Though his family never thought it would happen, Eddie Moore finally settled down in a three-bedroom California mission-style bungalow built in 1928.
“It was kind of a 40th birthday present to myself,” said Moore. “I guess until then I had the usual single guy’s fear of commitment.”
Originally, Moore intended to renovate using a different theme in every room, but southern California’s early Spanish culture prevailed.
“I lived in California for seven years and took surfing trips down to Baja,” Moore reminisced. “I wanted to capture the feel of that. I wanted to make the house a little more functional, but nostalgia for California was very important in the overall idea.”
Working with Doug Lugar, CKD, CBD, of Creative Cabinet Solutions and tile designer Landa Brunetto, ISD, Moore incorporated both old and new materials seamlessly in the new kitchen.
“I wanted it to feel like a kitchen in the middle of Mexico, like a cantina,” said Moore. “Originally, I was thinking in terms of a mission or monks’ kitchen, but the final results aren’t Spartan. It’s more like a Mexican hacienda.”
Walls of faux stucco, brick veneer and tile help create that feeling. But only about a third of the tiles came from Mexico; Brunetto found the rest locally in colors and textures that match and complement the old Mexican tiles.
The color palette came from tiles inset in the kitchen counter: bright blues, cinnamon and orange.
Lugar took the tiles and created a kitchen design that incorporates custom cabinetry matching the existing sweet gumwood cabinetry in the dining room.
“We wanted to match the look and style [of the existing woodwork],” Lugar said. “But gum is a wood species that is rarely used in cabinets today.”
Lugar found about 300 board feet of the precious lumber, from which he selected the best boards. With the wall between the dining room and kitchen removed, Moore and guests can see the new cabinetry from many locations, and it all looks original to the house.
Other Spanish-style touches have been added since the kitchen was completed. A wrought-iron cross came from Hobby Lobby. Moore’s 14-year-old niece painted the Spanish dancer framed on the wall. The stained-glass panel in the pantry door came from a parish church in Illinois demolished more than 20 years ago.
Overall, Lugar opened the original narrow galley-style kitchen with a few key tricks. Diagonal corners on the countertops let people pass comfortably. Open shelving, bright lighting and a minimum of upper cabinetry make the space feel bigger, too.
“I really enjoy being in the kitchen now,” Moore said. “I like to cook, though I don’t do a lot of it. The kitchen reminds me of when I used to go to Mexico and surf, and eat a lot of fish tacos.”
The space is much improved for entertaining, but it meets a bachelor’s simple needs, too.
An honored spot on the wall will be found for his trusty surfboard as other rooms in the house undergo redecoration. In the meantime, the kitchen is a perfect place to take a break and wax nostalgic for Baja over a fish taco or two.