Post by Stacey Walker. Stacey mostly works behind the scenes for Walker Woodworking, managing day to day operations, and marketing. Stacey has helped many clients create their dream space.
A Splash of Color
Color is a powerful design tool because it has the ability to control the atmosphere of the room. From soothing grays and blues to striking blacks and reds, color can make a space feel calm or energizing. For many of our clients, they tend to opt for a traditional color scheme in the kitchen such as whites, grays, and blues, but sometimes we have one that enjoys stepping outside the realm of typical choices and selecting a color that is unique and reflective of their fun personality. This decision brought the kitchen to life and paired perfectly with the classic white that was used throughout this area. Our designers enjoyed working with this client on renovating the old home they purchased and helping them blend the old with the new.
This old house
Originally built in 1939, there were so many good bones throughout the home that its potential sparked creativity for both our client and design team. We love preserving the past because there is so much charm and elegance hidden throughout the architecture but also so many possibilities ready to be explored. The decision was made to remove the wall located between the kitchen and living room to open up and connect the two spaces. The homeowner wanted to incorporate a dining room with sight lines to the kitchen making it easy to entertain family and friends. Desiring to highlight the original feature in the home, our client chose to have custom built-ins made around the refrigerator wall of the kitchen plus it provided additional storage. Another decision made by the homeowner was to remove the current flooring and showcase the original hardwood concealed underneath. It’s dark contrast was perfect for the lighter colors used in the kitchen cabinets and gave the space a luxurious feel. One authentic piece that was sourced by the homeowner is the porcelain sink complete with drain. It adds a lovely touch to the space and fits perfectly with the rest of the aesthetic in the home. Lighting is another important element to any space and these two matching light fixtures that featured a gold wire mesh lend another retro vibe to the space as well as a nice visual statement. A historic home should always be given special attention down to the smallest detail as it can impact the overall feel of the home and we love the choices our client made with this one.
A bold choice
Color is often considered one of the most important elements in cabinet design as it is usually the first thing people notice when they come into a new space. For the cabinet bases, the homeowner decided to go with Benjamin Moore’s Pacific Ocean Blue, a hue they say will “bring space to life for those looking to illuminate their world with pure, extraordinary color.” It truly does seem to breath a whole new look into the vintage style kitchen and makes a gorgeous visual statement. A lovely balance is achieved by pairing it with an all white backsplash, white upper cabinets, and range hood. The natural light that fills the kitchen works perfectly with the entire color palette creating a warm and inviting atmosphere for everyone to relax in. Another element that was incorporated into the design was a narrow kitchen island made from quarter sawn white oak and is the perfect add on for this area. It provides the homeowner with more prep and cooking space plus storage. In order for the kitchen not to feel too tight or cramped the island was made with an open shelf allowing you to see through and giving the illusion of more space. Even though there are three different color choices at work in this space they all complement each other quite well and they have one common thread, the hardware. The client elected to go with a mix and match of hardware options from Top Knob and blended cup pulls together with knobs all in a honey bronze finish. We love how absolutely exquisite it all looked.
Blended updates
When working with any space that has a good deal of history involved, it is essential to begin with what you have that is good and look for ways you can improve on it. The initial kitchen layout needed some minor tweaking to take it from less than functional to a space that met all of your particular needs or routines. We extended the kitchen countertop area out to the third window giving more workable space for the homeowner. The minimal use of upper cabinets allows more light into the space plus keeps it more open. The texture and shape of the white tile backsplash has a vintage look that adds a bit of elegance as it extends halfway up the wall and completely fills in the space behind the stove offering added protection from possible grease and sauce splatters. Pops of classic colors from that bygone era are sprinkled throughout the kitchen from the fun microwave color to the bright green tea kettle, there is no doubt that color makes this space a great place to hang out. There was also a corner of the home that had a simple built-in and closet area where the homeowner wanted to transform into a wet bar and beverage center instead. Always ready to embrace the challenge, our design team created a set of glass front doors that were installed to close in the existing shelves with the homeowner adding some vintage metal pieces below to complete the look. By tearing out the opposing closet door we were able to reconfigure it with a beverage cooler, drawers, and floating shelves that allowed our clients to easily display and store their favorite drinks. This is a great example of how custom makes it simple to have what you need for your lifestyle.
Custom cabinet canvas
The homeowner had a specific request for one kitchen cabinet. They wanted to have a tall stand alone pantry cabinet since there was no official pantry area in the kitchen but asked that we leave it in its raw wood so they could paint it themselves. The custom inset cabinet was made with a clear maple wood and then our client was able to paint it to their specifications. Adding some unique and ornate hardware pieces only made this piece stand out more in such a beautiful way. We are always delighted to assist our clients in having a chance to express their artistic side, even if that means creating a canvas out of a custom cabinet!
A splash of color
Working with the history often results in a stunning final project which is why we love having a part in it. Working together with our design team, this client was able to achieve the functionality needed in this time period while still remaining true to much of the previous one. It was a delight to transform this 1939 home into something amazing, from old closets turned into beverage centers and retro built-ins, we loved it all. Above all, we are believers in the power even a splash of color has to dramatically alter a space and make a revolutionary statement that can awe anyone.
