Vellore Village Kitchen Reveal

Without a doubt, a kitchen renovation is one of the biggest investments you’ll make in your home. It’s time-consuming, costly, and, if we’re honest, a little nerve-racking. But it’s also the one space that can completely transform how your home feels. This project is a great example of how thoughtful kitchen design ideas can turn a space into something that truly works for you.

Last year, I decided to renovate my own kitchen. In this article, I’ll walk you through the process and the decisions behind it, step by step.

Start With What Actually Matters

Designing your home is personal. A kitchen that doesn’t function for you is just a series of pretty cabinets. And we see that more often than you’d think, spaces that look great but don’t actually work for the people using them.

Before getting into the design itself, there’s something I always tell clients. Think about how you cook, what appliances you use, how many people share the space, and what your daily routine looks like. When you’re planning your own space, this is where good kitchen design ideas really begin.

Here’s a quick tip: knowing what doesn’t work is just as important as knowing what you want. Start making a list of everything you love and hate about your current kitchen. It helps guide decisions and keeps you focused throughout the renovation.

Why the Change

The original kitchen was outdated, lacked proper storage, and the hardware was starting to deteriorate. It also made everyday use feel more complicated than it should be. Take a look at the drastic transformation below.

In this case, there were 3 major elements that guided the reno: everything had to be enclosed but with a purpose, cooking area had to be moved to face the living room, and have a glossy white finish.  Will explain each one, but first let’s talk layout and sizing.

Kitchen Design Ideas: Layout, Functions, and Challenges

For reference, the pantry wall is 18′ long, with a 3′-10” x 10’ island. The kitchen is proportionate to this 2020 sq. ft. home, but it’s not considered large. The layout itself is simple. An enclosed pantry wall on one side, and the cooking station on the island. Originally, the cooktop faced the wall, something we see often. The downside? Your back is turned to the rest of the space.

By moving the cooktop onto the island, the kitchen became more connected to the rest of the home. Now, cooking and socializing happen at the same time. And as a bonus, you get a full view of the backyard, including the occasional squirrel sighting. A win-win. If you’re exploring different kitchen design ideas, this is one of the most impactful changes you can make, rethinking how the kitchen connects to the rest of the house.

We also had to work around the bay window, which meant creating a shallow cabinet. Instead of forcing storage, we turned it into an opportunity. It became an open shelf for herbs, something we use daily. Having fresh herbs right next to the cooktop is one of those small details that completely changes the experience.

Another challenge was the bulkhead running across the entire kitchen. Removing it wasn’t worth the cost due to plumbing constraints, so we had to design around it. Taking the cabinets all the way to the ceiling, combined with shallow upper cabinets, created a much more dramatic effect. The 9’ ceilings suddenly felt even higher, and we gained additional storage at the same time.

The island also changed significantly. The original design had a large overhang with barstools that were rarely used. This time, we focused on maximizing storage instead. The new island includes storage on both sides, with a small overhang near the induction cooktop to extend the countertop.

Materials and Contrast

As mentioned at the beginning, glossy white cabinets were always part of the design. Something about the reflections from the garden just creates a magical backdrop. Your next question may be: ‘Isn’t this a pain to keep clean?’. You may be surprised at how easy it is to maintain. We went for glass cabinet doors instead of high gloss laminate for this reason. Glass is super easy to maintain! A quick wipe with soap and water is all you need, and unlike laminate materials, the colour will never change. All doors have a push-to-open system, except for the ones that have the groove handle built in. A few months living with this kitchen, no complaints about cleaning.

There is no surprise I love contrast. I knew that if the pantry was going to be white, the island had to be something that complements it. I love white, but too much white can end up looking clinical. Warm tones of wood and black accents are just what this kitchen needed. We initially wanted to go for a cooler tone wood, but since the wood floors are not going to change soon, we had to go for warmer tones. Seeing it now all-together, it was the right choice. We used the same warm wood tones to make the herbs open shelf stand out.

Countertop Choice

The counter was a very easy choice. The subtle veigning effect of the Caesarstone Calacatta Nuvo was just perfect. Wanted to use quartz for all its benefits (more on this on a future article) and clean look. Caesarstone’s jumbo slab allowed us to maximizes the size, and cut cost by only using one slab with zero seams. Unlike granite that requires specialized cleaners, soap and water is all you need to maintain your counter. Easy maintenance.

Sink and Faucet

With black accents and white countertop, it felt natural to add black in the faucet and sink. Instead of the typical stainless steel, I opted for a Blanco Precis Silgranit sink in anthracite. The matte finish is stunning, and is actually more scratch resistant than stainless steel. The Brizo Litze faucet is just a work of art really. We’ve used Brizo in our past projects, and we know the quality will make this faucet last for a long time. Wanted to bring in the brass accent that is visible throughout the house, without making it take centre stage. Brizo’s brass finish is subtle, sophisticated and added just the right amount of detail to the already elegant design.

Flooring and Transitions

The floor uses large scale porcelain tiles. 24” x 48” is not an easy size to work with, but the scale helped create the illusion of a larger space. The glossy white tiles with minimal grout lines help create the impression of full marble slabs without the cost associated with it. The transition to the existing hardwood flooring was done using sleek black transition pieces. This allowed us to tie in together the black accents from the island to the rest of the space.

One of the extra details in the flooring was done using the Aria Vent. Can we take a moment and just take in all its beauty?! No more ugly metal vents! I will admit that sometimes I go around the island just to take a look at it and smile. Sometimes the tiniest details will be your favourite, and in this case, it is a beautifully designed air vent. Can’t say enough good things about them.

Let us know if you would like us to do an article about different types of vents you can use.

Lighting

The existing lights were not planned to change from the beginning. However, their small scale and their white finish would have made them fade into the background. No worries, we already found another spot in the house for them that will be revealed in the summer. The 3′-6” wide island, however, was in desperate need for something substantial and dramatic. Since the living room has blue walls, the Crate & Barrel Maddox Dome in Navy with Brass socket were like a match made in heaven. The scale added a sense of drama, took the kitchen out of the monochromatic theme, and tied it in with the rest of the main floor.

While the design and vision was carefully thought of and planned before we even approached any kitchen company, it wouldn’t have been executed properly unless there was great communication. I have been familiar with Scavolini for years, and admired their streamline designs. From the first meeting they looked over the design, understood everything that was important to us and made sure the entire kitchen was exactly as we envisioned it. It was a perfect match. The process was seamless, with only small adjustments being made to incorporate some of their amazing organizing pantries.

Would love to hear what are the most important elements in a kitchen for you. What would make or break the design for you?

A kitchen is never just about cabinets and appliances. It’s about creating a space that works for your life. When you approach it with thoughtful kitchen design ideas, the result is something that feels both functional and personal.

Looking for more kitchen design ideas? Explore our kitchen design section where we break down layouts, materials, and real project insights in more detail. You can also explore our full project insights to see how the entire space came together.

For more projects and behind-the-scenes moments, you can follow along on Instagram.