Sunset Hill Sophisticated

December 11, 2024

A Modern Rustic home challenges a design team to find a new, natural balance of form and function.

Words by Andrea Darr | Photos by Nate Sheets

rom the beginning, the owners of this Sunset Hill home knew something would have to be done about their kitchen. The high-gloss teal cabinets and stainless steel appliances were really something in their time—but that time had passed. So they approached IDBP to reinvent it into a more sophisticated anchor of their open living space.

“The kitchen had ’90s written all over it,” says designer Erin Henkle. “We wanted to update it in a way that would feel cohesive with the house and bring simplicity to the space.”

The home had a unique blend of rustic and modern characteristics that IDBP needed to take into consideration.

“The client has modern taste but appreciates natural materials,” says co-designer Kate Ruszczyk, pointing out the river rock in the fireplace surround, heavy ceiling beams and log timber columns. “They love that part of the house. This was about marrying those two together.”

It was also about finding the right flow.

“Not only was the kitchen outdated, but after living there a few years, they got a sense of what was not functioning for them,” Ruszczyk says. “Circulation, storage, how they cook together, where the sink was located—the natural flow was not working well for them.”

The designers altered the space’s existing cabinet layout, utilizing a solid wall of tall, dark-stained white oak cabinetry that captures the majority of the functional requirements of the kitchen. The adjacent wall is freer—lighter and layered, with visual interest.

An Ijen blue quartzite slab adds movement and color to the countertops and full-height backsplash.

“The organic nature of it plays to the natural features of the house,” Henkle explains.

At the end of the wall, the designers installed a semi-translucent glass cabinet.

“It extends the kitchen storage in a way that is functional and creates a light, translucent boundary between the kitchen and dining,” Ruszczyk says.

With the eye focused upward, a large-scale light fixture above the island feels artistic and unexpected, while above the range, a more subtle, plastered ventilation hood with sweeping lines accentuates the high ceilings.

The designers also extended their reach around the corner, where a former storage and desk space wasn’t accomplishing much, capitalizing on it with a fully loaded butler’s pantry and beverage bar.

“The clients circulate through this space to their outdoor living space, so it was clear to us that this needed to be part of the kitchen renovation,” Henkle says.

This project followed a previous primary bathroom suite renovation to recapture underutilized square footage and to bring a calm and serene space to the homeowners’ busy lives.

In total, the renovations maximized efficiency across multiple rooms, while minimizing visual clutter and allowing for moments of artistic appreciation. By honoring new and old materials, idbp elevated the homeowners’ daily experience from one that’s strictly utilitarian to one that proffers a beautiful and creative environment—for years to come.

Interior Designer: IDBP, @idbp_interiordesign