Confined to the cramped footprint of the obsolete kitchen in her clients’ Tudor-style home in DC, designer Nadia Subaran faced a few challenges when she was hired for a makeover. A consummate cook and entertainer, the wife asked for more functional workspace, an open layout—and a 40-inch professional Thermador range. “I had to figure out how to achieve the look my client wanted while getting her all the function she needed,” explains Subaran.

The designer rose to the occasion. First, she removed a peninsula that bisected the kitchen. Then she opened up an adjacent hallway, trading a closet for a butler’s pantry. Next to new base and glass-fronted upper cabinetry, she installed a freezer and made it “disappear” behind paneling that matches the white cabinets.

This left space for a dedicated, 30-inch refrigerator in the kitchen. A classic farmhouse sink and Calacatta Belgia marble countertops and backsplash from Gramaco reflect the home’s vintage. Satin-brass hardware and a freestanding pantry unit in a Baltic Sea finish warm the white palette. A custom table with a mixed-metal base mirroring the room’s brass and stainless-steel finishes makes a bold centerpiece.

Two custom lights, sourced through interior designer Lori Graham, lend a modern touch. A brass-accented fixture illuminates the kitchen while one with a darker motif plays off the original slate floor in the butler’s pantry.

Kitchen Design: Nadia Subaran, Aidan Design, Silver Spring, Maryland. Contractor: Horizon Builders, Crofton, Maryland. 

Resources
Countertops & Backsplash: gramaco.com. Cabinets: wood-mode.com. Hardware: lewisdolin.com. Sink & Faucet: rohlhome.com through abwappliances.com. Stove & Refrigeration: thermador.com through abwappliances.com. Hood & Table Design: aidandesign.com. Table Fabrication: kmetalfab.com. Light Fixtures: Through lorigraham.com. Stools: cb2.com.