Kitchen & Bath Business September/October 2022 - 53

dining room and living room beyond, and Lopez
focused on filling those spaces with warmth and
personality, while giving them a seamless style.
She chose three finishes for the cabinets - various
shades of grasses and greenery inspired by the
North Shore - which all share a door style for
cohesiveness.
With a walnut hood, she mimicked the essence
of a hearth cooking area that she did not
have space to include. The same walnut was used
as the countertop under the stained-glass window,
while the paneling there, the corner hutch
in the kitchen and the island feature bleached
walnut. To these myriad surfaces, she added antique
panels to the refrigeration columns.
" The colors all worked together, and the
warmth reflected in that mirror looks like a sunset, "
said Lopez. " The textures and patterns all
came together. I gave myself the freedom to not
be confined to what a client might be hesitant
to include. "
One aspect she does not have trouble convincing
clients about is in-cabinet organization,
and she brought those same recommendations
into her own kitchen. In the dining area, there
are walnut inserts with pullouts, and the kitchen
includes a custom silverware drawer, napkin box
and a lift for her mixer.
HAPPILY EVER AFTER
Even with all the planning and careful selection,
Lopez could not fit everything she would have
liked to, for example, a steam oven and wall oven
at the same height and a built-in coffee system.
" I struggled with additional appliances, " she
said. " But your space is your space. That is something
I tell clients. We did the absolute best we
could figuring out every inch. "
The resulting kitchen, dining room and living
room offer a balanced and one-of-a-kind look
with their mix of finishes and periods. There are
hints of midcentury modern, vintage pieces and
modern light fixtures.
" Knowing that I could do anything I wanted
to enabled me to be more creative, " said Lopez.
ABOVE Adding a bar sink
was a last-minute decision
made because the refrigerator
column does not offer water
filtration. Lopez wanted
filtered water accessible near
the unit, so she added a bar
sink and faucet.
" But I also felt pressure to get my own design perfect because I would feel
foolish if something didn't work. "
The designer found herself constantly going over every detail and being
self-critical. And she almost did not make it in time for the wedding. The
pendants above the sink were meant to be gold flush fixtures, but she could
not get them in time. The bar stools were late, so she borrowed some from
her studio during the wedding week.
" I learned that there are a lot of right answers, " said Lopez. " It's a good
lesson to explain to clients to help them be open to pivoting to get a project
finished. "
But her biggest lesson? Don't put pressure on yourself to do a project
before a big event.
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