"People will live with a bad situation for so long,” says House Beautiful editor Jo Saltz, who was doing just that before she embarked on a six-month renovation to fix up the most-used—but admittedly most-dated—room in her family’s New Jersey home: the kitchen.
Flash back to early 2017, when the Saltz family bought their house and were immediately tripping over themselves to make breakfast. “It’s like Grand Central in here,” said Jo’s husband, Scott. That was a problem for what Jo calls “a family who loves food.” (In addition to House Beautiful, Jo also oversees the food website Delish).
In summer 2019, designer Jean Stoffer (whose style Jo fell in love with on Instagram) used her tried-and-true design questionnaire to come up with a game plan based on the family’s habits and needs. She then worked—cross-country; Stoffer is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan—with local contractor Eric Grier of Right at Home Improvements to bring it to life. “Jo and Scott each have very specific tasks in the kitchen,” Stoffer explains. For example, “Jo needs counter space for baking, and Scott needs a microwave area for preparing breakfast and lunch.”
After doubling the floor plan by absorbing a second dining area, Stoffer created designated zones for working, baking, cooking dinner, and lunch-box prep. “Now,” she says, “it’s a space that allows them all to be together as a family.”
Before
Genius Solutions
1. Jo had always refused to cook fish “because the smell would just swallow up the house,” she says. So designer Jean Stoffer created a range alcove—equipped with a GE Monogram fan and a Fireclay Tile backsplash—to contain cooking odors and mess. Nooks built into the sides of the alcove make easily-accessible storage for spices and oils.
2. The previous kitchen had 30-year-old countertop surfaces that were rife with knife cuts and water damage. The Saltzes didn't want that to happen to their new counters. “I’m a chaotic cook,” admits Jo, who loved Stoffer’s surface pick: honed Caesarstone counters that “can basically withstand the apocalypse.” Plus, they look just like marble.
3. In the old kitchen, dishes piled up in small mountains—an understandable dilemma for an always-on-the-go family of five. So Jo chose the Elkay extra-deep Circuit Chef Sink (and accompanying Bridge Faucet), which comes with swap-in strainers that both make prep work and cleanup easier and hide the mess inside.
4. To keep things interesting, Stoffer chose two colors of Stoffer Home cabinetry—Iron Hook throughout, but Natural Oak on the storage wall. The mix, plus strategically-placed Schaub & Company hardware, make the cabinetry look less like repetitive kitchen storage and more like thoughtfully-selected furniture.
5. With a family of five, fridge and freezer space are precious. Stoffer advocated separating the full-size fridge and freezer so they don’t take up a lot of visual space. “You never really use them at the same time,” she explains. Jo’s GE Monogram Integrated Column Refrigerator (left) is close to her prep zone; the 24" Smart Integrated Column Freezer is near the microwave, where Scott heats frozen breakfasts and school lunches.
The Baking Zone
AKA Jo’s favorite spot in the house.
Making treats with daughter Everett is a weekly event—but doing so in the old kitchen took up the whole room. “It required a lot of planning,” Jo says. Now, a dedicated baking center features everything they need.
Luna Nesting Dinnerware Set
Strategic Ways to Spend (and Save)
“I wish I had a never-ending budget for whatever I wanted,” says Saltz. “But Jean and I had to get creative.” High-low moments are hidden throughout.
BONUS FRIDGE
GE Monogram’s Double Drawers were a splurge, but the kids (hi, Teddy!) can grab snacks without entering the cook’s zone.
CUSTOM INSERTS
Inside key drawers—right next to the cooktop, for one—Stoffer built in high-end hardwood dividers to keep tools organized.
SORTING PEGS
A $48 pegboard insert from The Home Depot holds Jo’s plates—gray and white Profile dinner plates and black everyday Chelse Muse accent plates (both from Lenox)—in place, and was far cheaper than a bespoke version.
ACCENT TILE
Using more expensive Snow Flower tiles from Fireclay Tile ($45 each) in small ways—like as a racing stripe and in two niches—maximized impact.
BOTTLE FILLER
The Liv Built-in Filtered Water Dispenser by Elkay is worth the cost when the kids, like Spencer, have multiple after-school sports.
VARIED LIGHTING
Circa Lighting pendants ($1,089) and sconces ($479) are the first things people compliment, says Jo, and worth every penny. But the recessed fixtures, which no one will ever see, were inexpensive, builder-grade cans.
COMFY SEATING
Tyler leather stools ($250 a pop normally, but bought during a Black Friday sale) are from World Market.
SHALLOW BULKHEAD
Demo day revealed a low-hanging pipe that would’ve cost thousands to move into the ceiling. Instead, Grier covered it with dry wall for a fraction of the cost.
See the Rest of the Space
Dot Pendant
Anders Wall Light
Sprig & Vine 4-Piece Dinner Plate Set
Profile White Porcelain 4-Piece Accent Plate Set
Sprig & Vine 2-Piece Glass Bowl Set
Colebrook 5-piece Place Setting
Sprig & Vine Set of 4 Accent Plates
Circuit Chef Sink
Snow Flower Tile
Large Brass Peppermill
Oval Dutch Oven
Leather Counter Stool
Oriental Seraband Antique Rug
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Hadley Keller is the Director of Editorial and Community Engagement at the Design Leadership Network, a community of top interior designers. She has covered design, interiors, and culture for over 10 years.
