PHOTOS BY ROMBOUT PHOTOGRAPHY

In Kathryn Heinauer’s kitchen of vibrant blues and soothing whites, wicker and grass cloth, all that’s missing is the coastal view.

No, the winner of this year’s Best New Kitchen category is not an out-of-the-area entry from Nantucket or Cape Cod. The family’s Pine Township residence — built by Barrington Homes — was designed specifically to let them feel as though they are at the beach year-round.

“The architecture of the homes in Cape Cod and on Nantucket has always resonated with me,” says Heinauer. “Anytime I’ve ever been there and seen that, I never get sick of it.”

Heinauer is a designer with Barrington Homes as well as a real estate agent with Keller Williams. Her husband, Grant, oversees construction management. When creating their vision of the ideal kitchen, the couple, who have three kids, say a place for everyone to gather for family meals was key.

So, the focal island complete with cabinetry and coated in Sherwin-Williams’ Interesting Aqua, extends to a lower top with a furniture base. The wicker seating is from Serena & Lily.

“I really wanted the main seating area to feel more like a furniture piece because that’s where we spend most of our time eating,” Heinauer says.

A custom walnut sink base rests below quartz countertops and large windows that overlook the yard. The marble tile mosaic backsplash is one of Heinauer’s favorite elements in the house, though choosing just one from New York-based Artistic Tile, which they ordered through Splash/Nicklas Supply, was no easy task.

“The mosaics they create are just unbelievable,” she says. “When I saw that, I just knew I needed to incorporate that somehow into the space. I walk into the kitchen and just look at that and love it every single day.”

Carrara subway tile complements the mosaic and carries throughout the rest of the kitchen.

“I felt like those really went well with each other and played off of each other nicely,” says Heinauer.

Just beyond a small section of additional countertop space, the barrel ceiling of a short walkway highlights the entrance to the mudroom. A sliding barn door in the same color as the island leads to the walk-in pantry.

Wallpaper inside the glass cabinets on either end of the countertop tie in the blue-and-white theme. Adding pops of interest are gold sink faucet and light fixtures, black hardware on the sink base and brushed nickel on the cabinets.

“The designer chose a material palette that seemed to work in perfect harmony with one another,” says judge Stephanie Schill Hayden of Schill Architecture in Cleveland. “The gold light fixtures gave a luxurious vibe to the space, but the light blue island and wood sink area cabinetry added a cozy, homey vibe that feels right for a family home.”

Vendors

• Architectural Design: Barrington Homes.
• General Contractor: Barrington Homes, Grant Heinauer.
• Designer: Kathryn Heinauer.
• Electric: B&B Electric, Cardello Lighting.
• Plumbing: Splash/Nicklas Supply.
• Window Treatments: Hunter Douglas from Nest Expressions.
• Cabinetry: Masterbrand Cabinetry (kitchen craft and decora; sink base and custom walnut cabinetry made by H&M Builders.
• Backsplash: Splash/Nicklas Supply.
• Artistic Tile: Artistic Tile, Blue Note Circles, MSI (Grecian white 3×6 Subway).
• Hardware: Top Knobs, Atlas Hardware (sink base only).
• Appliances: Bridgeville Appliance, Monogram & Capital.
• Fixtures: Newport Brass, Kohler.
• Lighting: Savoy House, WAC Lighting.
• Flooring: Paracca Flooring, Hallmark Engineered Wood, Alta Vista, Balboa.
• Countertops: Premier Granite, MSI Calacatta Leon Quartz.
• Windows: Pella Windows. Doors: Dambach Lumber.