Buying a house is a huge financial investment – usually your single biggest asset. Some home buyers are able to distance themselves completely and make a decision based strictly on financial considerations, but for most of us, it’s also an emotional investment. How a house feels and how you dream of living in its rooms is as important (or even more important) than the fiscal side of things.
Make the Change that Makes the Difference
Old houses are generally comprised of a series of smaller rooms, and the existing layout isn’t always in keeping with how people want to live today. This house had four separate rooms on the ground floor, and a cramped kitchen, so the first step was to combine the kitchen and the dining area into one open-plan room. Making structural changes and removing an entire wall to redefine how the spaces work isn’t cheap, but removing the wall and installing a flush-mount beam in the ceiling gave us a wide-open space to work with. You may regret not doing many things in a renovation, but I’ve never had a client regret opening a space up.
Be Unique
There are many aspects of kitchen design that require you to select the best option from what’s standard and available. Appliances, sinks, faucets, counters, flooring and tile are a game of this one or that one. But once all the basics are in place, it’s time to have some fun. Lots of people like the idea of an island that is a contrast colour, so it stands out from the main cabinetry finish on the perimeter cabinets. For more than a decade, the popular accent finish has been coffee-inspired with shades of espresso stain topping the popularity charts. My clients said they loved blue, so I opted to embrace a rich cobalt scheme and painted the standard door fronts on the island in a rich, deep hue (with a semi-gloss finish) to create a one-of-a-kind island that sets the tone for the whole room.
Combine Functions
No matter how big or small your kitchen is, clearances are always at a premium and every inch is needed to maintain flow and free access. Keeping the radiators in their original locations under the windows stole precious floor space and affected the overall dimensions of our island. Since the basement was unfinished below the kitchen, we simply relocated the pipes to facilitate the installation of a new, slim profile rad that tucks under the far end of the island, keeping it out of sight and out of the way, while still keeping the room cozy and warm.
Go High and Go Low
The top items on my clients’ wish list included a big island and an eat-in kitchen. After many iterations of the design plan (and there are always many options considered and explored before we land on a final design), the winning solution was a giant island measuring about 41/2 by 10 feet. with an attached drop-down table to accommodate casual gatherings. Attaching the table to the island saved 36 inches in clearance space that would have been needed to walk between the island and the table, and allowed us to install a bigger table with more room to spread out. The finishing touch that makes the table a stand-out addition to the room is a custom base that’s fashioned from brass bar rail components that helps bring a bit of restaurant chic home.
Set Your Cabinets Free
Most kitchen companies automatically assume that you want everything in your kitchen connected. I am the exception to the norm. I do not like to have the cabinets look like they are glued to the ceiling and always prefer to leave a “shadow line” (the gap between where the crown for the cabinets stops and the ceiling starts). The ceilings in old house (and many new ones, too) are rarely level, so leaving some breathing room helps disguise any fluctuations in the ceiling, while also creating the look of an unfitted kitchen. Instead of connecting all the cabinetry to run from wall to wall along the length of the room, I also wanted to treat the different areas to function as freestanding pieces with a bit of breathing room around them to create a more traditional look.
Draw the Line
I considered installing a blue backsplash to further reinforce our chosen hue, but decided it was likely too much of a good thing. White subway tile is always a budget-friendly solution and can easily be dressed up with narrow bands of an accent tile to help tie your scheme together. The dark-blue, penny-round mosaic tiles were sold as sheets and we simply sliced them into bands to add a preppy punctuation to an otherwise all-white wall of cabinetry.
Keep It Low
Double wall ovens are on the “nice to have” list if space and budget permit. My issue with them is that they generally steal precious counter space that could be better used for prep areas. But there is a solution … instead of buying a double wall oven, buy two single ones and install them below the counter on either side of the cook top. This allows you to create a symmetrical layout with maximum counter space to spread out while you whip up a feast.
Source Guide:
kitchen cabintery, HanStone Quartz countertops in "Pewter", microwave oven, dishwasher, cabintery knobs & handles & ivory drapery panels, IKEA | cooktop, wall ovens & espresso machine, shop.ca | fridge, Kitchenaid | wine fridge, Frigidaire | calacatta marble countertop, 3100 Langstaff, Thornhill, ON, 905.669.6010New Age Granite and Marble | marble fabrication and installation, Uniform Custom Countertops Inc. | hardwood flooring (Ash Oilbrush Buckingham), 106 Advance Rd., Etobicoke, ON, 416.247-5110, Value Wood Floors Ltd. | backsplash tile, 115 Tycos Dr., Toronto, ON, 416.441.2224, Saltillo Imports | sink, 100 Corporation Dr., Toronto, ON, 905.494.2400, BLANCO | faucet, The Rubinet Faucet Company | wire mesh behind glass doors, 130 Lepage Ct, unit 14, Toronto, ON, 416.638.8891 Dupont Wire | pendants over island, 1260 Castlefield Ave., Toronto, ON, 416.863.1590, The Door Store | door & windows supply & install, Trillium Window & Door Systems | drapery detail fabric: "jonathon adler, limitless, colour 5", Kravet Fabrics | counter stools, Cornerstone Furniture | dining chairs, 1588 Bayview Ave., Toronto, ON, 416.322.9744, The Elegant Garage Sale | spraying of dining chairs & island doors, Benjamen Furniture Refinishing, 104 Kenhar Dr., Toronto, ON, 416.745.2559 | spraying of island gables, 8 Ripley Ave., Toronto, ON, 416.762.6919, Eurocraft Restoration Co. Ltd. | wood trim, 2296 Gerrard E., Toronto, ON, 416.699.8440, Central Fairbank Lumber | custom brass table base, supply & install, 940 Westport Cr., Mississauga, ON, 905.795.0808, Gallery Metalworks | drapery hardware, 1360 Queen St W., Toronto, ON, 416.531.2810, Designer Fabrics | radiator, Stelrad | blue glass vase, square dishes, blue mugs & cutting board, Indigo | blue and white bowls in glass cabinets & serving platter, 360 Spadina Ave., Toronto, ON, 416.977.6364, Tap Phong Trading Co. Inc. | gilt faux bamboo mirror & bar cart, 328 Queen St. E, Toronto, ON, 416.686.5614, Vintage Fine Objects | napkins, 950 Dupont St., Toronto, ON, 416.532.6700, GH Johnson Trading Company Ltd. | brass pitchers, blue and white vases, bowl on countertop, brass vases, brass cannister, paperweights, champagne bucket & candle sticks, 150 Lesmill Rd., Toronto, ON, 416.546.1760, Around the Block | clear cannisters, salt and pepper shaker, tea kettle, glasses in cabinet, round decanter on bar car & artwork, Homesense | flowers, Jong Young Flowers, 128 Avenue Rd., Toronto, ON, 416.922.4421 | cutlery, plates, wine glasses & teapot, personal items |
Trades
contractor, MBKL Ltd. Custom Contracting, 416.836.7295 | cabinetry installation, IKEA installation Services | electrical, Spindel Electric Inc., 416.225.0212
Paint Colours & Wallpaper
ceiling, walls, & all trim - Natural White 50YY 83/029, Dulux Paint | dining chairs & Island - Rich Navy 50BB 08/171, Dulux Paint | wallpaper - "Donegal" blue and white T13004, Thibaut Inc.