Fabulous Focal Points – Kitchen & Bath Design News

Given its status as the heart of the home, designers often start a kitchen project with a focus on function to ensure there is adequate food storage, prep, cooking and cleanup space to accommodate daily living. 

However, once functional needs are met, they can focus on how to make an aesthetic statement via a fabulous focal point. Maybe it’s a stunning finish or material, or a special feature or design element…something that draws attention, turns heads and generates conversation.

This month, KBDN asked designers to share kitchen projects that make a statement with fabulous focal points.

Keeping on Track

Designers like Janelle Helms have a plethora of materials and products from which to choose to create a special space for their clients. However, too much of a good thing isn’t necessarily a good thing.

“There are so many great things out there right now to design with, and to have fun with,” says the designer at Karr Bick Kitchen and Bath in Brentwood, MO. “But you can’t have everything in every design. You have to rein it in at some point.”

That’s when Helms indicates that focal points can come into play. 

“A focal point helps bring cohesion to the space so your eye isn’t darting from one thing to the next,” she explains. “It helps us as designers to stay on task and adhere to the goal for the space, keeping us on track so we don’t get too far into the weeds!”

Knowing when to say enough is enough was an important consideration in one recent kitchen renovation, completed in collaboration with Karr Bick Construction, where Helms included a relatively quiet, yet stately, focal point with an ILVE range and arched ventilation hood surround, complemented by multiple ‘wow’ moments that offer support.

“The range hood is the first thing my client sees when she walks into her home, so it definitely is the focal point for this kitchen,” she remarks, noting that its white painted façade matches the white backsplash comprised of Mestizaje zellige tile from WOW. “It features a beautiful arch that we repeated in several other areas, including in the appliance panels for the refrigerator and freezer. We also opened up the wall between the kitchen and dining room and added an arched opening between them.

“Arches do seem to be popular right now,” she continues. “You’ll find them everywhere on Instagram and Pinterest. But arches have been a design staple for seemingly forever, so I wouldn’t necessarily call them ‘trendy.’ They will continue to have periods when they are more and less popular, but the arches are a perfect fit for this home.” 

The range hood’s subtle strength gave Helms the ability to include other features with a bit of verve, such as the Milton & King Herbarium Antique wallpaper and the Mouser Cabinetry cabinets painted in Honeydew. 

“She knew she wanted some fun design elements in her kitchen,” she reports. “And, she knew she didn’t want a white kitchen. Instead, she wanted something that was a little bit moody…that had some personality. We looked at several different colors and when we saw this green, she really liked it. Then, we were able to find a wallpaper that went with it nicely. They really play well off each other.”

While the initial plan called for a gray and white marble checkerboard floor, when the gray stone was back ordered, Helms pivoted to a wood floor stained in a hue that matches the rest of the home. Its herringbone pattern offers a bit of differentiation.

“Ultimately it ended up being a happy pivot where the consistency of the wood, compared to the busier proposed checkerboard, works well with the wallpaper and cabinetry,” she adds. 

The wood floor is also a touch darker than the alder island, which is topped with honed Danby marble and illuminated by a pair of Shades of Light pendants that light the work surface and direct attention to the focal-point hood.

“There is a lot going on in the kitchen, but it all works together well,” she states.

Paving the Path

Erika Chaudhuri starts every project by developing a design concept that paves the path for the entire renovation or new-build process. One critical component of that approach is including a focal-point element or material.

“The focal point helps us stay true to the design,” reports the principal of Erika Jayne Design Build, located in North Potomac, MD and serving the greater Washington, DC area. “It also emphasizes the theme for a space while drawing attention to what is important. It could be a wall of warm, wood-tone cabinets surrounded by those that are glossy white. Those wood cabinets bring in warmth and draw the eye into the space. They also help to create balance and emphasize a concept or mood. Or maybe it’s a fantastic tile that we carry from the countertop all of the way to the ceiling.

“We’re also doing a lot more focal-point islands designed to look like furniture, with furniture-style legs,” she continues. “Those legs raise the island off the ground so it appears more like a table rather than a chunky cabinet.”

As well, floating shelves and display cabinetry with glass doors are other go-to focal points. 

“Kitchens are becoming more like living spaces, as opposed to just standard, traditional utilitarian cooking spaces,” Chaudhuri remarks. “We’re finding that people who want to display collectibles, artwork, etc. are wanting to do that more frequently in their kitchens. That means we’re doing more glass display cabinets and floating shelves, often lit by LED lights so they can appreciate the display into the evening hours. The lights also draw attention to the area, turning it into a focal point.”

Such was the case for one recent renovation where the designer removed a corner pantry so she could expand the range wall. The additional space gave her enough room to create a focal-point wall with floating shelves, custom ventilation hood and professional-style range. Specifics include LED-lit shelves crafted from premium-grade hickory, selected for its light and dark variations of sapwood and heartwood. 

