Can the wall between a kitchen and a dining room come out?

Often, yes. First we check what the wall carries. In this Chevy Chase kitchen it was not a bearing wall, so it came out without a beam; the wiring inside it was moved, and the kitchen and the dining room became one room around a long island.

Can the sink and the dishwasher go in the island?

Yes. The plumbing, the drain and the power are brought up through the floor to the island. Here the dark island holds a white farmhouse sink, the dishwasher and a microwave drawer, so the perimeter counters stay clear for cooking and the range wall.

Does a big range hood need make-up air?

A strong hood pulls a lot of air out of the house, and many need a make-up air system that brings fresh air back in. For this kitchen we ran new ducting for the hood and added a make-up air system, then built the white hood enclosure around the insert.

Do you remodel kitchens in Chevy Chase and Montgomery County?

Yes. We remodel kitchens and bathrooms across Montgomery County and Washington, DC, and we are licensed in Maryland (MHIC #110852). We handle the permit process and the inspections. Every job sets its own schedule, and your contract gives you a written estimate for yours.

Where can I see cabinets, quartz and tile like these near Chevy Chase?

In our Bethesda showroom at 4710 Bethesda Ave, Suite A, Bethesda, MD, open Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm. See cabinets, quartz, tile and hardware in person, and your own kitchen in 3D on the showroom screen.

Chevy Chase kitchen: opened to the dining room, with a dark island

What did the homeowners want?

The old kitchen was all white: white cabinets, white subway tile up to the ceiling and a white floor with small black diamonds. The dining room sat on the other side of a tiled wall, reached through a doorway. The homeowners wanted one open room with an island at its center and cabinets that went all the way up.

Kitchen in Chevy Chase, MD, before the remodel: white cabinets, a white refrigerator, a sink under the window, white subway tile and a white floor with black diamonds — Before: the old kitchen, the tiled wall with the doorway to the dining room, and the dining room · Chevy Chase, MD

Kitchen in Chevy Chase, MD, before the remodel: a wall of white subway tile with open shelves and a doorway through to the dining room, beside a white gas range — Before: the old kitchen, the tiled wall with the doorway to the dining room, and the dining room · Chevy Chase, MD

How we designed it: one room, an island in the middle

Sena, our designer, measured the house, drew the kitchen and planned it with the homeowners. The plan took the wall between the kitchen and the dining room out and put the work of the kitchen into a long island: the sink, the dishwasher and a microwave drawer. Around it, white cabinets run to the ceiling, with glass-front uppers on each side of the range wall.

The homeowners chose their own 48-inch dual-fuel range and a built-in refrigerator, and the cabinets were planned around both. For the color, they chose a white perimeter, a dark Peppercorn island and blue zellige tile on the range wall and around the window.

Opening the kitchen to the dining room

Kitchen remodeling in Chevy Chase, MD, during: the wall between the kitchen and the dining room taken out and the walls opened to the studs — The opening between the kitchen and the old dining room, during the build, and the kitchen now, seen from the dining room side · Chevy Chase, MD

The finished kitchen in Chevy Chase, MD, seen from the dining room side: a long dark island with a white quartz top under two dark pendants, white cabinets, the range and the refrigerator wall — The opening between the kitchen and the old dining room, during the build, and the kitchen now, seen from the dining room side · Chevy Chase, MD

Before taking the wall down, our crew checked what it carried. It was not a bearing wall, so it came out without a beam; only the wiring inside it had to be moved. With the room open, part of the ceiling was replaced so it runs level from end to end, and the dining room got new crown molding to match the kitchen.

The island: the sink, the dishwasher and a microwave drawer

The island is St. Martin custom cabinetry in Peppercorn, a deep charcoal, with the same Greenfield door as the rest of the kitchen. It holds a white fireclay farmhouse sink with a brass faucet, the dishwasher and a microwave drawer, so the plumbing and the power were brought into the island.

The top is Cambria Sutherland quartz in a matte finish, white with soft gray veining, with stools along one side. Two large dark pendants with brass details hang over it.

Kitchen in Chevy Chase, MD: a long dark Peppercorn island with a white veined quartz top and a farmhouse sink, wood stools, two dark pendants with brass, and the white range wall with blue zellige behind — The island under two pendants, with the range wall behind · Chevy Chase, MD

The range wall: zellige, a quartz backsplash and a white hood

Behind the range, the Cambria quartz runs up the wall as one backsplash to a matching quartz ledge. Above the ledge, Artistic Tile Zellige Sky Blue, a glossy handmade-look tile set offset, climbs to the hood, with a small sconce on each side.

