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n today’s homes, kitchens serve a 
multitude of purposes beyond being a 
space to whip up a meal. They’re the 
heart of your home; the command center; 
the family gathering spot. So it’s no won-
der why kitchens are where homeowners 
invest their renovation budget and why 
homebuyers pay a premium for an updat-
ed look. And savvy design professionals 
agree, spicing up your kitchen with styl-
ish, timeless and natural materials — like 
cypress — is a recipe for success.

LAYING IT OUT
Planning a new or remodeled kitchen can 
be an exciting, yet overwhelming time. 
Designer Erika Powell from Urban Grace 
Interiors in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., says 
making the process less stressful boils 
down to ensuring the layout meets your 
needs.
“When starting a project, we first like 
to sit down with our clients in order 
to get to know them and how they will 
be using their kitchen,” she says. “If an 
architect is involved, we also like to work 
hand-in-hand with them so that any 
overarching architectural vision they may 
have is included in the interior design as 
well.”

Nowadays, homeowners are mostly 
looking for open concept floorplans with 
kitchens that open up to living and dining 
rooms. And because there’s less available 
wall space, there are fewer upper cabinets. 
To compensate, modern kitchen layouts 
feature expansive islands with seating 
and storage, a pantry for canned and dry 
goods, and a butler pantry to hide away 
less frequently used items.
“Once we determine the layout, then 
we get to work on selecting building 
products and finishes,” Powell says. 
“While there is a wide range of products 
to choose from, our style focuses on fine 
materials and classic design elements. 
Being near the beach, our clients gravitate 
toward light and natural materials — and 
products like real wood are just more 
beautiful. A wood such as cypress is sta-
ble and durable with unique charm. It’s a 
fixture in many of our kitchen projects.”

DECIDING ON CABINETS
When it comes to choosing cabinetry, 
architect Ben Patterson from Bossier City, 
La., says it doesn’t take long to notice the 
difference between cabinetry that’s built 
with solid wood and what you can find at 
the big box stores.
 “In my experience, homeowners value 

the natural character and quality of solid 
wood cabinets,” he says. “I’m a full-ser-
vice architect and usually design custom 
cabinets for the projects I work on. And 
I like working with local materials, so my 
cabinet designs usually have a cypress 
face with a birch box.”
Selecting a finish can be tricky, but 
Patterson says trends come and go. 
“Painted cabinets seem to be all the rage 
these days, but a natural wood finish is 
tasteful and timeless,” he adds. “
And that’s 
another reason I love cypress. Whether 
new growth, old growth, sinker or pecky, 
cypress is simply beautiful.”

TOPPING IT OFF
If your kitchen feels a little bland, luxury 
homebuilder Matt Cain from Dallas-
based Tatum Brown Custom Homes says 
what’s overhead is often overlooked.
“In kitchens, we typically install a wood 
plank ceiling treatment to add visual 
texture and aesthetic warmth,” he says. 
“There are a lot of materials to work 
with, but I prefer cypress — especially 
pecky cypress — because it offers such a 
specific look and homeowners just fall in 
love with it. In fact, I’ve never painted a 
cypress ceiling; it’s too beautiful to cover 
up.” 

Add a dash of spice and style to your kitchen.

Consider Cypress

22 | MARCH 11 • 2021 

