When Bella Viva Orchards owners Angela and Victor Martino asked Wendy Glaister of Wendy Glaister Interiors to help them design a dream kitchen and make their new house a home, she readily agreed.
“When we designed the kitchen, she really took it to heart, knowing that we are in agriculture and producers of food and what our dream for the kitchen was. And she took our personalities, plus our needs, plus, I always say, she takes a person’s heart, she takes their brain, and then she adds creativity and comes up with a design that is just amazing, and it fits us,” said Angela Martino about Glaister’s work.
The Martinos’ main focus for their new house — which was just next door to their old house — was to have a kitchen where they could both entertain family and friends and also use it as a test kitchen for new recipes for their dried fruit and nut company.
The kitchen felt separated from the living room because of awkward peninsulas and another change in floor elevation. To alleviate that, Glaister had the entire kitchen demolished and re-designed with new solid wood cabinets with dovetail drawer boxes and soft close glides and cabinet hinges, custom built by VPM Cabinets of Modesto.
“The kitchen is a test kitchen for the couple’s fancy fruit business, and the appliances had to hold up to the tasks of a professional kitchen on a daily basis. Ron Bordona, from Bordon’s Furniture and Appliances in Oakdale, helped the couple select the perfect Sub-Zero Wolf kitchen appliance package. The space features a dual fuel range, steam and speed ovens, two Cove dishwashers, two trash pull-outs (one at each sink location), ambient, task and general lighting, metal mesh and glass front cabinets, and a combination of three paint colors and a custom stain on the island which also boasts an appliance riser with electrical access inside to house their KitchenAid mixer,” said Glaister.
“A spectacular marble and glass mosaic tile from Artistic Tile, San Francisco, perfectly blends all of the elements and colors for a warm take on a luxury kitchen. The island has a very fancy edge detail on the countertops as a standout artisan feature, fabricated by Aluna’s. In contrast, the perimeter counters are a simple flat mitered edge.”
When the Martino’s entertain, they gather around their custom farm table in the dining area, so Glaister took advantage of the space typically reserved for the kitchen nook and repurposed it as a wine lounge with four swivel glider club chairs, inviting cozy conversation in the comfort of plush seating. Wines are stored in a temperature-controlled wine cabinet, engineered by Victor Martino himself.
Visiting grandchildren are a constant presence in the home, so peninsula seating was selected with littles in mind, ready to perch there for an afternoon of snacking or cookie decorating. The kitchen comfortably seats eight, even without a traditional table.
“My design goal was to create a beautiful, warm, timeless luxury family space that could perform under pressure and provide a backdrop for years of special memories and celebrations,” said Glaister.
While the kitchen was the focus of the redesign, Glaister also renovated other areas of the home.
Formerly, there was very little natural light when entering the home, so Glaister installed more floor to ceiling windows and switched the old, worn wood door to a glass and storefront style pivot door.
There was a 14-inch drop to the sunken living room, so the design team raised the floor to be level with the entry. A large 70’s style brick fireplace dominated the room. To make the space feel less heavy, Glaister removed the “wing” walls of the fireplace, drywalled and textured over the remaining brick, installed a more tailored mantel and selected a natural quartzite stone for the firebox surround.
The original wood beam ceiling was painted and sculptural light fixtures from Phillips Lighting and Home were installed to lift the feeling and lighten the mood of the room.
French Oak floors from House of Carpets, Modesto, were installed throughout the home to bring a sense of design cohesion to the formerly “choppy” spaces.
A custom-built library on the east wall now provides display and storage for treasured family collections, photos, books and games. Concealed lighting within each section provides a warm glow in the evenings.
