Decorating Rooms Kitchen Decor & Design Kitchen Decorating Styles Functional Cabinet Space in This Made-for-Entertaining Kitchen Fun family gathering or elegant evening? Packed with function, this kitchen can handle it all. By Sally Finder Weepie Sally Finder Weepie Sally Finder Weepie is a writer and editor with nearly two decades of experience reporting on interior design, renovations, kitchen and bath design and products, and garden design. She has written for trusted national publications: Renovation Style, Country Home, Better Homes and Gardens, and Traditional Home, where she is currently the architecture editor. She also was editor of Sustainable Home magazine, a special publication from Dotdash Meredith published in 2021. Sally graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa, earning a bachelor's degree in general studies with a minor in journalism. Throughout her college career, she worked as a writer and editor at the Northern Iowan newspaper. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on October 16, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Minimalism has its place, and that place is not in Heidi Allen's house. "I see these clean-lined kitchens with no upper cabinets, no room for glasses and plates, and I wonder, Where do people put stuff?" she says. "I can't live without cabinets." Nathan Schroder Thankfully, she doesn't have to. The storage-rich, well-appointed kitchen in the new Dallas home she shares with husband Jeff abounds with cabinets: upper cabinets, lower cabinets, even cabinets disguised to look like they're part of the furniture-style island. Heidi has plenty of room to store everything she needs for her favorite pastime: entertaining oodles of friends and family, including the couple's four grown children. Nathan Schroder While Heidi cooks, she can interact with the kids, who love to perch at the island (and charge their phones at cleverly hidden outlets). The island's deep sink and quartz countertops make it an efficient prep zone handy to the appliance wall and range. Hidden behind the adjacent cabinetry are refrigerator and freezer drawers that allow Heidi to store enough food for a small army of guests. Clever Kitchen Storage for Large Families Nathan Schroder "They're a large, tight-knit family, so it was important to have a space that’s functional," designer Traci Connell says. At the same time, Heidi wanted a whole lot of pretty, which Connell and builder Danes Custom Homes delivered. Metal-frame windows let sunlight wash over ceiling beams with a bleached finish that echoes wide-plank floors. Pale gray cabinetry and sandy-hue dining chairs, carpet, and tile further the bordering-on-beachy mood. "I wanted to take the California casual style the family loves and bring their personality into it," Connell says. Nathan Schroder That meant splashing the neutral with hits of blue and layering in a thoughtful array of textures on furniture pieces. "I like to mix woods and patterns for a lived-in, collected feel," Connell says. The mood is luxurious, yet it's a livable luxury emphasizing family-friendly features like performance fabrics and a washable cotton rug. "Traci made the house true to us," Heidi says. "It's all so functional, but at the same time, it's beautiful—like a work of art." Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit