Jessie Randall admits she couldn't have redesigned the kitchen in her Bridgehampton, New York, home on her own. Sure, as founder and creative director of the fashion brand Loeffler Randall, she knows the perfect balance of puffed sleeves and the length of the straps on a leather crossbody bag. But when it came to where to point the stove, she had to call in some help.
Luckily, help found her. Interior designer Zoe Feldman happened to be sitting across from Randall at a dinner party in Washington, DC, one fateful night last year. Over text the next day, Randall complained to Feldman: She'd hated the black counters for nearly a decade and was perplexed by the size of the adjacent dining area. Feldman began envisioning ways to make the space more inviting. she. “I was reluctant to engage a designer because I'm very picky about what I like, but I never would have been able to conceive this kitchen without Zoe,” says Randall.
Working with Randall's contractor, Phil Pape of Pape Construction, Feldman's first recommendation was to expand the island and rearrange the appliances to make the kitchen more prominent. “She said, move the stove,” Randall says. “I didn't know you could do that.” Read on to find out how they gave the fashion designer the kitchen he'd always dreamed of.
Define an open-concept space with textured floor tiles
There was no doubt that the existing kitchen floor was damaged. The question was, if Randall were to replace some of the planks, would she also have to replace the planks that spanned the living room? “Suddenly I could see the numbers going up to something very scary,” she says. Inspired by a trip to Marrakech with her design team years ago, she decided to redo the cooking zone with Mosaic House's plaid zellige tiles. The large-scale pattern is 4-by-4 squares in white and sky blue, with white and green damask corner trim.
Not only did the new material choice create a natural separation between the kitchen and the rest of the home, but the addition of a border makes the oversized island look intentional. “I love that they're not perfect,” Randall says of the tiles' natural ripples and color variations. Aside from a few pieces that cracked when the refrigerator was installed, the tiles have remained beautiful. “I love the way they feel underfoot, and they're nice and cool in the summer,” she adds.
Don't judge a paint color by its name
Initially, Randall planned to cover her new cabinets from Unique Kitchens & Bath in a muted French Gray. “Then it hit me: No, I want a crazy green kitchen,” Randall says. After a number of frantic calls to designers, Randall settled on another shade from Farrow & Ball: Pea Green. “I don't think pea green is an accurate representation of this color,” Randall notes. The shade is much brighter and more vibrant than the yellow-toned hue that automatically comes to mind when you hear those two words. Feldman, who wanted the millwork details to take center stage, like the scalloped trim along the island, suggested painting the knobs the same color.
Let your wardrobe inspire your walls
Long before hiring an interior designer, Randall had been trying to add glamour to the space by wallpapering the inside of the glass upper cabinets. When Feldman came on board, they took it a step further, covering the entire wall in a print from the Loeffler Randall x Temple Studio collaboration, which features a floral pattern from Feldman's ready-to-wear collection for the label. “The paper is high quality and looks like it was hand-painted on the wall,” Randall says.
Stitching a cozy kitchen sofa
When she's not packing beach snacks or hosting a barbecue, Randall is here to stay. “I don't go to the living room much,” she says. Instead, she likes to lounge on the modular Sixpenny sofa in her kitchen, usually with someone else. “My dogs climb up there and chew on everything,” she adds. To protect her furniture, she made removable slipcovers from two king-size Les Indiennes bedspreads, and she also made her own fabric skirt for under the sink, using Svenskt Tenn fabric from Sweden.
Hang more than just pots
For Randall, decorating her kitchen means putting all her entertaining ware on display. There's a rack dedicated to her growing collection of dishes, which includes pieces from Kaneko Kohyo, Pomelo Casa, and Carolina Irving & Daughters, as well as a rack for her taper candles. Randall stocked up on a bunch of colors from Danica Design Candles in Maine, knowing she'd be burning candles nearly 24 hours a day. “I went to Copenhagen with a friend last June, and there were candles on during the summer,” Randall says. “That was my eureka moment. I'd never thought of using candles during the day.” The pieces make even lunchtime feel special.
Get the look
Pea green, Farrow ball
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Scallop shell candlestick, Nikki Kehoe ($525)
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Watercolor Floral Mist Wallpaper, Temple Studio
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Antique brass Ionic tap, deVOL ($1,200)
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