”Charlie is such an exuberant person that coming up with ideas for this kitchen was largely a matter of reflecting her personality in the space,” says Frederick. “She had definite ideas, which enabled us to give her exactly what she wanted.” And what she wanted was an unfitted kitchen—one in which the cabinets are treated as separate pieces of furniture.

Kollias accomplished this by using two woods—alder and maple—finished three different ways to create cabinets that were designed in varying heights and depths. She topped the cabinets with heavy crown molding and added furniture detailing like raised panels and bun feet.

And then Charlie brought in four French porcelain teacups on which the designers were to base their palette. The cups are deep, rich, saturated colors. The terra-cotta red, mustard yellow, mossy green, and cobalt blue are found throughout the kitchen, from the green-and-cream tile backsplash to the brick red-stained knotty alder island to the intricately painted faux rugs on the floor. Likewise, Frederick brought those colors into the more than 20 different printed textiles he used throughout the space. Framing the colors are the warm black range surround, the creamy white cabinets and dish racks that run along the perimeter of the rooms, and the large slab of honey-colored granite that tops the island. In fact, the size of the island was determined entirely by the size of the stone. “We made the island the largest it could be to fit the granite slab, so that there would be no seams in the countertop,” says Kollias.

The black color around the range echoes the color of the dining table and chairs that the Levines already owned. “I felt that the kitchen needed that bold focal point to punch up and strengthen the overall composition,” explains Frederick.