Kitchen with tall fumed oak refrigerator cabinetry, a white waterfall island and dark graphite cabinetry along the sink wall, with bronze glass display cabinets at the far end under a white beamed ceiling.

Projects

Barrington Residence — Custom Kitchen & Architectural Millwork

Fumed oak, graphite and bronze glass in a designer-led residence

This residence in Barrington, Illinois, was a designer-led project. Its kitchen pairs fumed European White Oak with dark graphite cabinetry and bronze glass, and the same attention to material carries into custom work elsewhere in the house.

The design direction came from the client's designer. UniMode worked closely with the designer to engineer that direction into cabinetry and millwork that is functional, buildable and visually refined as a finished project.

We engineered the cabinetry and millwork, manufactured it from scratch in our own shop, finished it, delivered it and installed it. Our custom kitchen cabinets page describes how we work on a kitchen, from drawings to installation.

View down the full length of the kitchen: fumed oak tall cabinetry to the left, a white island in the center, dark graphite cabinetry to the right, and bronze glass cabinets and an off-white fluted table beyond.

Hand-selected fumed oak with a low-sheen Natural Velvet finish

The tall refrigerator cabinetry and panels are faced in European White Oak veneer with a fumed appearance. UniMode hand-selected the veneer leaves from an out-of-state supplier, and the panels use a random layup rather than a highly repetitive matched pattern.

The surfaces were wire-brushed and finished in UniMode's Natural Velvet finish. The aim was an extremely low-sheen, natural-looking surface that keeps the visual and tactile character of the wood while giving it a durable, furniture-quality finish.

Dark graphite-grey cabinetry built from Egger PerfectSense panels sets a clean, matte contrast against the fumed oak and the lighter architectural elements. Display cabinetry with Onyx Matte metal-framed doors and Satin Bronze glass is lit from within by integrated LED lighting.

Fumed European White Oak refrigerator doors showing the random veneer layup, with long vertical pulls. Bronze glass display cabinets above a floating counter, beside tall dark wood cabinetry with a coffee machine and ovens, and an off-white table with a fluted end and a round leg.

A fumed oak table, and an off-white table with a fluted curved leg

A custom table made by UniMode matches the fumed European White Oak of the tall refrigerator cabinetry and panels, and is finished consistently with the surrounding oak work.

A second custom table is finished in a refined off-white paint with UniMode's Velvet finish system. It incorporates sculptural curved leg details: a half-round fluted leg, and a coordinating round leg used near the adjacent coffee cabinetry.

A custom fumed oak table meeting the white island, with dark graphite cabinetry at the range and along the sink wall. Tall dark wood cabinetry with a built-in coffee machine and ovens, beside metal-framed bronze glass cabinets lit from within, and an off-white fluted table. Close detail of the off-white table's half-round fluted leg beneath its rounded top.

Beyond the kitchen: an entry door, open shelving and a mudroom

UniMode also made custom work elsewhere in the residence. The exterior entry door was custom fabricated in Mahogany, with a slatted front.

An open shelving built-in carries the same fumed oak character and Natural Velvet finish. Integrated LED lighting in selected open sections adds depth and a little playfulness without becoming decorative clutter.

In the mudroom, full-height, wardrobe-style cabinetry in a deep blue matte finish provides integrated storage.

Every project follows the same path from preliminary pricing to installation. View Our Process

Custom Mahogany entry door with a slatted front, set between glass panels in a white brick entry. Fumed oak open shelving built into the wall, with integrated LED lighting in selected sections. Full-height, wardrobe-style mudroom cabinetry in a deep blue matte finish with long metal pulls.

See the Work

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