An Updated Kitchen with a Relaxed Beach Vibe

Floating shelves break up the expanse of white cabinets and offer a spot to display pretty things. The designers chose easy-care options like these counter chairs from Anthropologie.

The designers chose easy-care options like these counter chairs from

A mirrored back reflects light and adds a sense of depth to the bar.

What’s a couple to do when their family has outgrown their home but loves their neighborhood too much to move? For the clients of Courtney Yanni and Meghan De Maria, partners at Moss Design, the solution was a home renovation that included enlarging and reconfiguring the kitchen. The two designers were on board early in the project as Southport architect Donald William Fairbanks came up with a plan that pushed the back of the Fairfield beach house out and added a pantry and mudroom along with the larger kitchen.

With two teenagers, the couple wanted a casual feel that encourages hanging together as a family. “They wanted kind of a beach vibe,” Yanni says.

The airy new kitchen sports white upper cabinets, interrupted here and there by open wood shelves, that float like clouds on an expanse of glossy sky-blue tile. Shiny white quartz tops the lower cabinets and the island. “We often do honed surfaces,” De Maria says, “but this kitchen doesn’t get a lot of natural light, so we chose reflective surfaces.” And for a sophisticated touch, the designers added a bar, outfitted in pale blue cabinets and a mirrored back, to suit the grown-up new kitchen.

Project Team
Interior design: Courtney Yanni, Meghan De Maria, Moss Design
Architecture: Donald William Fairbanks
Builder: Jason Graziano, G&H Builders