Article by Michelle Heslop. Photos by Joshua Lawrence.
Evoking images of expansive treed lots and stunning Saanich Peninsula vistas, North Saanich is home to many midcentury architectural gems. For this professional couple with a solidly built waterfront home, the 1970’s architecture meant the interior was compartmentalized and water views obscured. The owners wanted to start their home renovation with a kitchen revival and hired Jason Good at Jason Good Custom Cabinets to bring their dark and dated space into the twenty-first century. Typical of the era, the galley kitchen had an awkward traffic flow with a lack of storage and organized spaces. Good and Claire Reimann, in-house designer at Jason Good Custom Cabinets, created a contemporary kitchen with high quality materials and modern integrated appliances while preserving the west coast home’s original post and beam aesthetic.
It was important to the couple to design a contemporary space while maintaining the home’s original architectural integrity. Optimizing natural light and expanding the views were high on the priority list and made possible by eliminating a kitchen wall and adding floor-to-ceiling windows to capture the beautiful ocean vista. Good paired white lacquer cabinets with walnut for a contemporary coastal look with a timeless appeal. Walnut is dense and durable and its intricate grain patterns add character and warmth to the room. Walnut continues along back of peninsula and has two touch latch doors for additional storage.
Built-in appliances integrate seamlessly into the surrounding cabinets and allowed Good to customize a design and refine the sleek aesthetic. The couple spared no expense on quality appliances that include refrigerator drawers, a sub-zero panel-ready refrigerator, 36” Wolf induction cooktop, Wolf steam oven, Wolf built-in single oven, Zephyr hood fan, panel ready Fisher & Paykel dishwasher and Marvel bar refrigerator. Tray inserts are conveniently located above the steam oven and single wall oven for easy access. Cabinet inserts and even a garbage pull-out create a designated place for everything.
Touch latch walnut uppers over the cooktop offset the coolness of the white cabinetry by adding texture and visual interest. To offer a streamlined feel to the galley kitchen, Good recommended handleless cabinetry using either touch latch mechanisms or integrated handleless system. The main wall is equipped with two large pantries with roll outs offering ample storage.
Integrated wine storage with touch latch door is conveniently concealed above the television recessed into the wall. A notable design element, Reimann emphasizes is the cabinetry made to look like drawers to keep lines consistent and streamlined. This includes the garbage pull out left of the sink, the panel ready dishwasher and refrigerator drawers.
The grain patterns in the walnut cabinets mimic the organic lines of the home’s natural surroundings and add warmth to the wall of white. “Opting for floating walnut shelves above the sink keep the area from feeling enclosed in this narrow galley kitchen,” says Reimann. Creating an open plan concept with a galley kitchen can pose space and visibility challenges but using integrated appliances allowed Good to create an illusion of spaciousness and a less utilitarian look when viewed from the other main floor rooms.
Organic White Quartz countertops pair perfectly with full height polished Statuarietto Marble backsplash. With energy efficiency in mind, LED lights were used in the ceiling and LED puck lights integrated into cabinets.
