Tuscan Kitchen

Project 6762- Downers Grove, IL

Vaulted ceilings can make a room feel unbalanced; heavy and cluttered on the bottom, vast and empty on the top.  This is especially true of kitchens where cabinets line the walls.  The trick to a comfortable room is two fold.  First lower the contrast between the area with furniture with the area that does not.  In this room, the natural wood floors along with texturized walls in a warm gold color blend with the tones of the wood cabinets.  This blurs edges where things start and stop and keeps your eyes moving around the room.

Second, the focal point of the room needs to be moved up.  Traditionally, we use the “work zone” as a room’s focus; this zone falls in the middle of a common kitchen with 8 foot ceilings.  Fancy countertop materials and decorative backsplash tile often play in this zone.  But in this Tuscan themed kitchen, the work area is quiet.  The black countertop, black backsplash and even black appliances almost disappear, leaving the eyes to look elsewhere.  The interest is up above, we took advantage of the additional height of the room by specifying taller upper cabinets, staggering these cabinets and then applying decorative up-lighting to showcase the décor placed above the crown.  This is where our eyes rest, at the mid-section of the room.  Without being aware of why, a sense of balance is felt and this spacious kitchen is at once warm and comforting.

Designer: Larry Rych

Imperial Kitchens and Baths, Inc.
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