I’m sharing the final room reveal (for now) from our main floor remodel. As far as design goes, this space is my favourite room in our home. I had been dreaming up ideas and saving away images for it over the last few years, and it’s been exciting to see it come together.
the Befores
If you read the last few posts on our home, you might have seen our original kitchen layout. It was in the middle of our home overlooking the backyard. The overall size felt small, mostly because there were doorways leading into the foyer, dining room and back hall. There were also bulkheads over all the upper cabinets and a tower at the end of the peninsula which made the kitchen feel very closed off from the rest of the living space.
With the existing kitchen footprint, there wasn’t quite enough space to fit in a good size island with barstools. The amount of doorways also limited cabinet space and made the kitchen feel very choppy.
the Plans
One of my favourite space planning tricks in older homes is flipping the kitchen and dining area. Typically the kitchens are located more in the centre of the home with multiple doorways or walk ways, and the dining rooms are tucked away to one side. By flipping them, it allows the existing doorways to be opened up without sacrificing kitchen cabinet space. To maximize the footprint and fit a larger island, we also included a 30″ bump out. I love that it took away a corner cabinet and gave a “sink nook”.
the Afters
The overall space feels so much larger and I never get tired of the extra light that comes in from the new sink window!
For our cabinetry, we went with inset or face front cabinets. They show more of the construction and craftsmanship of the millwork, and give a heritage feel. I chose Cloud Cover by Benjamin Moore for the paint finish, (It reads light, but not a stark white), and paired it with classic Carrara marble countertops.
I love how old kitchens used to have a piece of furniture as their prep space. For our island, I took inspiration from an antique console table. We had the base made out of white oak with a black soapstone counter. My favourite detail is the rounded corners on the countertop and legs. I love that it feels like its own piece in this space!
For our stove, I continued with the heritage look and sourced a 36″ Ilve range. It was backordered when we purchased it, but so worth the wait! The backslash is the famous Zellige tile by Cle. It had been a favourite of mine for years and I couldn’t think of a better tile to fill the wall behind our range. It has a beautiful handmade texture that is right inline with the details throughout the rest of our kitchen.
Over the range we went with a brass pot filler. I wanted to choose a piece that would feel classic, but not compete with the details on the range, and love how they complement each other. I’ve always loved the look of a pot filler in the kitchen, and can now say I love using one when I’m making meals.
For our sink, I designed a marble front to give the appearance of an apron sink. The brass faucet is the same finish as the pot filler but has a bit more of a traditional design. I didn’t want it to feel too modern, and love the classic details it adds to this corner of the kitchen.
We went with a cast iron under mount sink that picks up on the warm tones in the rest of the kitchen. I love that this piece has some soft curves so it doesn’t feel too modern, and is made of a durable finish that will not scratch or crack. Sink drains are often overlooked, but are such an important design detail to get right. I sourced these pretty brass drains that match the finish of the faucet, so no regrets here!
For the kitchen hardware, I mixed in three different styles. The built in fridge and pantry have appliance pulls . These wire pulls were for the dishwasher and matching cabinet on the opposite side of the sink. And then the rest of the drawers and doors have these small round knobs. All of the hardware is in an unlaquered brass finish so it will patina overtime. When it first arrived, they looked exactly like a polished brass, however they have already started to loose their shine and become darker. I love the subtle warm tone that it adds to the room.
The barstools are made out of a warm woven leather. They are wipeable and holdup to every day living in our home. Our kids love eating breakfast and lunch here, and I love being able to talk to them while I’m working in the kitchen.
Another close up of all the sink details, and the wall sconces. These lights have been a favourite of mine for a while, and I’m so glad I found a spot for them here!
Thank you for reading, and I hope you’ve found inspiration for your own space!
-Alyssa
Images by Cameron St.
