Kitchen of the Week: From Dark to Light in Vancouver

Photos by Simply Home Decorating

Kitchen at a Glance
Who uses it: A semi-retired couple with four adult children
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Size: 375 square feet (35 square meters)
Designer: Lori Steeves of Simply Home Decorating
Contractor: Coordinated Kitchen and Bath

Before: While the U-shaped kitchen was spacious, the finishes were dated and made it feel dark. “As the primary cook, the wife loved the way the layout functioned, so we didn’t have to change that,” Steeves says. Some of the biggest issues were the laminate countertops, the heavy oak cabinetry with dated door styles and the space between the tops of the cabinets and the ceiling. The homeowners wanted the kitchen to feel light and bright.

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After: The homeowner had strong ideas on how she wanted the kitchen to function, particularly the island. Within the U-shaped kitchen plan, the island serves the double ovens, the induction range and the fridge. “She loved the way the island functioned for prep and buffet serving,” Steeves says. “She did not want to interrupt its surface with a sink. And she did not want people to gather around it while she was trying to work.” Instead, the couple wanted a sizable eat-in area, where they imagined entertaining their grandchildren.

Steeves chose a medium gray paint for the island’s base to contrast with the white cabinets. (The gray appears darker in person than it does in these photos.)

The homeowner also had a strong dislike for small appliances cluttering up her counters. So Steeves stashed them all, including the microwave, in a walk-in pantry that is located behind the painting on the right.

Island paint: Stonington Gray, Benjamin Moore

After: The star of the room is a stunning laser-cut art glass backsplash, which Steeves was excited to discover was made locally by Edgewater Studio. “My clients have beautiful gardens outside, and there are many laurel hedges in the neighborhood,” Steeves says. The tiles are laser-cut into a laurel leaf pattern.” Assembling every sheet of tile by hand, the studio used a variation of light and dark pieces. And because the studio was in the neighborhood, Steeves and her client were able to go check on it during the process.

Steeves also looked for natural inspiration when choosing the sconces and the pendant over the kitchen table. “The shape reminded me of a beehive, but actually, I think it’s more like a hornet’s nest,” she says with a laugh.

While the homeowner wanted a mostly white kitchen, she loves blue, and blues will be featured more prominently in other spaces. Steeves customized a simple white Roman shade with fabric tape to bring a touch of blue into the kitchen.

“Sometimes I worry about a cabinet with glass doors, but I knew this client would keep it tidy, and she was craving lightness in here,” Steeves says. Also, they had removed an existing china cabinet while simultaneously redesigning the family room. The large glass cabinet made up for the loss of display space. Two small upper cabinets with glass doors provide the homeowners with a place to display bowls that bring in more blue.

The new flooring is large-format 12-by-24-inch porcelain tile that looks like limestone. “There is a lot of warmth in the grays of this tile,” Steeves says.

After: Steeves coordinated the look of both rooms with color and texture. The wood of the side tables and coffee tables is similar to the wood of the kitchen table. She redesigned the fireplace surround, replacing the ornate oak mantel with a more streamlined design and the surround with a beautiful blue-gray tile.

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