With a plan for stunning symmetry and an oversized range, Shannon Weller had no space for a refrigerator in her kitchen redesign. Oak pocket doors, traditional finishes, and marble counters created the traditional yet contemporary design she was aiming for. Want to know where she put the refrigerator? You’ll have to keep reading to find out!

From the designer… Dixie Lane is a project that I’m very proud of for a variety of reasons. Not only was it one of the first projects that I completed as a newly founded Shannon Weller Design, but it was also done right in the middle of covid. I still laugh thinking about the real estate agent opening the house and then leaving so that I could enter, do my measurements, and leave only to call them to return and lock up. Client meetings were done outside or inside with masks and ten feet apart. Construction crews were extra light and finding anything that was in stock and available for delivery was a nightmare. However, it all came together.

Aside from those challenges, I made the decision early on to take the kitchen in a direction I never had before. I began with a concept that framed a massive range and hood with the typical cabinetry and pendants, but also beautiful custom pocket doors to balance gorgeous white marble with the warmth of rift white oak. I really wanted this amazing symmetry when you looked across the island to that range wall. The challenge was that this concept didn’t leave room for a refrigerator in what I would call a ‘typical’ location. I went round and round with concepts until I finally landed on removing the refrigerator altogether. I created a dirty kitchen/pantry behind the range wall that was large enough to also house the refrigerator, and it was the best decision ever. It seems strange to say it but locating that large appliance just behind one of the pocket doors completely hid it while leaving it easily accessible. Talking my clients into that one was also quite the challenge, but they loved space in the end.

Removing the refrigerator from the main kitchen also provided the opportunity for a bright and open sink wall which echoed the same strong symmetry that fueled my initial concept. The lightness of floating shelves was the perfect fit with the adjacent heavy range wall and really completed the balance that I’m always looking for in a space.

I’ll always look back on this special project with immense pride. It’s enough that a client trusts you with their home and you deliver for them. This one was different though. Unforeseen and unprecedented obstacles presented themselves, and the SWD team still made it happen.

Like what you see? Take a peek at the talent behind the story… Interior Design: Shannon Weller Design · Photography: Mellon Studio