A “Dominated by Gray" Kitchen Transforms with an Ultra-Bold Color Palette
ABOUT THIS BEFORE & AFTER
HOME TYPE: House
PROJECT TYPE: Kitchen
STYLE: Colorful, Contemporary
SKILL LEVEL: Professional
RENTAL FRIENDLY: No
When it came to Alicia Savin’s eclectic and colorful Canada home, it wasn’t the straw that broke the camel’s back, but the pipe that burst and kick-started an entire home renovation. And the most important place to start was the kitchen. While the situation wasn’t ideal, the results made everything worth it.
Alicia, who shares the home with her husband, Alex, and two children, Jack and Ben, wanted to renovate for a while but kept putting it off. One day, when a pipe burst and flooded the entire downstairs, she knew it was time to start renovating as she knew that the plumbing would have to be completely redone.
“The kitchen was previously quite dreary, uninspiring, and dominated by gray, a color that doesn’t resonate with me at all,” she says. The first order of business for the kitchen redesign was selecting new appliances and a colorway. Alicia went with all Big Chill appliances in the color “Telemagenta,” which became the “springboard” for the kitchen design and the rest of the home.
“Given the boldness of the appliances, I knew I needed to balance their intensity with black cabinetry and countertops,” Alicia explains. “This choice not only allowed the appliances to stand out, but also created a striking contrast.”
While the appliances are definitely the focal point, the balance is pleasing to the eye. Tropical pink grasscloth wallpaper from Wallshoppe adds texture and ties together the pink appliances. Meanwhile, custom-colored floor tiles from Fireclay accentuate the dark cabinets.
But Alicia did more than add bright colors to the space. She wanted to maximize the kitchen’s layout, too. She built a new “meticulously organized” pantry around the refrigerator to make accessing ingredients easier (there are even labeled drawers!), expanded the windows for better outdoor views, and moved the stove to allow for more counter space.
“My favorite addition to the layout is the banquette area with the pedestal table,” Alicia adds. “Previously, only two counter-height stools fit in the space, leaving a dead zone behind. Now, the banquette comfortably seats four, making it perfect for casual meals, having drinks with friends, and playing board games as a family.”
Even though pink, black, and white are the dominant colors in the room, Alicia wanted to include other accents, too. She selected gold JF Fabric’s “Puma” fabric for the banquette and a green stone to complement the black tulip table base.
Finally, “I put in a statement light fixture over the table to draw the eye upward to the vaulted ceiling,” she explains.
When asked what she likes best about the new room, Alicia couldn’t narrow it down: “Every f*cking thing.” The renovation cost just over $93,000 CAD (about $68,000 USD) and has given Alicia’s family an invaluable amount of joy. One of her favorite things is watching other people’s reactions when they enter the room. She describes common reactions as “amazement, delight, and even shock.”
“I love the new layout I designed, as it’s not only incredibly functional for our family, but also perfect for entertaining guests,” Alicia says. “Honestly, there’s nothing about this kitchen that doesn’t work amazingly well or that I would change.”
You might’ve already guessed based on Alicia’s kitchen, but the rest of her family’s home is just as fun, bright, and functional. To see more, visit the full home tour on Apartment Therapy.
This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: Before & After: A “Dreary” Dated, Gray Kitchen Gets a Punch of Drama (and Color!)
Further Reading
I Tried the 90/90 Rule and My Closet Is Now Fully Decluttered
See How a Stager Used Paint to Transform a 1950s Living Room
