Island In The Storm
A busy Ramsey family took advantage of ample floor space in a 1970s home to make their kitchen more functional and fun.
Design by Diane Durocher
Photography by Mike Van Tassell
Text by Richard Laliberte
It wasn’t news to Diane Durocher that home renovations inescapably cause disruption. “Kitchen renovations are often the most disruptive of all,” says the lead designer of Ramsey-based Diane Durocher Interiors. Complicating matters further in a recent Ramsey kitchen redo was the fact that the homeowners—a young couple with two children and two cats—lived in the house for the duration of the project, which began in early November, 2024 and was completed in July 2025.
“To make it manageable, they set up a temporary kitchen area in the lower-level family room,” Durocher says. Shifting the family downstairs allowed Durocher, working with New York- and Florida-based contractor Deco Builders, to focus on refreshing the heart of the home, located in a neighborhood known for its 1970s vintage and natural, woodsy setting.
Strategically positioning the cooktop to face other rooms invites conversation while preparing food. The utilitarian island, with Top Knobs hardware, provides plenty of storage.
“The outdated kitchen and original floor plan failed to take full advantage of the generous square footage the space offered,” says the designer. “We reimagined a more comprehensive floor plan centered around a large island that maximizes functionality, storage and gathering space.”
A creative bonus for Durocher: The couple loved teal. “What designer could ever turn down the opportunity to work with color?” she says. Upper-perimeter cabinetry was painted Benjamin Moore Sherwood Forest—a bold, saturated hue that contrasts with the warmth of new walnut cabinetry. The goal? A look that would be “stunning, modern and truly unique,” Durocher says.
A dedicated coffee-and-drinks bar gets its own corner space, with refrigerator drawers and ample places to store items like coffee pods and mugs.
The island’s curved, reeded design echoes the home’s midcentury modern roots while adding storage, seating and work space. An island cooktop with an integrated downdraft fan offers uninterrupted views of the living room, dining room and backyard, allowing cooks to socialize while preparing food. State-of-the-art appliances include two dishwashers and a French-door wall oven. A newly constructed wooden beam anchors pendant lighting.
In a nearby corner, a two-tiered wall unit provides a dedicated beverage-and-coffee bar with integrated refrigerator drawers and an ice maker. The unit’s additional drawers and side cabinet afford space for supplies such as coffee pods and cups.
Durocher is grateful for her clients’ “kindness, understanding and incredible patience,” she says, adding that the inconvenience appears to have been worth it: “They love their new kitchen!”
