Big day — we’re finally sharing a full tour of both completed duplex kitchens, and our Airbnb listings are now live. Keep reading for photos and details on how to book a week if you want to visit Cape Charles (our favorite summer spot—admittedly we’re a little biased).
The photo above shows the kitchen with blue tile and wood cabinets on the right side of the duplex. You may have seen parts of it in previous posts about installing the Ikea cabinets and tiling the backsplashes. For this post I’ll start on the other side — the kitchen with the pink tile and blue cabinets — and then circle back.
To set the scene, here’s where these rooms started back in 2017 when we first bought the duplex. The now-kitchen was originally a different space, and the old kitchen had been squeezed into a side porch area that didn’t feel right for it.
We made a major improvement by widening the doorway between the living and kitchen areas and adding a transom. That change opened the flow and brought a lot more natural light into both rooms; now you can see the tile wall from the front door.
That larger room had once been a dining area of sorts — complete with an odd fridge in the middle of it — but it was clearly begging to be the new kitchen. We raised the window base so cabinetry could run beneath it and added pocket doors to hide the laundry when needed.
One big change since you last saw these rooms: they’re fully stocked. Renters will find blenders, toasters, coffee makers, pots and pans, knives, silverware, serving bowls, plates, cups, wine glasses, mugs, microwaves, food storage, and basic pantry items. We even included small conveniences like cheese graters, wine openers, and chip clips.
We chose not to continue the patterned tile across the stove wall because it felt visually busy to have the pattern on two walls. Instead we created a wipeable, durable alternative: horizontal planking (sometimes called faux shiplap or paneling). It’s made from thin plywood strips installed with small spacers and painted semi-gloss in a cabinet-matching color so it blends and cleans easily.
The appliances are a mix chosen for looks and reliability: a stainless slide-in range and refrigerator, plus a white countertop microwave that blends into the white wall. We used an Ikea range hood insert that installs inside a cabinet for a built-in appearance. Because we can’t vent through the central firewall of the duplex, we opted for charcoal filters and a slight gap above the cabinet to allow recirculated air to escape.
The fridge is a straightforward top-freezer model built into a cabinet surround so it looks unobtrusive. We avoided ice makers and water dispensers to minimize potential maintenance issues in a house that sits vacant off-season. We’ll leave ice and a Brita filter in the fridge so guests have cold water and ice on arrival.
We also installed our first cabinet-fronted dishwasher to keep the continuous line of cabinetry intact. The plumber handled the hookup, and we attached the matching cabinet panel and hardware. It required careful measuring but was straightforward overall.
On the far end of the back wall we added built-in trash pull-outs, customized to match the surrounding cabinet look. Floating shelves were also installed; I’ll publish a how-to later covering drilling through tile and building heavier-duty shelves that hold lots of bowls and mugs. The shelves were stained “Special Walnut” to match the floors and warm up the space against the newer cabinets.
Switching to the other side of the duplex: the layout is the same but flipped, with different finishes — brass hardware, different shelves, light wood cabinets, and a blue tile backsplash.
Widening the doorway here and adding the transom made a dramatic difference as well. That kitchen window gets great light, and opening the rooms up has noticeably improved the feel of the first floor.
We narrowed the opening into the mudroom/laundry a bit on this side so the cabinets could terminate neatly and added pocket doors here as well. The floating shelves were intentionally designed at 8″ deep so they’re not suited for heavy plates and large bowls — those stay tucked away in cabinets. The shelves are perfect for mugs, cutting boards, measuring cups, and decorative items.
There’s a good amount of storage across both kitchens. While these aren’t designed to hold every single gadget a full-time, highly equipped chef might want, we still have plenty of essentials — and three cabinets/drawers to spare for anything we missed. The cupboards already contain items like zip-top bags, cooking oil, Pyrex, a strainer, cleaning supplies, and a variety of utensils.
We’ll share mudroom/laundry photos and the twin-bed nooks soon; the backyard is still in progress so that will come later.
If you’re interested in renting, both sides are listed separately and each sleeps up to six (plus one baby; pack ’n play and sheet provided). You can book both sides for the same dates if you want the whole house. We’re offering weekly Saturday-to-Saturday rentals during peak summer (late June through August) and plan to offer shorter stays in the off-season later.
We’re excited (and a little nervous) to welcome guests and will work through any early kinks as we get experience managing a short-term rental. For ideas on what to do in town, check our Cape Charles travel guide — the area keeps growing with new bakeries and other shops opening regularly.
We’ve revealed many of the finished duplex rooms already — from the bathroom tile to the layout decisions and permitting adventures — and will continue sharing details and tutorials as we wrap up remaining spaces.
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