Situated on a large, wooded lot, this home has breathtaking views of nature. Using earth tones like sage green for the cabinetry and natural textures like the wood beams and turtle like quartzite stone, the space emulates the scenic forest views seen while washing dishes.  The centerpiece for this kitchen is a grand island with a built-in banquette, that can seat up to 12 people with views of the kitchen, living room, next to a fireplace and with views of the large, wooded, tranquil backyard. We mixed the homeowner’s modern leaning tastes with rustic bones and architecture of the wooded ranch home. The layout was challenging in that it was a ginormous open space. The homeowner thought she should have a double island because with such a large space she wasn’t sure what other design option she had. Instead, the designer offered her a more unique built-in banquette within the main island design. It’s hard to achieve this design with layout, lighting, storage, etc. but after a lot of thinking, planning, tweaking and working together as a team, everyone is thrilled with the results. The challenge to this design was the load bearing beams and columns that run throughout the middle of the whole room. The island had to be built within this framework. Lots of cabinetry planning took place to achieve the symmetry of the range wall with the cab to counter glass cabinets, the solid wall cabinets, and the clean lined cabinet range hood. The challenge was that we reused the old stainless appliances and their sizes were not ‘ideal’ for the new design. However, no one knows that when taking in the finished kitchen and that is key to good design. The butler’s pantry is a breath of fresh and happy symmetrical air tucked in the back.