When Sue and Walt came to us at Remodels by Elite, they brought something most homeowners don't: A crystal-clear sense of self. They entertain constantly. They gather family. And, they had zero interest in a kitchen that looked like anyone else's. Their home already had the bones of an Italian villa: Arched passageways, exposed ceiling beams, stone columns and they wanted a kitchen that continued the story they were already telling.

What followed was months of careful collaboration with our designer, Grace, and the result is one of the most layered, intentional kitchen renovations we've completed. Here's a detailed look at every decision that went into it.

The Design Challenge: Honoring an Italian Villa Without Mimicking One

The existing architecture at this Santa Barbara residence set a high bar. Carved stone columns, arched transom openings, and heavy exposed wood ceiling beams gave the home its Mediterranean soul. The old kitchen, however, didn't live up to that pedigree.

The goal wasn't to recreate a Tuscan farmhouse aesthetic with rustic clichés. It was to build something that felt native to the home — warm, layered, and rich without being heavy — while serving the very real needs of two people who cook, host, and live fully in their kitchen.

That required making bold choices about materials, storage, and flow, and it required resisting the temptation to play it safe.

Three Countertop Personalities, One Cohesive Kitchen

One of the defining moves of this remodel is the deliberate use of three distinct countertop materials. This is a sophisticated design strategy that rewards close inspection — each surface plays a specific role in the room's visual composition.

Cristallo Quartzite — The Island

The large kitchen island is topped with Cristallo quartzite, a natural stone prized for its luminous, translucent quality and dramatic veining. Cristallo reads ivory and warm white in most light, but catches the glow of the glass pendant lights above in a way no engineered surface can replicate.

This stone anchors the island as the room's centerpiece. With four bar stools pulled up and glass dome pendants hanging overhead, it becomes the natural gathering point — visually expansive and undeniably showstopping.

For homeowners considering Cristallo quartzite: it is a premium, relatively hard quartzite that performs well in kitchen environments and is far more durable than marble, though it benefits from sealing and routine care.

Petro Negresco — The Perimeter

The perimeter countertops are Petro Negresco, a dark, moody stone with a richly textured surface studded with natural crystal inclusions. Where the island is light and luminous, the perimeter is grounded and dramatic — creating a contrast that keeps the eye moving through the room.

The crystal flecks in the Petro Negresco subtly echo the transparency of the Cristallo quartzite, creating a visual conversation between the two surfaces without making them match. This is intentional harmony, not accident.

Warm White Quartz — The Pantry

The custom pantry, a space that didn't exist before this renovation, uses a warm white quartz countertop to differentiate it from the main kitchen while keeping it tonally connected to the Cristallo island. The cooler, cleaner quartz surface is practical for pantry use — durable, consistent, and easy to maintain — while grounding the overall palette with a quieter note.

Medallion Maple Cabinetry in Amaretto Stain

The cabinetry throughout is Medallion maple in a hand-selected Amaretto stain — a warm, honey-amber tone that threads through the space with the depth and variation only natural wood can offer. Maple's fine, consistent grain takes stain beautifully, and the Amaretto tone sits exactly at the intersection of classic and contemporary: warm enough to feel rich, light enough to avoid heaviness.

Cabinetry details include raised-panel door profiles on the lower cabinets and cleaner shaker-adjacent profiles on the upper perimeter cabinets, creating visual rhythm without uniformity. The mix of full-height cabinetry, open shelving, and glass-front sections prevents the room from feeling boxed in.

Hardware in ash gray adds quiet depth throughout — a matte, slightly industrial finish that reads as a sophisticated neutral against the warm wood, neither competing with the stone nor disappearing entirely.

The Pull-Out Utensil Cabinet: Function as a Feature

One design detail that photographs beautifully and works even better in person is the narrow pull-out utensil cabinet positioned beside the range. Built into what appears to be a standard cabinet panel, it extends to reveal a full-height tower with:

Upper tiers with stainless steel canisters for spatulas, spoons, and tools
A middle rack for lids and flat implements
Lower sections for cutting boards and sheet pans

This is the kind of storage solution that reflects a deep understanding of how people actually cook. Everything within arm's reach of the range, concealed completely when not in use, and beautiful when open. It's the feature guests always stop to look at — and one Sue and Walt use every single day.

The Custom Pantry: A Room That Didn't Exist Before

Before this renovation, the footprint where the pantry now stands was either dead space or a poorly functioning storage area. Grace and the Remodels by Elite team saw the opportunity to create something transformative: a dedicated pantry room accessible through arched transom openings on either side of the main kitchen.

