When the First Choice Was the Right Choice
How a two-generation design conversation led one family right back to where they started — bold navy cabinets that ground a big, light-filled home.
Some of our favorite projects start with a family we already know. When Jennifer reached out about her new kitchen, we’d already had the pleasure of helping her daughter, Taryn, on several projects over the years. Getting to design for another member of the family felt less like meeting a new client and more like a reunion.
This one landed right in the sweet spot of what we love most: listening closely, guiding gently, and helping a client arrive at a space that’s unmistakably theirs.
Two Generations, Two Styles
We learned quickly that Jennifer and Taryn saw the kitchen a little differently. Same family, distinct points of view — and our job was to honor both while keeping the design true to the people who’d actually live in it every day.
So we did what we always do. We slowed down and talked it through. Not finishes first — life first.
Designing Around How They Actually Live
The best kitchens are built around real routines, not just pretty pictures. As we talked, a clear picture of this family’s daily life came into focus:
- Big family gatherings. This is a home built for people — holidays, full tables, a crowd in the kitchen. The layout needed to hold all of that comfortably.
- A double oven, non-negotiable. When you cook for a family, one oven simply doesn’t keep up.
- Drawers, and plenty of them. Easy access matters. Drawers mean no kneeling, no digging to the back of a cabinet — everything within reach.
- A home for the long haul. This family intends to be here for years to come, so the design needed to age gracefully right alongside them.
- A coffee bar with a purpose. Positioned for a quick step out to the sunroom, where morning coffee is a daily ritual.
Every one of these decisions started with a conversation, not a catalog.
The Road to the Right Finish
Here’s where it got interesting — and where trusting the process paid off.
Jennifer started with a vision of blue cabinets paired with a warm wood island. Then she wanted to explore rift white oak throughout. Then painted cream. Each direction was worth a real look, and we walked through all of them honestly.
And then we circled back — to blue, with a hickory island. The very place she started.
A Phone Call the Morning After
A day after we signed off on the final order, Jennifer called. “I think I may have made a mistake,” she said. “Blue might be too bold. Should I have gone a different direction?”
It’s a moment we know well — and honestly, it’s one of the best parts of the job.
THE BTB PERSPECTIVE
We reminded Jennifer of something important: blue was her original choice. It was the one she kept returning to, through every other option we explored.
And in a space this size — large, with high ceilings and an abundance of natural light — the blue wouldn’t overwhelm the room. It would do the opposite. It would ground the space and bring a sense of warmth and coziness to all that openness.
She trusted herself. She trusted us — and that’s the best part of what we do.
The Best Part of the Job
This is what we mean when we say we listen and guide. We’re not here to push a trend or hand you a look off a shelf. We’re here to help you hear your own instincts more clearly — and give you the confidence to follow them.
Jennifer’s kitchen is bold, warm, deeply personal, and built for the way her family truly lives. It’s exactly what she wanted from the very beginning.
Helping a client get there? That never gets old.
Dreaming Up Your Own Space?
If you’re thinking about a kitchen built around your life — not someone else’s idea of it — we’d love to talk it through with you.
