Stickybeak of the Week: Red Revs Up a Practical Kitchen
A homeowner's Dutch heritage and a love of the colour red delivers a kitchen revamp with a difference
“My client’s main criteria for this kitchen was that it had to have red benchtops,” says interior designer Lorey Cavanaugh. While she’d never used red benchtops before, Cavanaugh is a big fan of the colour herself – in fact, it’s her signature colour. “Without having to even think about it, I told her, ‘I’m all-in!’” she says.
The homeowner’s family tree is rooted in the Netherlands, so the designer also wanted to bring a Scandinavian modern feel to this kitchen in a way that worked with the rest of her 1920s brick colonial-style home in Connecticut. With a mix of clean lines and white with warmer touches, the kitchen strikes a beautiful balance that suits the home and has modern European flair.
The homeowner’s family tree is rooted in the Netherlands, so the designer also wanted to bring a Scandinavian modern feel to this kitchen in a way that worked with the rest of her 1920s brick colonial-style home in Connecticut. With a mix of clean lines and white with warmer touches, the kitchen strikes a beautiful balance that suits the home and has modern European flair.
The clean lines, crisp white finishes and Aga stove lend a Scandinavian look. “This kitchen is a little bit of a stretch for a Connecticut colonial, but the Shaker cabinets and oil-rubbed-bronze hardware are more in keeping with it,” Cavanaugh says. “Using flat or no-panel cabinet fronts with more modern hardware would have made it more European but less fitting for the home.” This way, she’s mingled the best of both worlds.
Large hexagonal floor tiles help warm the space. They are porcelain, but their Chicago Brick finish gives them more of an old-world look that contrasts with all the crisp white.
Red Jewel benchtops: ColorQuartz; Suprema Gloss Crystal White tile: handcrafted in Mexico; Ultracraft Plainview cabinets in Maple, in Beach White colour; hardware: Top Knobs; Chicago ‘State Street’ Esagona hex floor tile; Venuto pull-down faucet: Brizo
Large hexagonal floor tiles help warm the space. They are porcelain, but their Chicago Brick finish gives them more of an old-world look that contrasts with all the crisp white.
Red Jewel benchtops: ColorQuartz; Suprema Gloss Crystal White tile: handcrafted in Mexico; Ultracraft Plainview cabinets in Maple, in Beach White colour; hardware: Top Knobs; Chicago ‘State Street’ Esagona hex floor tile; Venuto pull-down faucet: Brizo
TIP: Install a benchtop cabinet where the bench space is not usable. The benchtop in the corner here is hard to reach and would not have been used for any work. So Cavanaugh gave her client a spot to store herbs, oils and other supplies she’ll need when cooking, within arm’s reach of the stove. The way it extends from benchtop to ceiling adds to the clean-lined architecture of the room.
“The open shelves and the homeowner’s accessories also help to warm up the kitchen and soften all of the clean lines,” Cavanaugh says. Open shelves in lieu of cabinets keep an airy feeling in the kitchen; under-shelf lighting gives the room a happy glow.
Here you can see the new sliding pantry doors. Their fir wood is another element that adds warmth.
Here you can see the new sliding pantry doors. Their fir wood is another element that adds warmth.
Moving the refrigerator made the kitchen more comfortable and less jammed up. Double wall ovens used to be mounted in the fridge’s current spot. The new Aga stove eliminated the need for them.
The pantry used to have two framed closet doors and was awkwardly placed and laid out. “The back hallway is a busy thoroughfare, and those doors swinging out made access challenging,” Cavanaugh explains. Now sliding doors with frosted glass make the pantry more accessible and organised. New lighting inside makes it easy to see the food, while frosted glass keeps it from looking cluttered.
Spin stool: Crate & Barrel; Simpson pantry doors in light fir with obscure satin etch glass: Brosco
Spin stool: Crate & Barrel; Simpson pantry doors in light fir with obscure satin etch glass: Brosco
Cavanaugh repeated the frosted glass detail on these cabinets. They occupy a space between the working part of the kitchen and the eat-in part of the kitchen, and are great for storing cookbooks.
There was a peninsula in this spot before, but the new one is wider, with better storage and seating. Just across from it is the eat-in area. This area was existing, but everyone always sensed that something was off about it.
“I extended the window down 18 inches [45 centimetres],” Cavanaugh says. “It was in this awkwardly high spot; we assume the original kitchen had the sink underneath it and that someone flipped the room around years ago.” As it turned out, it was fortuitous that the designer was messing around with that window; during construction they discovered it had been installed incorrectly and was causing the exterior brick above it to crack. They were able to do the unexpected repair work and saved the house from really costly damage down the line.
There was a peninsula in this spot before, but the new one is wider, with better storage and seating. Just across from it is the eat-in area. This area was existing, but everyone always sensed that something was off about it.
“I extended the window down 18 inches [45 centimetres],” Cavanaugh says. “It was in this awkwardly high spot; we assume the original kitchen had the sink underneath it and that someone flipped the room around years ago.” As it turned out, it was fortuitous that the designer was messing around with that window; during construction they discovered it had been installed incorrectly and was causing the exterior brick above it to crack. They were able to do the unexpected repair work and saved the house from really costly damage down the line.
The new kitchen is functional, cheerful, updated, warm and welcoming.
TELL US
Would you consider colourful benchtops? No consideration of home resale is allowed – this is all about you and not some fictional future buyers! Let us know in the Comments section.
TELL US
Would you consider colourful benchtops? No consideration of home resale is allowed – this is all about you and not some fictional future buyers! Let us know in the Comments section.
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple of empty nesters
Location: Hartford, Connecticut, USA
Size: 26 square metres
Cavanaugh describes the ‘before’ situation as “a very plain-Jane renovation” complete with timber cabinets, white appliances and laminate benchtops. There were no signs of the original 1920s version of the kitchen, and the layout was awkward and clunky, without much convenient bench space near the stove.
Previously, there had been a bulky refrigerator right next to the stove, which cut down on precious workspace. Now the new Aga stove and chimney-style rangehood are centred on the wall, with plenty of space on either side. Hanging rods keep cooking utensils handy.