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In the initial meeting at the job site, the client showed the designer, Liz Williams, an inspirational photograph of a chalet in the Alps and asked if the project could reflect this.

The project design concept is an important part of any design and is the foundation and inspiration upon which all the design elements are developed then incorporated together.

So the design concept for this kitchen project was developed based on that photograph. The island countertop (quartz) material represents the natural granite found in the Alps, complete with the waterfall edge to replicate falling water. The flooring is a wood plank laminate - which happens to be low maintenance for this bachelor who loves to cook. The stainless steel appliances add the metallic element to the mix.

The kitchen cabinetry features two different wood species - Alder and Walnut - and this relates to the forests in the mountains. Floating shelves are like tree branches.

The final design element, and focal point, to this Alpine project is the glass tile backsplash, installed in a gradient pattern from dark at countertop height to light at ceiling height. The three different colored glass tiles represent the Alpine lakes, sky, and clouds.

Since there was an existing small opening in a wall that was expanded to increase the footprint of the kitchen, one section of this wall was left in the design and a rectangular opening was added in this section of the wall to create a "window" to the view.

The existing window in the project was replaced with one where the opening is level with the countertop to expand the visual space in the room and bring in more natural light.