Inspired by old world European kitchens and created for warm family gatherings, Vianca Valdez, of The Seven Home, completed this charming kitchen after nearly five years of planning. Open and airy shelving paired with textured zellige tiles create the transitional family hub she always dreamt of. Molly Rose beautifully captured how Vianca’s hard work and vision paid off in this kitchen remodel.

From the designer… This was a very special project because it was my very own kitchen. After creating and designing for so many clients, and five years of planning, I was finally able to execute and design my dream kitchen!

I have always been inspired by old world European kitchens. I wanted to create a kitchen that had some of their charming elements but felt new and updated. We chose custom shaker style cabinetry in a creamy color, a farmhouse sink, and unlacquered brass finishes to give some of that old world charm. My carpenter added legs to the island and an open shelf area to make it look like it could have been a large piece of furniture. We chose a dark Spanish Oak Finish on the island for contrast. I also chose three different backsplashes in the kitchen. We have a busy family that loves to cook and entertain so a quartz countertop and backsplash in the busy parts of the kitchen was ideal. We used a zellige tile in the opposite corner for some texture and vertical shiplap in the butler’s pantry.

I wanted an open kitchen concept with minimal upper cabinetry. This was one of the biggest challenges of this design because we have ten foot ceilings. The original builder had built 24 inch soffits across all of the upper cabinetry. To say I despised this would be an understatement! When we opened up the soffits, we found A/C ducting and electrical wiring inside. We had to do some rewiring and rerouting of A/C ducting, but it was well worth it in the end! I wanted a long floating shelf in place of upper cabinetry. This left a lot of open vertical space so we added some sconces to fill up that void without having to add bulky cabinets.

We started this project during the pandemic, while I was homeschooling my two youngest children, helping my oldest complete her senior year of high school and prepping for college, all while running a full-time interior design business. Yet somehow, we came out unscathed and with a gorgeous kitchen! When I look at this kitchen, I am reminded of how hard I work and how far I have come, in life and in work. This kitchen is the heart of our home where we laugh, cry, pray, and best of all eat.

Like what you see? Take a peek at the talent behind the story… Interior Design: The Seven Home · Photography: Molly Rose · Custom Cabinetry: Nathan Rench of August Oak Woodworks