When Jessica Hodgson contemplated the overhaul of the kitchen in a Hayden Lake family cabin, she knew it would be a big job. The Schaff Homes' in-house interior designer and project manager was also aware the project was particularly meaningful for the homeowners.
"The home has been in their family for a long time," she says. "They wanted it to feel modern and clean and updated, but also still feel like the cabin they loved."
However, the kitchen in the cabin they loved wasn't functioning well. Closed off from the rest of the living space, it featured an awkward footprint with among other shortcomings, inadequate cold storage space. But the biggest issue was it just didn't accommodate their desire to host the friends and family during the Inland Northwest's somewhat short but utterly blissful summer season.
"They just have so many people all the time," says Hodgson. "They wanted two fridges, that was essential. They requested four garbage can rollouts."
So the project was substantial. "It was a huge overhaul. We rearranged everything — closed windows, moved all of the appliances," says Hodgson.
The old kitchen featured white oak cabinets with a blue green hue on the walls, and the owners wanted to preserve that memory by incorporating similar elements in the new version. "He really wanted to keep the wood cabinetry that was light (toned), and she really loved that (wall) color, so those were the jump-off points," Hodgson says. "And then they kind of just gave me full rein. They wanted it to feel modern and clean and updated, but also still feel like it was a cabin."
"They wanted it to feel modern and clean and updated, but also still feel like the cabin they loved."
Hodgson chose quartersawn, slab-front white oak cabinetry accented with painted vertical shiplap that extends up the wall above the six-burner range, which is topped by a custom hood. Two new windows flank the range adding natural light. Custom features include a coffee- and toaster-station, tucked behind cabinet doors when not in use that's perfect for early risers to grab breakfast before heading outdoors. The addition of a generous kitchen island offers casual dining for four.
Though storage space was lost with the removal of some of the upper cabinetry, Hodgson made up for it with a pantry and laundry area just around the corner.
Like any remodel, there were some surprises along the way, including when a wall was opened up to reveal a support post that couldn't be moved. Still, the project, which started in January finished up in April, with plenty of time for the homeowners to enjoy summer at the lake.
