Rachael Franceschina

The island wraps around the corner of the house

The cabinets disappear

The clients fabricated the overhead cabinets in the bar area

Detail of the seating area of the island

The client’s artwork

Kohler Karbon sink faucet

The island seats both small and large parties

This is a complete gut of a first floor of a vacation beach house that overlooks the dunes of Lake Michigan. The owners wanted an open floor plan oriented around glass windows that overlook the lake. The first floor was formerly a series of small rooms (kitchen, living room, dining room). We removed all existing walls to create a truly open floor plan which now consists of a large kitchen, dining, and living area. I designed the island in an “L” shape that connects the kitchen and bar areas, incorporating a counter height seating area that can seat both small and large parties. The clients chose polished, off-white marble laid in a basket-weave pattern for the floors. All appliances were purchased prior to the kitchen design, so custom panels were designed to make the appliances disappear. We specified white for all walls, cabinets, appliances, and countertops to ensure that the views of Lake Michigan and the owner’s artwork were the focus of the space. The clients designed and fabricated the bar’s whimsical, overhead cabinets. All photos by Betsy Maddox.