Five Great Kitchens
By Meghan Hennelly
A comfortable space with lighting and storage, high-performance appliances, functional countertops, attractive flooring and a splash of style—now that’s the recipe for a great kitchen!
But good looks, of course, can take a kitchen only so far. The rest lies in the room’s ability to bring people together, to entertain and to nourish not only our stomachs but also our souls.
In the following pages, we’ll sample five great kitchens in Placer County that have followed this recipe but managed to mix in their own unique ingredients. Utensils are not included.
1. The Retreat:
RosevilleAfter years of entertaining in a stark, white kitchen, Tamra Rager and her husband Doug, an employee of Southern Wine and Spirits, wanted to add a dash of color to their culinary lives. With help from Cyndi L. Pritt, owner of Studio City Kitchens, they created a spacious, earth-toned galley that celebrates their passion for pinot noir.
To give visitors some eye candy, the Roseville couple asked a friend to paint a 10-foot mural of the Napa Valley vineyards in the entryway. For the inside of the kitchen, they chose glass cabinets etched with grapevines, all of which match the green walls and carpet in the family room.
Whether they’re barbecuing for a group of 10 coworkers or cooking dinner for their children, the Ragers need multiple cooking areas for two cooks. They hide their appliances in cabinets to free up space on the beautiful, sandy granite countertops. Their favorite guilty pleasure: a three-tiered island that seats up to 12 guests and features a veggie sink, a hidden cutting board and almost two feet of counter space.
For another splash of color, the couple built a cherrywood hutch and entertainment center in the family room to match the cabinets in the kitchen. Tamra likes to think of her guests “easily flowing from one room to the next room with a wine glass in their hand.”
2. A trip to Tuscany:
Granite BayIndulge. That’s exactly what Barry and Linda Hoffman set out to do when they designed this rustic Tuscan-style kitchen. They wanted to savor the inviting outdoor lifestyle that Placer County provides.
Tucked behind the gates of Los Lagos in Granite Bay, their country kitchen looks and feels like a Tuscan villa, from the copper-painted faux finish meshed with the look of crumbling stone walls to the 40-bottle wine rack and maple wood cabinets. The view from the arched stone entryway lures visitors into three unique eating rooms and even further into a backdrop of waterfalls, rocks and a koi pond.
To make the most efficient use of their space, the Hoffmans recently added two small granite-slab islands with irregular edges. They used a travertine tile that extends down three steps into a sky-lit sunroom and then into the Florida room, where visitors can savor the Delta breeze.
“We like to entertain out here,” says Linda of the screened-in porch. “No bees. No mosquitoes! This is the most stylized room in the house.”The kitchen’s splendor extends to its smallest details: matching maple panels for the appliances, the limbs of a manzanita tree placed in the corner of the sunroom and the word “Indulge” written above the stovetop. Advises Linda: “Indulge in friends. Indulge in food. Indulge in life.”
3. Soft, Contemporary Style on Edgewater Court
This canteen on Edgewater Court introduces visitors to a soft, contemporary style that not only looks clean and refined but also feels welcoming.
That’s a good thing because owners Cheryl and Frank Mascaro use the space to entertain their extended family during holidays and to dine with their teenage son, if not a team of his famished friends.
With the guidance of Cyndi L. Pritt of Studio City Kitchens, the Roseville couple transformed an outdated eatery into a classy cook’s room a year ago using a few simple steps. After knocking out walls to create more space, they chose the latest stainless steel appliances to offset the natural maple cabinets. Just look at what they settled on for the kitchen’s focal point: a stunning, freestanding hood that hangs above a glass cooktop stove.
Cheryl added soft curves to the two-tiered granite-slab island, part of which she cut herself to give the room her own stamp. She also mixed black-diamond tiles in the backsplash and peppered the room with black and red accents. These colors help balance the kitchen’s modern textures.
Along with their desire for color, the Mascaros saw a need for more storage and inserted a buffet area that has self-closing drawers, ample counter space and glass-paned cabinets that show off their finest china.
The family wanted the room to feel truly contemporary, so they installed a movable flat-screen TV.
4. 1880 Stone Canyon,
RosevilleLike many new homeowners, Maria and Bob Shannon couldn’t wait to pick out the colors and textures for their dream kitchen on Stone Canyon Drive. “A lot of homes we walked through used a basic color scheme,” Maria says. “We knew we wanted to do something different, something that you’d look at and say ‘Wow!’”
For an inviting space that would evoke such a response, the Roseville couple and Deanna Moos, a Meritage Homes designer, chose warm earth tones for their primary colors, as seen in the cherry cabinets and tuna-green slab-granite countertops. They added a green tile backsplash with a beige bullnose trim. And for the wow factor: a beautiful, hand-picked medallion tile that draws the eye to the center of the kitchen.
