Ty Pennington Designs a Whole New Kind of Kitchen That Takes the Cake

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Ty Pennington has designed many a chef’s kitchen, but in the latest episode of “Ty Breaker,” he tackles a whole new beast: a baker’s kitchen.

In the episode titled “A Baker’s Perfect Kitchen,” Pennington and guest designer Sabrina Soto (of “The High Low Project”) meet Elva and Dan Caballero, who’ve recently sold their bakery and bought a $230,000 house in Atlanta near their daughter and grandkids. They are left with only a $50,000 budget to renovate.

Yet Pennington and Soto are used to stretching reno budgets to the max. Here’s how they redo the home into a baker’s paradise, which might inspire a few upgrades around your own abode, too.

Black window frames add an elegant look

These black window frames give dimension to the living room.

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When Elva and Dan first show Pennington their house, they point out that they love the big windows that let in lots of light. So Soto wants to turn the living room windows into a focal point by painting the frames black.

“People are scared to paint it black,” Soto tells Pennington, “but then once you have it on, you realize it actually looks pretty classic.”

When the work is done, the windows do, indeed, have a classic elegance. The black paint adds some dimension to the room without making the space look too bold.

Floating shelves offer less storage but add lots of style

These bakers wanted a kitchen with open shelves.

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With a background in cake baking, Elva and Dan are excited to move into a home with a large kitchen. As Elva says, even though they sold their bakery, their grandkids will still expect cakes on their birthdays.

However, these two make one design choice that surprises Pennington: They want all open shelving instead of upper cabinets.

While open shelving is a popular choice in kitchens these days, Pennington points out that most people prefer to have more cabinets, since they provide lots of storage. Still, these two have their hearts set on shelves.

“These guys ran a bakery. They know exactly what they want,” Pennington says.

So Pennington and Soto choose some elegant black shelves with gold hardware that will stand out against the white subway tile backsplash.

When the kitchen is finished, the shelves look amazing. They may not provide a lot of storage, but they do add an elegant place to display baking ingredients and cake stands. Plus, the dark color gives the kitchen a chic, modern look.

A built-in banquette provides ample seating and storage

This built-in banquette looks great in this house, and it saves space.

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Soto is careful to include a dining space in her design, but once the team widens the doorway to the back deck, Soto realizes that the table she planned for won’t fit in the space.

She comes up with an idea to add a built-in banquette. This banquette will save space, Soto says, and “then you’ll have cabinets flanking them for storage.”

When the banquette is finished, there’s plenty of seating for Dan, Elva, and their whole family. Plus, with the open shelves in the kitchen, this extra storage will certainly come in handy.

A wall near the entryway provides some privacy

Homes don’t need to be entirely open-concept. This wall provides a convenient spot for family pictures.

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Soto plans to give Elva and Dan’s house a completely open concept, but her plans go awry when she realizes one wall needs to stay for structural reasons. So she makes the best of this wall by creating a makeshift foyer with a mirror and lots of family pictures to welcome guests into the home.

When the house is finished and the staging is done, the entryway (and the wall) looks great. Soto and Pennington realize that it’s actually pretty convenient to have a designated entryway instead of a completely open floor plan.

“I also think it really works to have a wall when you walk in, to display, like, your family photos,” Pennington says, “as well as giving you a little bit of privacy.”

Matching colors provide indoor-outdoor flow

This deck needed an update.

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Elva and Dan want a great backyard—and luckily, their new house has a massive yard with a beautiful deck.

However, the deck is a little dated, so Soto paints it gray to match the interior decor. Matching the color, Soto says, helps the living space flow from inside to outside.

“That deck becomes that second living room, and it really changes the whole dynamic of this house,” Pennington says.

With a new color, this deck now matches the interior.

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