Visual continuity Custom oak island kitchen by Susan Apatoff

There are often compromises to be made when you move house. For interior designer Susan Apatoff and her family, it was the kitchen in their new house that didn't measure up.

"Although the house was just three years old, the kitchen was a typical builders-grade design that didn't fit with the rest of the house, which is in a neighborhood of high-quality homes," she says. "Ironically, we actually bought the house because of the kitchen layout we just didn't feel the cabinetry and materials were up to scratch."

Working with the team at Jack Rosen Custom Kitchens, Apatoff proceeded to plan a new kitchen in a mainly monochromatic palette in varying shades of white, black and gray.

"We wanted the kitchen to blend with the rest of the house, which features blacks, whites and dark taupe," says the designer. "Textural contrasts also enliven the look."

Apatoff specified two different cabinetry styles. New Haven black-painted rift-cut oak doors and drawers feature on the island. To enhance the contemporary furniture look, the island has stainless steel corners that form the legs of the island. The perimeter cabinets and peninsula feature Ventura white-painted cabinets with Ventura flat doors and Georgetown recessed panel doors.

Carrara marble tiles form the backsplash, while the countertops are a mix of Maroon Coheba granite and White Fantasy granite.

Apatoff says both she and her husband love to cook so the kitchen is designed to allow several people to work at once. Entertaining is also easy, with the large island countertop proving ideal for food preparation and serving.

Further functionality is provided by a number of custom storage solutions.

Story by: Colleen Hawkes