MODERN COUNTRY MAKEOVER
Orléans kitchen gets farmhouse feel
Joanne Beehler never felt inspired to cook in her cramped Orléans kitchen. Closed off from the rest of the main level, its 1980s melamine cabinets were worn and outdated and with only two short runs of countertops, there was very little prep space.
“I like to cook, but it felt like I was working in a cubby hole,” says Beehler, who moved into the townhome about 10 years ago and knew a big renovation was in her future. “Everything in there was still original.”
Her initial plan was to remodel the upstairs bathroom — the only one in the house — first, then in a few years, gut the kitchen and install new cabinetry and appliances.
That all changed when she sat down with designers Paula-Lyn Cleveland and Tim Rutherford of Elliott Renovations, who suggested opening up the kitchen to the rest of the main floor.
“The original kitchen had a tiny footprint — it was only 78 inches (wide) altogether,” says Cleveland, who started her home-based interior design company five years ago after specializing in office design with the Department of National Defence. “Then we said, ‘What if we removed the wall between the kitchen and dining room?’ “
To do that, electrical, plumbing and ductwork would need to be relocated so it made more economical sense to tackle both the kitchen and bathroom projects at the same time, the savvy homeowner reasoned. It also meant she would have the kitchen of her dreams by the end of January.
“I absolutely love it,” she says of the new galley kitchen’s modern farmhouse style, complete with a deep apron sink and rustic black faucet, painted white cabinets with antique pewter knobs and a redbrick accent wall.
Beehler didn’t want traditional country or anything too contemporary and ruled out dark cabinetry to keep the space as airy as possible. A gas range with a stainless hood fan topped her wish list and she was ecstatic about incorporating brick into the design.
To create visual interest, Cleveland used oversized white subway tiles for the backsplash and speckled granite for the counters and kept the room’s palette neutral contrasted by dark floors and the brick wall. The wide plank floors were installed throughout the main level to create seamless flow between the rooms.
“All of the choices were very strategic in her kitchen,” says Cleveland, who nearly tripled the room’s storage and counter space. She also extended the countertop on one side to create a mini breakfast bar for one. “I enjoy working with a small space. It becomes a real challenge to find every usable space. It’s like a puzzle.”
Design tricks for making a small kitchen look bigger
1 Stick to the shallow end
The standard depth of counters and cabinets is 24 inches, but when space is tight, consider installing narrower countertops and shallower cabinets to free up extra floor space.
2 Monochromatic colour
A neutral palette brightens a room and makes it feel more open and airy. Bold colours, designer Paula-Lynn Cleveland points out, tend to close in the room. It’s also a good idea to install pot lights and under-cabinet lighting for additional brightness.
3 Go with the flow
Carry the same flooring throughout the kitchen and adjoining rooms.
Different flooring from one room to the next will make the space look choppy and small.
4 Glass act
Install a few upper cabinets with glass inserts rather than all solid doors to lighten the look of the room.