Our crew built the white hood enclosure, with crown molding at the top, around the insert. New ducting went in for the hood, and a make-up air system brings fresh air back into the house.

Range wall in Chevy Chase, MD, straight on: a white hood over blue zellige tile, two small sconces with dark shades, a white quartz ledge and a full-height quartz backsplash, between open shelves — The hood, the zellige and the quartz ledge, straight on · Chevy Chase, MD

The same blue zellige frames the window at the far end of the kitchen.

White cabinets to the ceiling

The perimeter cabinets are St. Martin custom cabinets with the Greenfield door in Simply White, with 42-inch wall cabinets and crown molding that takes them to the ceiling. Glass-front uppers stand on each side of the range wall, tall cabinets frame the built-in refrigerator, and two floating shelves sit beside the window. Top Knobs Cranford knobs and pulls in brass carry the warm metal of the faucet and the range knobs.

A new oak floor

A new oak floor, stained and sealed, runs through the kitchen, so the opened room reads as one space.

What happened in what order: the Chevy Chase kitchen, step by step

Every job sets its own schedule, and your contract gives you a written estimate for yours. How our process works →

Design: Sena measured the house and planned the kitchen with the homeowners; the cabinets, the quartz, the tile, the sink and the hardware chosen; the contract; the homeowners chose their own range and refrigerator.
Ordering: the custom cabinets ordered from the drawings.
Permits: permits and inspections handled.
Demolition: the old kitchen taken out, and the wall between the kitchen and the dining room taken down.
Rough-in: the wiring from the old wall moved; new dedicated circuits for the appliances; plumbing and power brought to the island; new hood ducting and the make-up air system; part of the ceiling replaced to run level.
Inspections: the rough-in inspected and passed.
Floor and cabinets: the new oak floor laid; the perimeter cabinets and the island installed.
Quartz: the countertops measured on the cabinets, then installed with the full-height backsplash and the ledge.
Finish: the zellige tile, the hood enclosure, the sink and faucet, the hardware, the pendants and sconces, paint and the dining room crown; the homeowners' range and refrigerator set in place; the floor finished.
Last: the final inspections, all passed.

Who built it: designer Sena planned the kitchen with the homeowners, and our crew built it. Only the quartz countertops came from our fabrication partners, under our supervision.

Budget: about $120K–$130K.

What came up during the design and build, and how we solved it

A wall between two rooms. We checked what the wall carried; it was not a bearing wall, so it came out without a beam, and its wiring was moved.
A level ceiling across the new room. With the wall gone, part of the ceiling was replaced so it runs level from the kitchen into the dining room.
Power for a bigger kitchen. New dedicated circuits went in for the refrigerator, the microwave drawer, the hood and the lights.
Fresh air for the hood. New ducting and a make-up air system went in behind the white hood enclosure.
The sink in the island. Plumbing, the drain and power were brought up to the island for the sink, the dishwasher and the microwave drawer.

Chevy Chase kitchen materials: St. Martin, Cambria and blue zellige

The exact products in this kitchen, from our order records. "Homeowner's choice" marks what the homeowners chose and bought themselves.

Kitchen11 items

Kitchen
Item	Brand and line	Color / finish
Perimeter cabinets	St. Martin custom cabinets, Greenfield door; 42-inch wall cabinets with crown to the ceiling and glass-front uppers	Simply White
Island	St. Martin custom cabinets, Greenfield door, with the sink base, the dishwasher and a microwave drawer	Peppercorn
Floating shelves	Two floating shelves beside the window	White
Countertops	Cambria Sutherland quartz, with a full-height backsplash and a matching ledge behind the range	Matte
Wall tile	Artistic Tile Zellige Sky Blue, TCZELSB4, set offset	Glossy blue
Sink	White fireclay farmhouse sink, in the island	White
Knobs and pulls	Top Knobs Cranford knobs and pulls	Brass
Range hood	Custom hood enclosure built by our crew around an insert, with new ducting and a make-up air system	Painted white
Floor	New oak hardwood, stained	Oil-based polyurethane
Range	48-inch dual-fuel range	Stainless, brass knobsHomeowner's choice
Refrigerator	Built-in refrigerator, set into the tall cabinet wall	StainlessHomeowner's choice