This Newton Kitchen Took a Colorful Risk and Won
A wall of burgundy cabinets created a moody elegance in this Massachusetts townhouse.
Bold burgundy dominates this breezy kitchen and beckons family and friends to gather at its central waterfall island. “It’s a moody color that’s also happy and cheerful,” Dana Arazi Levine says. / Photo by Michael J. Lee
This article is from the fall 2024 issue of Boston Home. Sign up here to receive a subscription.
Quick to entertain with wine and charcuterie rather than cooking a full meal for dinner, the owner of this airy Newton townhome wanted a central kitchen for friends and family to gather comfortably. Eschewing the ubiquitous neutrals, she fell in love with this wall of striking burgundy cabinets once she saw the design plans, and now they pleasantly dominate the mood of her whole home.
Designer Dana Arazi Levine of her eponymous Boston firm says she edged toward a bolder color palette to complement her client’s laidback, stylish personality. Sherwin Williams’s warm “Cordovan” used on the cabinets pairs with brass—in the handles, drawer pulls, and faucet—as well as matte black in the island pendants and La Cornue range. A sweeping waterfall island of Calacatta Monet marble fuses these tones to create a seamlessly functional yet elegant space.
“Burgundy is recently one of my favorite colors, but I also feel like it’s a really good complementary color to light wood tones, such as the stained oak that was used in the adjacent bar,” Levine says. “It’s moody but also happy and cheerful.”
In the adjacent bar area, brass straps inspired by vintage luggage bring casual elegance to a functional space, where a wine fridge, liquor cabinet, and breakfast bar remain demure. / Photo by Michael J. Lee
That stained-oak paneling was the genesis for the entire first-floor renovation, Levine says. Featuring V-groove panels and brass strapping inspired by vintage luggage, it’s enclosed by a coffered ceiling to fashion a moment for the entire space.
Separate colors between spaces keep the kitchen and bar areas visually different, she says. The waterfall edge of the island breaks the continuity of the periphery and island cabinets, she notes, which ensures the bold cabinet color doesn’t overpower and the design feels balanced.
“I don’t like when things are too modern or too traditional. I try to find that happy balance. So I went with a cabinetry style that’s a bit more traditional for the kitchen. But then I wanted the island to have this waterfall, which is a bit more modern,” Levine says. “It’s more of a design statement with the burgundy cabinets, which is a very bold color for the kitchen.”
Builder Schiefer Woodworking
Cabinetry Waterworks
Interior Designer Arazi Levine Design
Stone Fabrication Stone Surfaces
First published in the print edition of Boston Home’s Fall 2024 issue, with the headline, “Moody Hues.”
