We’re Not Sure What We Like Best About This “Forever Kitchen”: The Range, the Cabinets, or the Hidden Pantry

Name: Kate Harris
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
How long have you cooked in this kitchen? Around 1 year
How many people regularly eat together in your kitchen? 5

If your kitchen had a hidden room extending off of it, you’d cook in that kitchen forever, right? “I think everybody dreams about having a hidden room in their house,” says Kate Harris, who happens to have one — entirely by design. “Originally, there was a really long, odd bathroom right off the kitchen. We ended up cutting it in half and converting that half into a pantry. It’s so much fun,” she says. Now, what looks like a regular wall of cabinets actually opens up to a spacious walk-in pantry, complete with quartz countertops and essential appliances.

The super-cool pantry was a labor of love — ditto for the rest of the kitchen. Kate and her husband bought the home in foreclosure last fall and had their work cut out for them. With three young children (June, 7; Everly, 5; and Mylo, 21 months), the couple knew they wanted their home to be centered around the kitchen, so a complete overhaul was very necessary. “I cook and bake regularly,” says Kate. “We entertain as well (during normal times), so having an open space that is conducive to all types of cooking and allows people to move around was important.” 

We chatted with Kate about that pantry, the La Cornue range she splurged on, her bread-making skills, and the little touches that make this space all her own.

What condition was the house in when you bought it?
It had been empty for two years. It wasn’t in terrible shape, like most foreclosures usually are, but the guy who had been living here really let it go. There was no HVAC and no running water. We did end up gutting the entire house, but the kitchen got the most work. We left most everything as is otherwise. We just patched the other rooms and fixed the floors.

That must have been daunting. How did you approach the renovations?
We bought the house last August and moved into the basement in September. We lived down there for seven weeks before moving upstairs. The kids slept on a couch and in a tent on the floor. We tried to make it fun and different for them. When it came to design decisions, my husband and I worked hard to spend money in the right places. Because I cook a lot, we opted for top-end appliances and finishes.

What were your goals for the kitchen?
We wanted a space that would be open and easy to navigate. With three kids under six, we use this area as a landing zone for everything. They create in the kitchen and we spend a lot of time baking together and chatting. The design makes it easy for the kids to be part of it all. 

How did you decide on black cabinets?
I originally wanted Kelly green cabinets, but was talked into black. We worked with a designer early on in the process and she was set on black cabinets. I chose heavy matte black metal hardware — all pulls — so it’s black on black. You have that “I think this is going to be fine, please work,” moment when you do something like that, but it looks super cool. 

What material did you choose for your countertops?
The backsplash and countertops are the same pattern of Cambria quartz. We had marble in our last house and we ended up hating it. It looks great, but it scratches and gets nicked and etched. I knew I needed something super durable that my kids can attempt to destroy.

My husband and I don’t like upper cabinets, so we decided to go for it with a big wall of quartz instead of upper cabinets. There wasn’t a ton of wall space because of the windows, and we didn’t want to clutter it up.

How did you settle on a peninsula versus an island?
We went back and forth quite a bit on the island, but the layout is such that a peninsula just made more sense. We have four leather bar stools from West Elm and a clip-on highchair on one side so we can all sit there and eat at once. We have a formal dining room behind the kitchen, too.

How much are you loving your La Cornue range?
Oh, man. I had been looking at a range like that for years, but it was never something we could afford in our budget. It’s matte black, with brass, and it’s ridiculous. One side is a regular oven. The other side has eight different options. I can put it in convection mode, and I can change where the heat is. It heats up faster and cooks faster than others on the market. I make a lot of casseroles, and since getting this range, have been doing a lot of baking experimentation too. This year I have been working on my sourdough skills. I love to cook, but my kids don’t love to eat, so I have been making a lot of variations of breads, rolls, and baked goods I know they will eat. 

Okay, back to that hidden pantry. What else can you tell us about it?
There are lower cabinets in there with a quartz countertop above for our smaller appliances. We have our coffee maker, toaster, and blender in there. We store granola bars, applesauce pouches, and Goldfish in clear canisters that the kids can reach themselves. Of course, the kids like to play in there. There’s no doorknob on the inside but there is an automatic light that comes on if there’s any motion, so I can tell if they are in there.

Where is your kitchen in relation to the rest of the house?
Behind the peninsula there are double doors leading to our deck, as well as a wide opening that leads to what we call our great room because it has a vaulted ceiling. There is a staircase leading upstairs, as well as one stair that you step down to enter the living room. The great room is basically all windows with a wood-burning fireplace. We tried to create this space as an extension of the kitchen because there is not a ton of seating in the kitchen itself.

Is there anything you wish you had done differently?
There aren’t a ton of flaws that can’t be fixed at some point, but I am hoping for windows that actually open (they’re currently sealed shut from previous owners). And the floor is something I have to clean daily because the stain is dark and shows EVERYTHING. I also would love space for the dozens of cookbooks that I own and love to display. But otherwise it’s big and open, and has lots of space for our family of five to be in it without feeling cramped.

Where are your cookbooks?
They’re upstairs right now, which I hate. To the left of the refrigerator are boxes for wine. I got talked into those and I hate them. There is a pipe in the wall there so you can’t put a full cabinet in. I had originally said I wanted to have my cookbooks there, but the designer suggested a wine rack. I totally regret it. We have tried to figure out a way to get the panels out, but it won’t work because it was a custom-built piece. We have a little open library space upstairs and they are literally all up there except maybe the five I use the most, which sit on my counter.

What’s the view of outside your kitchen windows?
We are on an acre-and-a-half, so the view into the trees is great. It looks like you are in a treehouse. Our lot is on a slope so there is a huge deck just outside the kitchen and another underneath it with a pool.

How have you added warmth to the space?
With lighting, rugs, and plants. We chose milk-glass pendants to go above the peninsula to diffuse the light. We replaced the existing cans and installed a lot of tiny, four-inch ones that are on dimmers. As for the rugs, I am willing to spend good money on them, but not for ones in my kitchen. I wanted styles I could wash and ultimately throw out without feeling badly about if they got disgusting. Finally, I feel like plants are one of those things that, when you put them in a room, give it a sense of life. When we first moved in, we moved in our plants. It was sort of like, “We are here, and it feels more alive in here already as a result.” I have a fiddle leaf fig, which I’ve managed to keep alive for four years, as well as super-durable snake plants. I keep aloe in my kitchen, too, because I my burn myself regularly.

It’s seriously amazing. Why do you think this is your forever kitchen?
We have lived and worked in four kitchens now as a family. After three trials, you figure out what it is that you are missing and what you are looking for. You have parents who think you won’t ever use a certain something, or a designer with an opinion, but only you know what your needs are. This design is the most functional way to manage our family of five and still cook and bake and have people over. I find myself in there with our kiddos and friends (again, during normal times) more than anywhere else in the house. It is such a bright and light space in the center of the home, and I love the little things that make it unique and not like everybody else’s.

We love it. And that hidden pantry! Thanks for sharing, Kate!