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This cozy Maryland cottage kitchen shines with bold modern updates while incorporating touches of simple cottage charm.

In this bright and colorful cottage kitchen, designer Annie Elliott of Annie Elliott Design brought together old and new through her use of bold colors and patterns and a simple, classic design. Built in the 1990s, the kitchen was dated and in need of an update. “The goal for the kitchen was to create spaces that were colorful and cozy,” Annie says. With a background in art history, Annie loves to bring together the best of the past and present to create unique, beautiful and functional spaces that reflect the needs and personalities of her clients.

For this kitchen renovation, Annie’s clients wanted to open and brighten their kitchen. “It was too small for this five-person (and one-dog) family, and it was dark, with stained wood cabinets and very few windows,” she says. Her solution was to expand the length of the kitchen, change the orientation and add more windows to bring in lots of natural light. She went for white cabinets instead of the original dark-stained wood to further brighten the space but decided to add bold colors in the island, backsplash, stove and hood.

|ABOVE LEFT| An abundance of white has the potential to make a space feel cold, so Annie chose to incorporate elements that bring warmth to the palette. Brass finishings in the hardware, pot filler, faucet and even lighting above the island, add warmth and cottage charm. “The walnut countertops around the perimeter of the kitchen are another way we brought warmth into the design,” she says. |ABOVE RIGHT| This cozy little breakfast nook remains where it was before the renovation, but with the bonus of the windows. It serves as the perfect opportunity to incorporate some modern, bold colors and patterns to tie in with the rest of the design. “Repeating the bright, multicolored Jane Churchill fabric on the Roman shades, the bench seat and the chairs makes the area cohesive and intentional, and, of course, it coordinates with the range, hood and backsplash,” she says. |RIGHT| Using a predominantly neutral palette allows for color to really pop. “The white cabinets were a given, since we wanted to brighten the space, but the royal-blue ILVE range and hood are boldly unexpected,” Annie says. This design choice combines a simple cottage feel with a touch of character and charm. “We wanted the kitchen to feel light and bright, but we also wanted it to be special,” she says.