The large kitchen of a custom-built Alexandria home was cavernous and uninviting. Ready for a change, the owner tapped Ronda Royalty of Stuart Kitchens to create a new design “that would feel cozy and intimate despite its size,” Royalty says while providing functionality, flow and plenty of bells and whistles.

In this kitchen, the cabinetry takes center stage. The owner specified a traditional look, so Royalty worked with interior designer Stuart Nordin to select furniture-like cherry cabinets with doors that are inset and trimmed with elaborate moldings. The peripheral cabinets are painted cream and distressed so that the wood grain shows through; the island and adjacent butler’s pantry cabinets are a distressed gray.

The extensive millwork encompasses an L-shaped banquette in the breakfast area, which contains storage under the seat; a valance above the sink with its sheer window shades; an ornate hood cover above a Wolf range with double ovens; and a desk area big enough to accommodate two workstations, complete with shelving and linen-covered bulletin boards. Seeded-glass cabinet fronts with curved mullions are interspersed throughout.

Nordin chose Thassos marble countertops with an ogee edge for the periphery and Peruvian walnut for the island and butler’s pantry. She injected a transitional element with a Thassos and Botticino Fiorito backsplash by New Ravenna, adding custom stools in durable Perennials fabric and a walnut-and-iron chandelier above the island.

Kitchen Design: Ronda Royalty, CKD, Stuart Kitchens of McLean, McLean, Virginia. Interior Design: Stuart Nordin, Stuart Nordin Home & Design, Alexandria, Virginia. Builder: Wakefield Homes, LLC, Alexandria, Virginia. Cabinetry: Rutt HandCrafted Cabinetry in Loire Valley Inset. Marble & Wood Countertops: R. Bratti Associates, Grothouse. Faucets: Rohl. Appliances: Wolf, Bosch, Sub-Zero. Backsplash: Architectural Ceramics. Chandelier: Urban Electric.