The kitchen remodel includes a dynamic mix of finishes: green glass tile for stylish urban pop, multiple shades of gray in horizontally scored glass tile imported from the Czech Republic, stainless-steel banding, African Sapele wood and Caesarstone counter tops.
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New York State of Mind
A suburban Renton kitchen remodel channels the Big Apple with convenient fixtures and designs perfect for a busy city—or a busy family. Unique brands and ideas along with the use of metal, steel and glass give this kitchen an industrial and city-savvy look

Small windows above and below new cabinets and a vertical window provide light but protect privacy.
Before shot of the kitchen.
New cabinetry features Sapele wood veneer, and porcelain floor tiles evoke metallic surfaces in a subtle nod to New York City style. The green walls served as the foundation for the rich, sophisticated palette. The existing island was narrowed and lengthened to open up floor space. Frosted glass cabinets replaced a window with a view of a neighbor’s house; Smaller translucent windows let in light but maintain privacy.
The designer replaced a dirty white brick wall with a wall of cabinets sized to accommodate the homeowners’ extensive collection of serving dishes. A niche for art holds a painting by Tad Crawford titled Dust Devil.
Painted glass sliding doors and a stainless steel “appliance garage” door evoke urban energy and provide a dynamic counterpoint to the soft green paint and rich wood veneer.
This home in a quiet Renton neighborhood is a long way from the busy streets of Manhattan, but those back-east urban avenues served as inspiration for its kitchen remodel.

In planning this project, interior designer Amely Wurmbrand asked homeowners Kevin and Shannon Olszewski to complete a “homework assignment” (pun intended) about their hopes for the outcome. The couple described how much they enjoyed the “urban vibe” of New York on a recent trip, so Wurmbrand chose to evoke that up-tempo Manhattan style “as a point of departure” in her plan.

Longtime professionals in the lumber industry, the Olszewskis are well versed in the businesses of design and construction—and Shannon is a fanatical reader of design magazines. They bought the circa-1973 house nearly six years ago, attracted by its “modern bones,” and though Shannon had a pretty good idea what she wanted for the kitchen remodel, she humbly admits that she “doesn’t quite know how to make it flow.”

The couple approached Wurmbrand, whose work they had admired online and in print. They brought a lot of ideas, energy and time to the project—but they knew their own limitations.

It was a fine collaboration. The clients respected and honored the concepts developed by Wurmbrand, and they contributed assets such as building-business savvy and wholesale supplier connections. “ Shannon brought to the table her own time to invest in getting good deals,” Wurmbrand notes. “As a client she’s unique in that she enjoys shopping and specifying.” The Web-surfing Shannon discovered a hard-to-find tile, for example, and Wurmbrand located its Czech Republic manufacturer and personally shepherded several boxes of the tile through customs.

Typical of homes of its era, in this one the kitchen was separated from the adjacent living room by a massive brick wall housing fireplaces on both sides. Wurmbrand sheathed the wall on the kitchen side with cabinetry finished in a veneer of warm, rich brown African Sapele wood, quarter-sawn and straight-grained for visual consistency. Shannon cataloged and measured her extensive collection of serving dishes and plates, so that the team would know exactly how much cabinet space to create and also how deep the cabinets needed to be.

The designer specified the same Sapele wood veneer—and the same size and shape—for most of the cabinets. She also created horizontal datum lines—bands of stainless steel she calls “architectural signifiers”—that tie together the design.

One of the room’s most striking elements lies underfoot. The floor is made of a porcelain tile that suggests the look of metal—steel or copper plates or even rusting iron, perhaps—setting the stage for a subtle evocation of urban design motifs.

Removing a dropped ceiling made it possible to add storage as well as a low-voltage lighting system, complemented by a trio of pale green lights over the central island for glowing, jeweled detail. In the adjacent dining area, a new sculpted chandelier hangs over the glass table.

Green glass light shades complement the green walls and ceiling—a soft yet rich tone provided by extra-dense paint from Fine Paints of Europe—and it was this color that drove the project palette. Wurmbrand specified a green glass tile backsplash all the way around the counters (even on the wall hidden by the appliance garage) for “extra pop.”

The kitchen’s central island was narrowed, lengthened and reconfigured to turn the view away from the house next door and toward the lush greenery of an adjacent golf course visible beyond the dining area. Wurmbrand also removed windows, which is unusual in a remodeling project. In place of a window that looked out on the neighbor’s house, Wurmbrand put up a cabinet with small translucent windows above and below and a single translucent vertical window on one side.

The designer specified Caesarstone counter tops for color, strength and easy maintenance. Counters are an inch higher than usual, at 37 inches, to accommodate the tall homeowners. And instead of installing cabinets under the counters, Wurmbrand chose drawers for functionality and to enhance the horizontal lines of the design. Even spaces with essential vertical elements, such as the trash compactor, have been scored with horizontal reveals.

Warm and functional, yet sophisticated, this kitchen adds an urban edge to a suburban home, and the owners couldn’t be happier. “Amely’s design—and David [Getts’] attention to detail—has rewarded us with a kitchen even beyond our expectations,” Shannon says.

Justin Henderson is a novelist and freelance architectural and travel writer based in Seattle.

Design Details

Interior Designer
Amely Wurmbrand Designs,
1574 N.W. 190th St., Shoreline,
(206) 542-0447

Contractor
David Getts Designer/Builder, Inc.,
(425) 778-0110

Lighting Designer
Sidney Gennette,
Lighting Designs, Inc.,
76 S. Washington St.,
(206) 467-6484