A couple looking to build a cottage-home with a maritime flavour hires Chuck Mills of Chuck Mills Residential Design to help design this stunning kitchen.

Today it’s a summer home, a place to kick back on warm weekends with family and friends. But in a few years, the empty-nester couple who commissioned it plans to retire and live full-time in their expansive lakeside house near Westport. When the couple contacted Chuck Mills of Chuck Mills Residential Design in 2008, they were very clear about what they wanted for their house — and for their kitchen, in particular. “They have a large family,” explains Mills, “so the kitchen needed to be family-friendly: big enough that everyone could gather there and still allow room for the grandkids to run around.” The couple wanted their cottage-home to have a maritime and coastal flavour to it but at the same time to be clean and simple. In the kitchen, the unadorned white cabinetry and creamy yellow walls achieve that clean look, with the “farmhouse” ceiling and Mission-style maple island adding country charm. The island is the focal point of the kitchen, with ample space to both prepare and lay out food. Because the kitchen is open to the dining and living areas, the couple can entertain their large family without the space feeling cramped.

Design: Chuck Mills Residential Design & Development Inc. | Contractor: R.K. Porter General Contracting Inc. | Cabinetry: Elmwood Kitchens (St. Catharines) Handles: Amerock | Counter: ‘Antique Brown’ granite | Island counter: ‘Delicatus Cream’ granite | Island Cabinetry: Elmwood Kitchens | Sink: Franke ‘Mythos’ | Island prep sink: Blanco ‘Supreme’ | Faucets: Moen ‘Level’ | Dishwasher: Miele G2002 Series | Refrigerator: Fisher & Paykel | Cooktop: Miele | Wall oven: KitchenAid Double Built | Microwave: Panasonic Genius Prestige ‘Inverter’ | Flooring: Old-growth birch, Logs End | Pendant Lights: Rona | Paint: Benjamin Moore ‘Cloud White’ on ceiling; ‘Vellum’ on walls