creating gorgeous, unexpected texture. The island's farmhouse sink is teamed with a vintage-style bridge faucet and flanked by two pairs of dishwasher drawers.

Stylish & Functional Food Storage

The kitchen presents a delicate balance between traditional and contemporary design aesthetics. A sleek, stainless-steel refrigerator with a glass-panel door serves up style and efficiency. A walk-in pantry boosts the storage capacity of the modest-size kitchen.

Tile Kitchen Backsplash

The kitchen backsplash also gracefully toes the line between traditional and contemporary. Thin glass tiles placed in a classic subway pattern have an almost ethereal look. Dark grout lines provide contrast and highlight the white subway tile backsplash.

Colorful Open Storage

Repeating the kitchen island color in small accents around the perimeter creates a pleasing balance between contrast and continuity. Blue-painted display shelves that match the kitchen island add additional color to the all-white kitchen and provide a place for collectables. Frosted-glass doors on the top tier of cabinetry keep with the openness of the kitchen while discreetly obscuring the contents.

Perfectly Paired Appliances

Appliances supply much of the kitchen's contemporary style. The professional-grade range and hood feature swaths of stainless steel, but the oven doors and range knobs are white, a striking look that softens the appliances and helps them blend in with the cabinetry and countertops.

Let There Be Light

The modest-size kitchen opens to a large living and dining area that can accommodate sizeable gatherings. An open floor plan keeps the kitchen feeling bright despite a lack of exterior windows. Natural light pours in from the combined living and dining space, which boasts multiple sets of French doors that open to a deck. When daylight fades, recessed ceiling lights and two big island pendants illuminate the kitchen.

Kitchen Makeover: Coastal Classic Meets Contemporary Character

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