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5 Things We Love About This Bright & Functional Kitchen Renovation

  • 4 days ago
  • 4 min read
How we transformed the heart of Project Zen With a Twist around better flow, hidden function, and a little unexpected personality.

Hello friends, It is BurJu. I am here yet with another fun renovation reveal. If you're considering your own kitchen renovation, keep reading.


I'm sharing five decisions we made that created the biggest impact; from the layout and custom island to the appliance garage I now want everywhere. Plus, I've linked our favorite sources at the end! YEP all the sources down there ↴


Bright modern kitchen with white cabinets, wood island, fruit and waffles on the counter, and a calm sunlit breakfast setup
Interior Design: Design & Curations, Photo Credit: Evren Suda

Have you ever looked at your kitchen and thought, it technically works... but it could work SO much better? That was the opportunity with Project Zen With a Twist. Our clients had just purchased their forever home and wanted to start by reimagining the spaces that would work hardest for their young, active family: the kitchen and laundry/mudroom.


Their first-day brief was wonderfully clear: functional, calm, relaxed, bright, happy, and welcoming. They wanted less visual clutter, better flow, and a kitchen that naturally brought people together.

So we took the kitchen down and started fresh!


1. We Fixed the Flow Before Picking the Pretty Things


This is always where a good kitchen renovation should begin. The existing kitchen was a wide rectangle with an unusual opening and no island. The proportions didn't feel balanced, and simply dropping a standard rectangular island into the middle wasn't going to solve it.


We looked at how the family would actually move through the kitchen, cook, gather, and sit together. That led us to rethink the center of the room and create a more intentional L-shaped flow.


  • Before-and-after comparison of a kitchen renovation, showing the original dark wood cabinetry and open floor plan alongside the redesigned bright kitchen with warm oak cabinetry, white finishes, a large island, and improved L-shaped flow.
    Project Zen with a Twist Kitchen ~ BEFORE
  • Before-and-after comparison of a kitchen renovation, showing the original dark wood cabinetry and open floor plan alongside the redesigned bright kitchen with warm oak cabinetry, white finishes, a large island, and improved L-shaped flow.
    Project Zen with a Twist Kitchen ~ AFTER

Before vs After


2. We Created an Island That's Part Workspace, Part Gathering Spot


Okay, I won't give too much away here because this island deserves its own blog. ;)

Instead of one large rectangular block, we designed a custom two-tiered kitchen island that combines a narrow working island with a round, lower dining table.


The curve softens all the straight cabinetry, while the dining portion creates a natural place for breakfast, homework, conversation, or simply sitting with whoever is cooking. We wrapped both the island and round pedestal in fluted wood, making the two forms feel like one sculptural piece.


It may be the most interesting island we've designed to date and I'll break down exactly how we built it in the next blog post!


3. We Made the Refrigerator Almost Disappear


Bright modern kitchen with white cabinets, round island, wooden chairs, fruit bowl, and waffles on a plate in a calm setting

Large appliances can quickly dominate a kitchen, especially when your goal is calm and visually uncluttered. Our solution was to create a full pantry wall with the refrigerator integrated seamlessly into the cabinetry.


Rather than seeing cabinet, refrigerator, cabinet, pantry, your eye reads one beautiful architectural wall. There is plenty happening behind those doors. You just don't need to see it.


4. We Hid the Small Appliances Too


This might be one of the most practical ideas in the entire kitchen.


We designed a dedicated appliance garage with pocket doors. The doors slide completely back into the cabinetry, so the clients can easily access their everyday small appliances without having doors getting in the way.


When they're finished? Close it up and the visual clutter disappears. Toasters, blenders ~ we need them. We just don't necessarily need to look at them all day.

If you're planning a kitchen renovation, an appliance garage is absolutely something I'd put on your consideration list.
  • Modern organic kitchen with warm oak cabinetry, white cabinets, brass hardware, marble countertops, open wood shelving, and a textured backsplash, showcasing a bright and functional kitchen design.
    Project Zen with a Twist ~ Kitchen
  • Modern organic kitchen with warm oak cabinetry, white cabinets, brass hardware, marble countertops, open wood shelving, and a textured backsplash, showcasing a bright and functional kitchen design.
    Project Zen with a Twist ~ Coffee Bar
  • Modern organic kitchen with warm oak cabinetry, white cabinets, brass hardware, marble countertops, open wood shelving, and a textured backsplash, showcasing a bright and functional kitchen design.
    Project Zen with a Twist ~ Kitchen Island

5. We Let “Calm” Have Some Personality


Our clients wanted Zen. I wanted the twist.

A calm kitchen doesn't have to mean white cabinets and nothing else.


We brought personality through:

  1. Fluted wood panels wrapping island

  2. Beautiful stone, range wall swoop profile, 

  3. Statement sconce lights, 

  4. A 48-inch ILVE Nostalgie range, 

  5. Handcrafted-feeling details.


Even the dry bar gets its own moment with Casablanca Zellige tile. The overall palette stays bright and relaxed, but when you look closer, there are little surprises everywhere.

That's my favorite balance: quiet from afar, interesting up close.

The Funniest Full-Circle Moment


Sunlit modern white kitchen with brass accents, a gas range, apples on the counter, and soft plant shadows.

On the final day of installation, during our photoshoot, I learned that our client is actually a certified yoga teacher. I immediately thought, Well... that explains everything.

Our Zen With a Twist concept suddenly felt even more meant to be.


This is their forever home, and I love knowing that the kitchen was designed not only for how it looks today, but for the breakfasts, homework, dinners, friends, family, and everyday chaos that will happen here for years to come.


Function + beauty. Calm + personality. Zen... with a twist.

Exactly as intended.

Shop the Kitchen

Range Sconce: Shop the Sconce

Counter Stool: Shop the Stool

Dry Bar Tile: Zia Tile Zellige 4x4 - Casablanca

Next: Let's Talk About THAT Island


Because yes, it deserves its own story.

In the next blog, I'll break down our two-tiered kitchen island. Why we chose this unusual shape, how we determined the proportions, how we supported a four-foot stone dining top, and the flexible fluted material that made those curves possible.


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XO, BurJu 🤍


Luxury full-service interior design studio, DnC, serves Atlanta, Marietta, Alpharetta, Roswell, Buckhead, Brookhaven, Sandy Springs, and surrounding areas.


About DnC


Design & Curations is a luxury full-service interior design studio in Atlanta. We specialize in renovations, furnishings, and thoughtfully curated homes that exude a sense of calm, coziness, and collectedness.

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