Saturday, June 30, 2018

Let's Get This Party Started

A while ago, when I was trying to articulate "my style", I wrote a bit about my design objectives and process (which some of my friends refer to as my scary-ass "non-process"). I find it interesting to reflect on these posts because I continue to feel all of those feelings - and to work in this haphazard way - but I also have a much more integrated understanding of my style and approach now, having been put on the hook for (aka given the opportunity to) design at every turn.

So let's have a moment with a Kristin-reno photo that isn't only posted on instagram. And remember, if you want to see house photos, you really should check out that insta link:

Kristin's and Scott's New Kitchen - unfinished but getting there!
I find this space profoundly pleasing. Even incomplete, I see how it's going to look (not generally one of my strong suits, fyi). The countertops are going to be pure white quartz, which goes up the wall a few inches as backsplash (not the cheapest finish I've chosen, admittedly) and my fancy-ass Bertazzoni dual fuel stove* will be on the other side, with a thin sheet-metal backsplash. It's the tiniest bit industrial, but mainly warm and sleek. I live in a horrible climate in a city that is architecturally rather suspect. My interior needs to scream hygge.

I feel I'm at a point that I can articulate what I'm going for and, of course, I'm not one to hold back! I want this house to be sexy. I want it to be the sexiest fucking little space that ever was. I want people to leave my dinner parties utterly hot for one another because my interior is messing with their minds.

No question, there's a way in which this space is the kitchen-equivalent of the midlife crisis sports car. But it's much more than that. It's shiny (reflective), briefly colourful (cheerful), uncluttered (zen), wood-forward (warm). The proportions are beautiful.

On the topic of kitchen renos - this one was rather affordable (in the scheme of unaffordability). I went with cabinets that are obvs customized and of good quality, but mid-range in cost. I'm not replacing my fridge or dishwasher. They both work, I feel they can meld with the eclectic scheme so I'm not changing them until they fall apart. Sure, this place might be sexier if you didn't see the fridge, but that would be opulent. Moreover, lest we never forget, I've paid for this (not cheap) reno twice. I've got to pick my poison.

Yesterday I showed a similar photo of the kitchen to a friend at work. Before she could catch herself, she gasped and said: That red comes off when the kitchen is finished, right? It's not actually supposed to be that colour?! And I laughed with glee! I was entirely unfussed by her admission of horror. Have at it, I say! You don't like this, no problem. Chances are I don't love your kitchen design (except inasmuch as it's an expression of where you live and what you like). It's no one's job to appreciate my kitchen but mine. And Scott, natch. PS: He is SO on board at this point, all pre-installation anxiety is rapidly diminishing.

What I loved about my encounter with my friend is that it was unscripted. And this space got a huge reaction. Sure, I'd have liked it more for her to say it was the best thing she's ever seen, but I am just so happy she had a reaction - that I created something worthy of response.

For me, interior design is art. Beautiful construction is art. Efficient placement is art. But my style of art may not be yours and that's alright!

What I've come to understand about my home is that it really is a little mansion! It's proportions are unbeatable, to my eye. It has individual rooms, all of which have individual purpose, and yet they cohere. It's old, it's modern. It's a little bit rustic, a little bit sleek. As I like to say, it punches above its weight. If it makes you think, even for a second, about what you like and what you don't - about what suits you - then I have been successful. Wait - I have been successful. At this point, it's just a matter of degrees.

*Before you predict that I went stupidly high-style (which one does when buying a fancy-ass stove), I got this baby on sale for half price (the model is now discontinued). It's also the small version, a) because I don't have more than 30" of width to spare and b) because I really don't need six burners and 2 ovens in my household of 3 / soon to be 2.

21 comments:

  1. I kinda like the red wall...bold and different! Unlike all the cookie cutter kitchens out there!

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  2. Thanks so much Carolyn! I agree - it's not the most common kitchen colour but I have heard from peeps who understand colour-theory that red stimulates appetite and makes you want to cook. Sounds like a great colour for a kitchen to me :-)

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  3. My last kitchen had deep red walls which contrasted beautifully with stainless steel appliances and oak floors. It ties together a warm/cool effect very harmoniously.

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  4. Sounds very similar to this! It's interesting that we both live in climates with lots of cold...

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  5. I adore the red! And it will look stunning with the white quartz and the dark appliances. I like the red with the wood floors, and the modern in the old house. I think houses need to show some of the personality of their owners, not just be some standard thing. And yours looks like it is going to be beautiful, and beautifully yours.

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    1. Thank you so much Mardel! How is your house coming along??

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    2. We start construction, or truthfully, the demolition portion, in August. And I'll be out the last week of July. In the meantime we are still negotiating. Truthfully, I expect that part to go on until I am back in the house.

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  6. I love the red cabinets! So Italian! Modern, sleek, wonderful.

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    1. Yes! It really is Italian Modern!

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    2. I never realized to what extent I like the Italian modern style until I started doing this reno. I mean, I tend to love shiny but very minimal things (a bit of bling, a bit of reservation!) but now I'm into all of the Italian modern! I really should be living in Italy. That is my spirit home.

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    3. And I always loved Italian Modern and was certain that was how I would go when I finally did my own kitchen, but now that I am here, I am making different choices. Go figure.

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  7. I wouldn't pick red, but I totally get it,

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    1. Exactly! Another choice (my husband would have preferred) is a really traditional look - maybe half-and-half grey and blue shaker cabinets, quite reserved. I really enjoy this style whenever I encounter it but it just didn't feel like the style I should use. That's why so much choice is awesome :-)

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  8. This is amazing! I love red in the kitchen. I have a candy apple red Kitchenaid mixer that sits on the counter all the time. I can't wait to see the finished project. Barb

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    1. I bought the mixer in "tangerine" (which isn't quite bright enough for my liking, but it's still very nice. That's the thing about buying online - sometimes the colours don't show accurately.) In retrospect, the red would be more my scene - but it might have clashed slightly, so maybe it's best to mix orange and red :-)

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    2. How would you describe the tangerine? online, to me on my computer, it looks either very bright orange, or dull and so I assume it is somewhere in between. I need a new mixer, and will get a colored one, but I am still working out kitchen cabinets and colors, and don't have counter tops yet either, only a stove and floor. Before I did the kitchen, I would have picked a blue, but since the kitchen is headed that direction I am glad I waited. At the moment, tangerine, green apple, and the lighter majestic yellow are in the pool, but that decision is probably still a couple of months out.

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  10. The red is wonderful - it looks like a clear red, not much in the way of orange or blue undertones? Beautiful light - is there a large window on the unseen end?

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    1. Hi Marie - How have you been? I feel the red is quite clear, with pink and orange undertones (but very mild). No blue or brown. There is a large window. Eventually I'll post finished pics on the blog but, for now, check out my instagram page for lots of pics of that window wall...

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  11. I like the red wall. In the winter one NEEDS colour. I have an orange wall in my kitchen.
    As for six burners; after one dinner party you will appreciate each of those six and the two ovens. I have five burners and one oven and when there are only two of us being fed it's fine but there has been more than one occasion when I wish I had six and two.

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    1. I know! To be amongst grey and taupe, when that's the colour of the entire world, is so suboptimal. Bright colours are amazingly pleasing and you don't need to go crazy :-) And I totally hear you about the oven. Trust me, if I had the money and space, I would most definitely have got the 6 burner, 2 oven option. For the 2x per year you want it, it's awesome. But I'll make the most of mini luxe :-)

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