Air and Light to Dome-shaped Home
When Jennifer Hutton was studying interior design in college, she read about geodesic dome design, which looks like a hexagon. She didn’t have the opportunity to apply that knowledge until she met Rachel and Teddy Giovannini.
The couple, who purchased a dome-shaped, 44-year-old house in Williamsville, New York, in 2019, wanted an updated look. They contacted Hutton, a designer with Artisan Kitchens, for help with the home’s centerpiece: the kitchen.
“We’re big entertainers and everyone who comes over flocks to the kitchen,” said Rachel Giovannini.
At first, the project seemed a little daunting, Hutton admitted. “I’ve seen a lot of weird angles before, but this was challenging,” Hutton said. “The kitchen is smack dab in the middle of an otherwise open floor plan. It was like a circle within a circle.”
She worked with T-Brothers Renovations to open up a wall, remove the existing sink and install a Kohler farm sink on the other side of the kitchen with an island. It overlooks the living room with almost floor to ceiling windows.
“It’s absolutely gorgeous,” Rachel Giovannini said.
While the couple wanted to brighten and modernize the space, they didn’t want a cookie-cutter style. Hutton helped them find color schemes and textures that would reflect the whimsical elements of the house, including natural stone countertops, oak cabinets painted in Islander Sheer, a blueish green hue, and completed the look with texture satin brass pulls and black stainless steel appliances.
“We wanted to play off the shape of the house by choosing white hexagon tiles for the backsplash,” Rachel Giovannini added.
The reconfigured kitchen makes the once dark, stuffy kitchen feel open and light. “It’s an entirely different house,” Teddy Giovannini said.
Hutton was pleased with the end results. “By the end of the project, my concerns had completely dissipated,” she said. “The skills of the installers and the laid-back demeanor of the homeowners worked in tandem to ensure the project was completed in a timely, stress-free fashion. The finished product is absolutely astounding, marrying modern taste and a timeless look with a unique, funky house.”