KITCHEN KALEIDOSCOPE
Personalize your kitchen with pigment—but rather than flipping through paint swatches, consider Sandra’s approach. Her walls, cabinetry, counters and appliances provide the backdrop for gems she’s spent nearly a lifetime collecting. “Most of the color in my home is by way of my collections, from old signs to cheery pottery,” she says. To imbue your kitchen with similar vibrant hues, take note of Sandra’s six strategies.
1.
Paint the ceiling, walls, cabinets and millwork a pristine white, and hang mostly white window treatments. Go further by choosing a white sink, appliances, countertops and backsplash. Contrast the monochromatic scheme with wood or laminate flooring in a warm tone.
2. Install a high shelf to show off colorful teapots, canisters and baskets. Arrange enamelware platters with coordinating fruit motifs above the shelf as wall art.
3. Remove doors from select upper cupboards to create a showcase for collectibles. Line the recess with white beadboard for a hint of texture. A niche in Sandra’s kitchen holds blue-and-white striped Cornishware mugs, canisters and pitchers.
4. Mount a stained wood shelf to connect to the flooring.
Group cherished items on the shelf as a continuation of a nearby display. “Sometimes you can have a few groupings in different rooms. When they are together, you can compare the little differences of what makes them the same yet different,” Sandra reflects.
5. Introduce more color and pattern with old linens. Stitch vintage tea towels together to make a pretty sink skirt, and repeat bright hues with a floral table runner.
6. Position a vintage bistro set beside a window as a cozy breakfast nook. Paint and distress the metal to match a favorite collection.