Montecito ranch kitchen
A 1962 ranch house kitchen opened to the family room, with white oak cabinets from a workroom in Ventura, a smooth plaster hood and a travertine island long enough for homework.
Scope
Kitchen and family room
Timeline
Five months
Design fee
$16,000
Furniture and finishes
$92,000 including cabinetry
Photographs
Photographed in August 2025
The brief
A closed galley kitchen with a view of a two hundred year old live oak that nobody could see. The Okafors cook every night and wanted room for two people at the stove and two kids at the island.
What we did
We took out one wall, moved the sink under a new steel window so the oak fills it, and drew every cabinet in elevation for the workroom. The hood is plastered to match the walls, the counters are honed travertine and the stools are rush seated oak, because they will be sat on every day.
What changed
The contractor built from our drawings without a single change order on the cabinetry. The kitchen was usable again in eleven weeks.
“The drawings were so complete that our contractor stopped calling us with questions.”
Sam and Ada Okafor
Start with two hours at your house
A designer walks every room with you, measures, listens, and sends written notes the same week. The visit is $450, and it comes off your design fee if we go on to work together.