“What’s great about using hickory is that you get a lighter- toned wood, which people are really looking for these days,” she says. “Yet, you also get variation with the darker heartwood, which adds some warmth. It’s really a beautiful wood specie that we love to use.”

The floating shelves flank a custom 72″ stainless steel ventilation hood from Copper Smith above a 48″ dual-fuel, professional-style BlueStar range. 

“The stainless steel range drove the finish of the hood, which features a smooth stainless steel body with brushed stainless steel straps that give it a slight and subtle variation,” Chaudhuri explains. “The hood crowns the cooking area and turns it into a focal point of the kitchen’s transformation. The wall is really pretty magical, especially when lit at night.”

A backdrop of Carrara marble mosaic tiles, set in a herringbone pattern, adds texture and interest to the wall while coordinating with the Calacatta Malang, marble-look quartz countertops. 

“I love using natural stone for countertops, but this client really wanted a countertop with a true white background, which is hard to find in natural stone,” she relates. “Plus, she wanted something that was maintenance-free so she didn’t have to worry about spills and stains.”

Showcasing the quartz with a waterfall edge on the island, which also features mitered edges to amp up its visual ‘heft’, highlights its veining and fulfills the client’s request for the striking detail.

“She has always wanted a countertop with a waterfall edge,” Chaudhuri explains. “She didn’t care if it was on the peninsula or the island, but since she didn’t need additional seating, we felt the island was a great place for it. Also, the location of the island, which is in the same sight line as the focal-point cooking wall, adds to its drama.”

Drawing Attention

Ruth Riemer uses focal points to draw attention, either once someone is already in a space, or to entice someone to enter. It could be something bold and brazen, such as a fabulous stone chimney that extends floor to ceiling in a family room, notes the designer with Riemer Kitchens and Fine Cabinetry in Harrison, NY. Or, it could more subtle and soft, like a stainless steel ventilation hood in an all-white kitchen, or an elaborately detailed hood in a kitchen that is of a similar color. Even a special chandelier hanging over an island in a space that is otherwise relatively quiet can make a statement in a small kitchen.

“It’s really more about a detail that draws your eye into the space…something that is different than everything else,” she explains.

Case in point is one recent kitchen renovation where the designer showcased a focal-point Peacock Blue BlueStar range and matching hood amid custom cabinetry painted in Benjamin Moore’s Heather Plum.

“When someone walks into the kitchen, the first thing they see is the range and range hood,” she says. “It’s the highlight of the room.”

The designer also used symmetry to highlight the focal point, flanking it with a trio of wall cabinets to nearly perfectly center it within the perimeter wall. Adding a pair of windows allows for abundant natural light, which is an important consideration when working with deep, saturated colors, she indicates. As well, light-colored, marble-look quartz countertops and backsplashes, combined with stainless steel appliances, keep the space light, bright and reflective.

Riemer carried the deep peacock hue to the adjacent custom tea bar, which is accented with a copper countertop to complement the copper-colored cabinetry hardware and create a mixed metal vibe with the brass accents of the range and ventilation hood and stainless steel appliances. 

While the range steals the show, the custom plum-colored cabinetry commands attention, too. Even though Riemer doesn’t give it official focal-point status, it is an important element within the space.

“I don’t really consider the cabinets to be a focal point because they are all the same color,” she explains. “There aren’t any differentiating details within them. They could really be any color…white, yellow, etc. It just so happens they are lavender.”

While lavender isn’t necessarily a popular cabinetry color for most people, Riemer indicates it was the perfect choice for these clients.

“This was a wonderfully refreshing kitchen to design,” she relates. “The clients came in knowing exactly what they wanted. If we would have done white, it probably would have been ‘meh’ for them.

“This color definitely matches their personality,” she reports. “They are originally from the West Coast. They didn’t come into the showroom wearing all black! In fact, when we met them in person for the first time, I noticed that her phone cover was this same color of lavender, so it’s definitely a color that she likes! Combined with the peacock blue range and range hood, we had a great color palette to work with.”

Working Together

Ayca Stiffel often designs with relatively monochromatic color palettes, where materials and design elements are balanced and proportional so they complement each other rather than overpower. 

“Everything is symbiotic,” stresses the senior designer with By Design Interiors in Houston, TX. “Nothing is too flashy or so over-the-top that one element disregards everything else. Instead, everything is married to everything else, working together with each playing their part and contributing to the whole.”

Nonetheless, even within a relatively ‘quiet’ environment, she still finds ways to include a ‘wow’ moment, or sometimes two or more…something that coordinates with other materials and elements within the space as well as adjacent spaces, with or without consciousness.

