“The idea was to keep everything super-streamlined,” says Jessica Musumeci of the commission she and husband David Curcurito gave Tina Ramchandani when they hired her to decorate the small, dated kitchen of their Stone Ridge, New York home , to renovate.
“They knew they wanted white-on-white, so we didn’t delve into hardware or backsplash tiles,” says the designer. “It was about making it seamless.”
Aside from preferring a minimalist look, Ramchandani reports that Musumeci is hyper-organized, so giving her space to work in the kitchen without creating clutter, either visually or literally, was imperative. “Jessica was the most organized client I’ve ever had,” says Ramchandani – “she just didn’t have the space.”
Before:
Courtesy of Tina Ramchandani
And as any good designer knows, the best way to optimize space is through strategic organization. So Ramchandani set out to design a custom space where every cooking tool has its place — but with practically nothing in sight.
“The idea was that all the cabinets and closets just blended into the walls,” explains Musumeci.
However, this blending is harder than it looks – and requires precision. “Because it was a small kitchen, the details were super important,” says Ramchandani. Read on to learn how she packed storage solutions into every square inch.
Custom cabinets and pantry:
Base cabinets have pull out drawers for condiments and bakeware, and hooks on the interior doors for kitchen towels.
To get the most out of Musumeci’s organizational skills, Ramchandani put her on the right foot with hyper-customized closet storage. “We spent a lot of time really evaluating what she has – if she’s going to buy something later, where is it all going,” recalls the designer. They then worked closely with Intelligent Kitchen’s Lauren Park to create cabinets that could accommodate any spice jar. “Before we even placed the order, we went through all the functional inserts to make sure our needs were met,” says Ramchandani. They selected a number of elements, including glass-fronted pull-out drawers to ensure nothing gets lost, vertical record storage and under-sink mobile shelving for cleaning supplies. (Even the toe kick holds pull out drawers!)
The pantry features floor to ceiling drawers.
In the rollout pantry, Miralis glass-fronted drawers make it easy to find things quickly. “We’ve all seen pull-out pantry drawers before, but the way Miralis does it with the see-through fronts is just so clever,” enthuses Ramchandani.
Hidden coffee station:
The coffee station is hidden behind sliding doors.
Since on-counter appliances were a no-no for the streamlined space, Ramchandani designed an enclosed station for the microwave and coffee-making facilities. The space is made even more elegant with a special set of pocket doors. “They were partially customized because although typical pocket doors only stick out a couple of inches, it’s such a narrow hallway that it would be noticeable.” Instead, the doors slide in, making the space an elegant extension of the kitchen, whose cabinet Ramchandani extended to the adjacent entrance for continuity.
Integrated sink:
The kitchen sink is integrated into the quartz countertops.
Speaking of sleek, Ramchandani integrated the sink into their three-inch quartz countertops, providing a continuous line from counter to wall while also camouflaging the sink. “We made the sink extra deep so you don’t see dirty dishes when you sit on the island,” she explains. Smart, linear and super chic – like the whole kitchen!
Follow House Beautiful on Instagram.
Hadley Keller is the digital director of House Beautiful. She oversees all digital content for the brand and works on the print magazine. She has been involved in design, interior design and culture in New York for 10 years. She was Associate Market Editor, Design Reporter and News Editor for Architectural Digest and AD PRO before joining House Beautiful. Hadley is a staunch maximalist and vocal opponent of the open floor plan.
Comments are closed.