Tempe · Open-concept kitchen
A Kitchen with Presence in an Open Room
A custom archway frames gray cabinetry and a charcoal cherry island, giving the kitchen its own place within a generous great room.
Residential Kitchen Over $120,001Historical award category, not current remodeling pricing.
The homeowners wanted guests close enough for conversation, with a comfortable place to sit outside the cook’s working area.
Their Tempe kitchen already occupied a large, open room. Its size was not the problem. The kitchen felt cramped at the counters and poorly defined within the great room, with appliances competing for space and a small island overhang that did little for seating.
They brought ideas gathered from travel and model-home visits. Our work was to bring those preferences into a buildable plan: a kitchen that felt more intimate, supported entertaining, and remained connected to the dining area.
Defining the space
An archway gives the kitchen a clear boundary
The first concept explored removing the angled walls and lowering part of the ceiling. Further design work led to a different solution: decorative eight-foot columns on either side of the room, joined by a broad archway. The arch frames the kitchen from the dining area while leaving the main sightline open.
A local cabinetmaker built the cabinetry to our drawings. That allowed the island, perimeter storage, and dining hutch to share the same details and proportions. Pale gray cabinets with a black glaze contrast with the charcoal-stained cherry island, while crown molding and the column details carry the composition across the room.
Gathering at the island
Five seats around a carefully shaped counter
The new island follows the room’s angles and gives at least five people a place for breakfast or conversation. Fashion Bordeaux granite wraps around a raised circular display surface beneath the chandelier. The change in height breaks up the broad counter and creates a place for decorative pieces.
On the working side, a 48-inch professional gas rangetop sits above rollout pot and pan storage. The island also holds the main sink, dishwasher, pullout trash and recycling, and drawer storage. A foot-operated faucet lets the homeowner turn on the water while keeping hands free.
The aisle between the island and perimeter cabinets measures 44 inches. The homeowners wanted room to work together while keeping the most active cooking and prep area distinct from the guest seating.
Working within the room
Keeping the angles and improving the aisle
The final kitchen works with the existing angled wall and island arrangement. Rather than relying on a rectangular island, the design follows the available space and coordinates each cabinet run with the adjacent walkway.
Wood look porcelain tile continues through most of the main-floor living spaces. Its consistent direction links the kitchen to the surrounding rooms, while the gray perimeter cabinetry and dark island distinguish the kitchen’s working and gathering areas.
Dedicated work centers
Giving baking and beverages their own space
The original cooktop, oven, and microwave crowded a short stretch of counter. Moving the gas rangetop to the island freed the perimeter for a baking center near the oven, microwave, and warming drawer. The revised plan also incorporated column refrigeration and freezer drawers.
A separate beverage center brings a prep sink, beverage refrigerator, coffee cubby, and glass storage together. A water line in the coffee cubby allows for a future built-in coffee machine. These stations put supplies near the task they serve and give guests a destination away from the main cooking area.
The desk was not useful to these homeowners, so its place in the kitchen gave way to the new cabinet and work-center plan. Storage could then be tailored to cooking, baking, and hosting rather than carried forward from the earlier layout.
A dining-room anchor
A custom hutch replaces the angled nook
The earlier seven-foot angled wall and header created a niche for a freestanding display piece. Removing that enclosure made room for a built-in hutch designed with the new archway and columns.
The cabinetmaker carried the kitchen’s pale gray finish into the hutch, adding fluted columns, distinctive mullions, a plate display, and crown molding. Seeded art glass and display storage give the cabinetry a furniture-like character. LED lighting above and below the cabinets adds ambient light and illuminates the counter.
Inside the cabinets
Storage planned around the items it holds
Full-extension drawers, deep wood rollout trays, and vertical baking-sheet dividers make the cabinet interiors easier to use. Two appliance lifts give the mixer and toaster dedicated places, with rollout storage beneath, so they can be brought into use without remaining on the counter.
Trash and recycling share a dual pullout. Pop-up outlets and concealed plug strips provide power while preserving the backsplash pattern. These details were coordinated with the cabinet drawings rather than fitted into leftover spaces.
Materials and light
Granite, travertine, and a touch of amethyst
The movement in the Fashion Bordeaux granite influenced the backsplash palette. Honed silver travertine picks up the warm gray in the stone, with Frosted Platinum and Amethyst jewel accents adding the purple the homeowner wanted.
Brushed nickel faucets and dual soap dispensers complement the cabinet hardware. Above- and undercabinet LEDs join recessed lights and the relocated island chandelier, providing separate lighting for work surfaces, displays, and the gathering area.
Design and construction
Making the curves and angles buildable
Computer illustrations helped the homeowners evaluate the archway, cabinetry, and island as a complete room. Once the design moved into construction, the project designer and project manager worked together to establish the island’s center point, radius, and raised top from the floor plans.
The archway drawing communicated the profile and column arrangement to the framing team. Coordinating those dimensions mattered because the island angles, raised surface, and surrounding walkways depended on one another.
Construction also required follow-through on finishes and equipment. The ceiling needed additional coating work to produce a consistent appearance. When the pop-up downdraft did not perform as required during installation, the team worked directly with the manufacturer to arrange its replacement.
View the archway drawing and computer design illustration
The completed kitchen
An open room with a place for cooking and company
The archway gives the kitchen a recognizable boundary, and the custom island brings guests into the conversation. Behind the seating, dedicated work centers and cabinet interiors support the cooking and preparation that happen every day.
This project received the 2015 NARI CotY Best of Show award in the Residential Kitchen Over $120,001 category. This is a historical award classification, not a statement of current remodeling prices.
Planning an open-concept kitchen in Tempe?
A large room still needs a thoughtful relationship between cooking, seating, and circulation. Our kitchen remodeling services and open-concept remodeling guide explain the decisions involved. When changes extend into adjoining rooms, explore whole-home remodeling.
Our design-build process connects the design with cabinet details, trade coordination, and construction planning. The Path to Remodeling Clarity™ can help you prepare for those early conversations.
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