Those arched transoms do two things simultaneously. Architecturally, they echo the arched passageways found throughout the home, making the pantry feel native rather than added. Practically, they keep the pantry visually open and light-connected to the kitchen — so it never feels like a separate, closed room.

Inside, the pantry features the same Medallion maple cabinetry as the main kitchen, carried through with dark teal/emerald glazed subway tile on the backsplash — a bold, jewel-toned contrast to the warm wood that makes the space feel intentional and curated rather than utilitarian. A floating wood shelf at counter height displays a row of cream ceramic pitchers, reinforcing the idea that this room is designed, not just functional.

It is, by many accounts, everyone's favorite room.

Backsplash: Two Distinct Zones, Two Distinct Personalities

The backsplash strategy reflects the same multi-material sophistication as the countertops.

In the main sink and cooking area, a large-format hexagonal white tile brings a geometric, artisan quality to the wall — textured and dimensional, it catches light beautifully without competing with the dark countertops below or the cream upper cabinets above.

In the pantry alcove, deep teal/emerald glazed subway brick tile creates a rich, jewel-box effect. The handmade-style glaze variation gives the tile an almost three-dimensional depth, and the color — a moody, organic green-teal — anchors the warm wood and black stone in the most unexpected and effective way.

Exposed Wood Beam Ceiling

No description of this kitchen is complete without acknowledging the ceiling. Heavy, natural wood ceiling beams run the full length of the room, set against crisp white plaster. The beams bring warmth, volume, and an undeniable sense of age — the kind of architectural detail that immediately communicates quality and permanence.

Two large glass dome pendant lights hang from the beams over the island, their clear glass allowing the beam structure to remain fully visible even directly above the task area. It's a lighting choice that respects the architecture rather than competing with it.

A skylight cut into the beam ceiling brings natural light deep into the center of the room — critical in a kitchen this large, ensuring the island is always bathed in daylight during cooking hours.

Flooring: European Oak Engineered Hardwood

Underfoot, European oak engineered hardwood runs throughout the kitchen in a light, natural tone that complements the Amaretto cabinetry without matching it too closely. The wider plank format and natural variation of the oak adds warmth and texture to the floor plane — and engineered construction ensures it performs well in a kitchen environment, where solid hardwood can struggle with moisture and temperature fluctuation.

The light floor also keeps the room from feeling too dark, given the prevalence of the rich wood cabinetry and dark stone countertops.

The Appliances: Integrated and Intentional

Appliances were selected to perform at the level this kitchen demands without disrupting the design. The integrated Sub-Zero refrigerator sits flush with the cabinetry surround — framed in Medallion maple so it reads as a cabinetry column from the side, not a refrigerator. Double stainless wall ovens are stacked in the main run, with a warming drawer and microwave below — high-capacity for a household that entertains at scale.

The professional-style range anchors the cooking zone, visible from the island so whoever is cooking is always part of the conversation.

What Makes This Kitchen Different

Many kitchens are beautiful. Fewer are specific. What Grace and the Remodels by Elite team built at this Camino Molinero property is unmistakably Sue and Walt's kitchen. The design decisions — the three countertop surfaces, the bold teal tile, the pull-out utensil tower, the arched pantry transoms — were not made from a catalog. They were made in collaboration, over months, in direct response to who these homeowners are and how they live.

That's the work we love most.

Frequently Asked Questions About This Kitchen Remodel

What type of stone is on the island? The island is topped with Cristallo quartzite, a natural stone known for its luminous, light-catching quality and warm white tones with dramatic veining.

What cabinetry brand and style was used? The cabinetry is Medallion maple in a hand-selected Amaretto stain. Door profiles vary by zone — raised panel on the lower cabinets, cleaner profiles on upper sections.

What is Petro Negresco? Petro Negresco is a dark natural stone countertop material with crystal inclusions throughout its surface. It was used here for the perimeter counters to create a moody, rich contrast to the lighter Cristallo island.

How big is the kitchen island? The island is large enough to seat four at a bar height on one side, with significant prep and entertaining space across its full surface.

Where is this project located? This kitchen remodel was completed at a private residence in the Santa Barbara, California area.

Who designed this kitchen? This project was designed by Grace Gambetta, a designer with Elite Remodels, in close collaboration with the homeowners.

Ready to Start Your Kitchen Remodel?

If this project resonates with you — the layered materials, the custom storage, the attention to who you actually are as a homeowner — we'd love to talk. At Remodels by Elite, we don't start with a catalog. We start with you.

Contact Remodels by Elite to schedule a consultation and begin the conversation about your kitchen.

This Italian-Villa Inspired Kitchen Remodel in Santa Barbara is Everything