Welcome to VERANDA Day 5 12 days of Chikuma. In this series, our editors suggest 12 elegantly simple upgrades to all your favorite spaces, from the front door to the master bath (and, of course, we didn't forget the bar). Call it your guide to hosting happier, sleeping like you're on vacation, and prioritizing tranquility for the year ahead. Did we mention these projects are easy? Give the designers a break. This is fine.
between us, burrow, dining roomand home office While the main actors were using the pandemic to redecorate their decor, our kitchen patiently sat on the sidelines.when fresh paint colorswallpapers, fabrics and furniture transform tired living areas into exciting “new” gathering spots, and the kitchen plays the role of the unsung hero of the home, serving as a cooking space and homework hub, a coffee shop and office, and a laundry station. and a storage unit.
But the kitchen is finally entering a golden age, where form and function blend as harmoniously as the recipes cooked inside the kitchen. “The kitchen has become the de facto family room, a space where everyone can do their own thing and still be together,” says the Birmingham, Alabama-based company, which is run by design partner Margaret Johnson. says designer Anna Still of Still Johnson Interiors. These practical rooms, like any other space in your home, are a medium for expressing creativity and individuality. But how do we start thinking outside the blank white cabinet?
“The kitchen is truly a multi-purpose room where you can do a variety of activities other than cooking and cleaning, and it's more like a living room than a living room. And it should be decorated like this!” An unusual kitchen. “Thinking of the kitchen as a room first and the kitchen second will keep you on the right track.”
How to make your kitchen cozy
Let's layer the lighting.
Natural light floods the kitchen of Anna Still of Still Johnson Interiors in Birmingham, Alabama.
The overhead lighting is, well, harsh. “The coziest, most hospitable kitchens often have great windows. We're all naturally drawn to natural light, and it's as simple as that,” says Donelson. In Still's Birmingham kitchen (above), a row of tall, unobtrusive windows allows sunlight to illuminate the workspace. At night, she presses her dimmer switch. “Make sure to dim any recessed or decorative lighting. Nothing makes a kitchen feel unwelcoming like overly bright lights,” she adds.
Architectural and interior designer David Frazier focuses on decorative hanging hardware to enhance the look of a kitchen. “In a traditional kitchen, you might use more contemporary lighting for an unexpected mix-and-match; in a more modern space, layer vintage or antique lanterns to instantly change the mood.” “Hmm,” he says.
Meanwhile, Stephanie Sabbe swears by the lamp. “Wireless lamps are such an undiscovered treasure,” says the Nashville designer and owner of Heirloom Artifacts. “Dim the lights, turn off a few cordless lamps, and you'll be living in the coldest, most inhospitable apartment kitchen ever. And people will think they've just come out of a cottage in the Cotswolds. She loves cordless lamps, so she designed her own Scandinavian-style lamp.
Decorative lamps and light fixtures not only add personality but are also functional for home chefs. “Adding a lamp to the counter creates breathing space and a potential work area,” says kitchen designer Karen Rideau.
thompson branch
Add comfortable seating.
Skirted stools next to a stainless steel island invite guests to join the chef in designer Whitney McGregor's North Carolina kitchen.
Comfortable furniture such as armchairs and sofas transform the kitchen into another attractive living space. “My favorite kitchen has a place to sit, and the more options you have, the better,” says interior designer Whitney McGregor. Halstead House, a renovated rental home in North Carolina, installed a cozy chaise lounge next to the fireplace in the room, as well as barstools next to the stainless steel island in the kitchen.
“We always had extra chairs, and despite our best efforts to move everyone into the dining room, we ended up eating in the kitchen more often,” she says. . Similarly, Rideau incorporates banquettes into many of its designs, often using them as anchors for relaxing dining nooks.
“Comfortable seating to encourage lingering!” I'm a fan of chairs over bar stools. “No matter how comfortable a stool is, it's not as comfortable as a good chair,” says Donelson. To keep guests from running into the living room, Sabbe relies on Williams Sonoma Home's favorite counter stools with wooden spindle backs. “Between having kids and hosting, you'll probably defecate in the house, but I've been defecating for two years. The back is sturdy, the finish is great, and it's easy to clean.” she says.
Q&A Ton Ironica Dining Counter Stool
Q&A Ton Ironica Dining Counter Stool
Try incorporating antique or vintage items.
In the TriBeCa kitchen, designer David Frazier created custom lighting fixed to the original cast iron columns. It pays homage to the loft's past life as an industrial space, with sophisticated parchment shades casting a warm, soft light across the marble-topped island.
Antique and vintage pieces are no longer kept in front of the house. Try layering vintage accessories like an old breakfast table or rug, glassware or artwork. “Antique furniture can provide a sense of warmth that new workmanship can't convey,” says Frazier. “We love adding an antique worktable as a sink island or runner. These elements not only bring character and warmth, but also the fact that the kitchen is actually a new living room. I nod.”
McGregor reuses furniture typically associated with other rooms. “For example, use an old dining room shed as a pantry or pull up a comfy upholstered chair to the kitchen table,” she says.
Antique pine hatch from the 1800s
Don't be afraid of imaginative colors, patterns, and materials.
White kitchens are timeless. However, incorporating different materials into it, such as brass hardware, soapstone countertops, patterned backsplashes, and bunny melon-inspired geometric flooring, can make a crisp scheme too sterile. can be prevented. “Layering patterns and textures is a tool we use in other spaces to create coziness and depth,” says McGregor. “Wall textures, whether it's grass cloth, wood paneling, or a brick fireplace, can warm up some of the cold textures needed for kitchen functionality.”
To transform a client's space, Sabbe suggests retiling the backsplash (she recently reviewed a Delft tile replica on Etsy) or installing pot hangers throughout the range. doing. I'm still getting my hands on the paint. “Try unexpected colors that bring a dramatic moment to your kitchen while blending in with the rest of your home,” she says. “Alternatively, try choosing unusual countertop materials, such as stainless steel or marble with interesting veining.”
Inject personality into your kitchen.
Kitchen designer Karen Rideau uses materials like wood and seating nooks to bring warmth to the cooking space.
Our gathering spaces should be filled with our favorite items. The kitchen is no exception. Donelson suggests doing something as simple as replacing old cabinet hardware or placing a potted plant or two near a window.
Peperomia obtusifolia
“Find some nice old china for a wooden spoon next to the stove. Invest in some gorgeous, colorful linen tea towels to hang on the stove rail or pegs,” she adds. Art can elevate a kitchen to the level of other rooms while adding another dimension of personality, Still points out. Displaying sentimental pieces (photos, stacks of cookbooks, collections of glassware) softens the industrial aspect of the kitchen.
“There's so much going on in the kitchen that it's a natural place to show evidence,” Donelson says.