“This is especially important in open-concept spaces where focal-point elements can define a space, yet speak to other elements in adjacent spaces and tie them together,” she notes. “If, for example, you’re standing in the living room, you might see a beautiful fireplace. Then when you turn around, there’s something similar in the kitchen, maybe a vent hood.

“You shouldn’t only ever have just one ‘player’,” the designer continues. “There needs to be a support system, especially as you consider an entire house where each room needs its own energy, synergy and interest. There should be surprises throughout a house.”

This was the scenario in one recent new-construction home where Stiffel used unorthodox shapes, textures and finishes to set the ‘new-fashioned’ ranch apart from its neighbors. As such, she included a two-sided fireplace in the great room and a custom ventilation hood in the kitchen, both featuring Neolith’s Metropolitan, a sintered stone designed to look like rusted, worn metal.

Materials are often a driver when it comes to designing focal points, as are shapes.

“I always consider my arsenal of materials and how they will make the house feel,” Stiffel explains. “There are all sorts of fun things out there. Then I try to find creative ways to use them, allowing them to guide the house to whatever it will become. 

“In this case, that vent hood could have been many different materials, such as wood, plaster, stone, etc.,” she adds. “It could have also been a different shape, such as slanted or tapered. But with the sharpness of the material and its mitered edges, it looks really clean and not overbearing. It, along with the fireplace, is also a bit chunky, yet appropriately proportioned. There’s a nice play of texture, color and size. The Neolith [sintered stone] is actually a relatively plain material and the vent hood and fireplace both have a relatively plain façade, but they become a focal point by how they interplay in their respective rooms.”

The ventilation hood is flanked by a pair of floor-to-ceiling quarter-sawn oak cabinets, floating shelves and brass sconces, all set against a backdrop of quartzite. The quartzite and oak are repeated on the island, which is defined by its exaggerated beveled-edge treatment applied to the front. Waterfall edges on each side add to its visual ‘heft,’ giving it a supporting prominence to the hood.

“The island’s design is different than most,” she reports. “It really is a massive island, yet it doesn’t seem that way because of how it is designed. It anchors the room and gives support to the focal-point hood.”

Keeping an Early Focus

Creating a general layout with a great work flow is often where Carl Mattison begins the design process for any kitchen project. However, as he considers the overall space, he also keeps in mind the inclusion of a focal point, even if he hasn’t identified any of its actual design selections.

“Having a focal point in a kitchen is of utmost importance,” says the lead creative for Carl Mattison Design in Atlanta, GA. “While I usually begin with a focus on the general layout, it helps to think about how to include a focal point early on in the design process, too.

“It might be a wall of tile or an amazing range hood,” he continues. “Windows to a beautiful view or a stunning light fixture can be a great place to begin also. Design elements like wallpaper – yes, a kitchen can have wallpaper – shelving and even natural stone countertops work well to draw the eye around the room. I have even used appliances as focal points, including in my own kitchen where my Sub-Zero refrigerator has a clear glass door as an eye-catching feature.”

If the kitchen is spacious enough, he might even consider adding in more than one focal point.

“Multiple focal points in a kitchen can always work if you have enough room,” he says. “For example, a 10’x10′ kitchen would have fewer focal points than one that is 15’x20′. Yet, there are some people, who, even with a smaller space, are desiring a bit more maximalist design with a very ‘lived-in’ look and multiple focal points. It can work, as long as they are balanced in size and space used.”

Mattison often collaborates with other design professionals for his new-construction and renovation projects.

“Working with others, such as a great architect, can help not only in creating a general layout, but also in designing a focal point and determining how it fits into the space for optimal ‘featureability’,” he remarks. 

Such was the case in a recent renovation where Mattison worked with Anne Architecture to transform the kitchen in an historic home. 

“The architect reworked the windows and added ceiling beams within the existing space dimensions,” he explains. “With those design elements finalized, we realized the window wall would be a great main focal point for the space.”

Elements featured in the wall include painted cabinetry, i.e., blue bases and light gray uppers, with a professional-style Café dual-fuel range and an entire wall clad in Villa’s Zellige Pearl Opal tile, including the ventilation hood.

“Finishing the wall with the tile really buttoned it up,” Mattison relates. “It has a natural-looking style that offers a varied tonality so the area doesn’t appear too stark or harsh, especially since it covers such a large area. 

“Making the window wall and range hood an overall monochromatic tone also highlights the brick wall, which is the backside of the fireplace, which we weren’t removing,” he continues. “The brick also offers texture to the space and breaks up the neutral color of the main window wall. Adding in multiple tones and colors of the cabinetry allows the eye to bounce back and forth so it doesn’t get bored…all while allowing the eye to return to the main feature wall with the tile and windows.”

Finalizing the look are brass sconces above the windows with warm-stained, open shelving next to the coffee station located in the corner, which continue to draw the eye around the room.