The serene kitchen of a new home in Garden Hills fulfills the needs of children, company—and the consummate cook

Taking the homeowners’ need for organization into consideration, Rabaut designed a large walk-in pantry with expansive shelf space for all of their dry goods, stored stylishly in glass jars. The pantry door is designed to look beautiful whether open or closed. Open, it creates symmetry with the passageway to the butler’s pantry; closed, it blends in with the surrounding cabinetry like part of an elegant paneled wall. This pantry, while a signature feature of the room, was not part of the original kitchen design at all. William T. Baker had designed a cursory layout for the kitchen, setting off a space for a large closet off the entry hall, which Rabaut ingeniously captured for this new pantry.

A custom double trough sink allows ease of preparation for multiple cooks, while the main sink sits under a sunny window nook, its simple Roman shade providing a subtle design statement.

In the butler’s pantry, a dozen drawers lined with Pacific Silvercloth keep the family’s silverware organized and tarnish-free while an old-fashioned seeded glass door provides separation between the butler’s pantry and formal dining room to preserve the quiet elegance of that space.

In tandem with rich walnut floors, warm vanilla cabinetry—custom-built by Design & Cabinetry—creates a soft glow in a space where bright white might have come off as stark. The pale blue-green of the walls was borrowed from the palette used throughout the first floor. And for the large island, Rabaut used a color in the same hue as the trim in the adjacent rooms, teaming it with a warm antique glaze to both warm up the palette and establish separation from the adjoining spaces. It’s joined on one end by a table that can be rolled to wherever it’s needed most, serving as a buffet or impromptu workstation.For the kitchen of their Garden Hills home, interior designer Jo Rabaut’s clients came to her requesting a room that Martha Stewart would happily call her own—beautiful and highly functional—but well-equipped for their young children, too.

Many of the elements that normally command full view in the kitchen—including the microwave, refrigerator and china cabinet—are concealed by paneled walls to keep the look understated. In fact, the owners also chose to forgo “statement pieces” such as a prominent hood, central chandelier or pot rack. Instead, a rich soapstone countertop on the island anchors the room, providing a handsome, tactile surface on which to prep, with a double trough sink enhancing efficiency. And to keep the kitchen child-friendly, the lower cabinets are equipped with a magnetized locking system.

In the butler’s pantry, a darker finish imparts a glamorous look for the paneled wall of silverware drawers and cabinets designed to store sparkling cut crystal. The seeded-glass door separates the spaces with elegance, providing the perfect pass-through to the dining room beyond.

See more of our Garden Hills Estate project here.

INTERIOR DESIGN Jo Rabaut, ASID, IIDA, Rabaut Design Associates Inc., 349 Peachtree Hills Ave. NE, Studio A4, Atlanta 30305; (404) 233-1024; rabautdesign.com
ARCHITECTURE William T. Baker, William T. Baker & Associates Ltd., 78 West Wesley Rd., Atlanta 30305; (404) 261-0446; wtbaker.com
CONTRACTOR Ron Lester, 2050 Shillings Rd., Kennesaw 30152; (404) 456-0373

 REFRIGERATOR, ICE MAKER AND WINE COOLER Sub-Zero RANGE AND OVEN Wolf REFRIGERATOR DRAWERS AND MICROWAVE GE DISHWASHERS Miele WARMING DRAWERS Dacor HOOD Vent-A-Hood MAIN SINK Franke CUSTOM TROUGH SINK Julien SINK FAUCETS Groche HOT SHOT/FILTERED WATER Franke POT FILLER Rohl DISPOSALS InSinkErator CABINETRY FABRICATION Bill Fletcher and Matt Appling, Design & Cabinetry, 337-E Elizabeth St. NE, Atlanta 30307, (404) 524-2718; designandcabinetry.com