Their cookery must also be durable enough to withstand two young children and accommodate Bob’s elderly mother. The rounded granite island suits the family perfectly: Children and adults congregate around it on busy mornings, while Maria and Bob admit that they sneak downstairs late at night, sit at the island and eat midnight snacks in contented silence.
5. Farmhouse in Loomis
Joan and Dennis McKenna found themselves stuck in a box eight years ago. Their south Sacramento farmhouse had become, well, square.
So they bought a country home whose kitchen drew local, and even national, fame for its striking green cabinets, French-accented sinks, recycled pine floors and clerestories (small windows). Ironically, the home was named Ferme Dijon, or Farm from Dijon.
Life in the Ferme Dijon kitchen is comfortable and simple. It’s where Joan and Dennis hold intimate dinners with their teenage son. And it’s easy to see why: The concrete-topped island lends itself to buffet eating; the bay window gazes upon a busy Monet garden; and the plate rack and open shelves make for easy cleanups.
Plates and racks aside, the space features fine French pieces that create an antique look, including a checkerboard sink, a white-aproned single-bowl sink and Bouvet doorknobs.
Designed by Janice Stone Thomas, owner of Stone Wood Designs, the kitchen arrived on the Placer County scene in 1997, when it served as a model for the homes in Clos du Lac, a cozy Loomis subdivision. That same year, it turned up in Kitchen and Bath Ideas Magazine as a sterling example of country living.
“This kitchen gives back. It receives,” insists Joan. “We can smell the incense from the cedar doors and look at the critters outside. The environment is beautiful, and it makes a difference in the quality of life.”
That’s a good thing because owners Cheryl and Frank Mascaro use the space to entertain their extended family during holidays and to dine with their teenage son, if not a team of his famished friends.
With the guidance of Cyndi L. Pritt of Studio City Kitchens, the Roseville couple transformed an outdated eatery into a classy cook’s room a year ago using a few simple steps. After knocking out walls to create more space, they chose the latest stainless steel appliances to offset the natural maple cabinets. Just look at what they settled on for the kitchen’s focal point: a stunning, freestanding hood that hangs above a glass cooktop stove.
Cheryl added soft curves to the two-tiered granite-slab island, part of which she cut herself to give the room her own stamp. She also mixed black-diamond tiles in the backsplash and peppered the room with black and red accents. These colors help balance the kitchen’s modern textures.
Along with their desire for color, the Mascaros saw a need for more storage and inserted a buffet area that has self-closing drawers, ample counter space and glass-paned cabinets that show off their finest china.
The family wanted the room to feel truly contemporary, so they installed a movable flat-screen TV.
4. 1880 Stone Canyon,
RosevilleLike many new homeowners, Maria and Bob Shannon couldn’t wait to pick out the colors and textures for their dream kitchen on Stone Canyon Drive. “A lot of homes we walked through used a basic color scheme,” Maria says. “We knew we wanted to do something different, something that you’d look at and say ‘Wow!’”
For an inviting space that would evoke such a response, the Roseville couple and Deanna Moos, a Meritage Homes designer, chose warm earth tones for their primary colors, as seen in the cherry cabinets and tuna-green slab-granite countertops. They added a green tile backsplash with a beige bullnose trim. And for the wow factor: a beautiful, hand-picked medallion tile that draws the eye to the center of the kitchen.
Their cookery must also be durable enough to withstand two young children and accommodate Bob’s elderly mother. The rounded granite island suits the family perfectly: Children and adults congregate around it on busy mornings, while Maria and Bob admit that they sneak downstairs late at night, sit at the island and eat midnight snacks in contented silence.
5. Farmhouse in Loomis
Joan and Dennis McKenna found themselves stuck in a box eight years ago. Their south Sacramento farmhouse had become, well, square.
So they bought a country home whose kitchen drew local, and even national, fame for its striking green cabinets, French-accented sinks, recycled pine floors and clerestories (small windows). Ironically, the home was named Ferme Dijon, or Farm from Dijon.
Life in the Ferme Dijon kitchen is comfortable and simple. It’s where Joan and Dennis hold intimate dinners with their teenage son. And it’s easy to see why: The concrete-topped island lends itself to buffet eating; the bay window gazes upon a busy Monet garden; and the plate rack and open shelves make for easy cleanups.
Plates and racks aside, the space features fine French pieces that create an antique look, including a checkerboard sink, a white-aproned single-bowl sink and Bouvet doorknobs.
Designed by Janice Stone Thomas, owner of Stone Wood Designs, the kitchen arrived on the Placer County scene in 1997, when it served as a model for the homes in Clos du Lac, a cozy Loomis subdivision. That same year, it turned up in Kitchen and Bath Ideas Magazine as a sterling example of country living.
“This kitchen gives back. It receives,” insists Joan. “We can smell the incense from the cedar doors and look at the critters outside. The environment is beautiful, and it makes a difference in the quality of life.”
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