Two Walls Out, One Open Floor: A McLean Kitchen Project

The structural work came first. Two walls came out and a header went in to carry the load; look at the ceiling line in the finished photos and you can still read where the original partitions stood, now resolved as a clean dropped beam rather than a patched seam.

 

The cabinetry pairs rift-cut oak flat-slab fronts with matte upper cabinets, run tall to the ceiling on the appliance wall. A professional range sits under a stainless chimney hood; the refrigerator and the wall oven and microwave column are integrated flush into the run. The backsplash is a full-height quartz slab rather than tile, carried up behind the range so the veining reads continuously.

 

The island anchors the room — a waterfall quartz top with heavy veining, seating for four, lit by three smoked-glass globe pendants. A separate coffee and beverage bay with its own uppers and a work surface sits by the window, keeping the morning traffic out of the main prep zone.

 

Wide-plank oak flooring runs throughout, tying the kitchen into the living area and its fireplace. We handled the lighting layout — recessed, pendant and undercabinet — and the paint throughout.