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A traditional home gets a lighter, brighter kitchen.

Something new, something blue

Carol Diggs | July 17, 2024

After decades spent designing kitchens in and around Charlottesville, Virginia, Karen Turner is at the top of her game—carefully choosing her clients and working with them to craft efficient, inviting spaces that organize and enrich their lives. Her latest kitchen remodel is packed with tips and takeaways for upgrading the hub of any modern home. From function and flow to finishes and overall feel, Turner leaves nothing to chance. Part of her formula is a hand-picked group of local contractors, cabinetmakers, and carpenters. “It’s a huge relief when Karen calls,” says Matt Nauman of Magnolia Design Group, the general contractor on the project. “I know it’s not going to be a run-of-the-mill kitchen, and I’ll be working with great people.”

Although this kitchen in Keswick is uncommonly large, Turner created it without changing the footprint or incurring unnecessary costs. “My philosophy is to make the house give you as much as it can, without adding on to it,” she explains. Like other top-notch kitchen designers and contractors, Turner focuses first on getting the bones right—the walls, windows, cabinets, plumbing, HVAC, and electrical, which are the costliest to change— and then adding distinctive finishes that are easier to refresh someday down the road…