KITCHEN COUTURE

Our designers create the ultimate kitchen’s specifically tailored to their clients every need.

When a client gives an interior designer carte blanche to transform an 80-year-old historical home, there is no other answer but, “Absolutely, yes.”

And that is exactly what Alexandra Naranjo of Alexandra Naranjo Designs replied when a London couple approached her to remodel their second home, outside of Toronto. She knew she had a jewel of an opportunity to create something truly bespoke.

With no explicit directions from the clients other than wanting color and a home that had better flow and functionality, Alexandra seized the moment and designed a residence that would serve as a family gathering place for the couple, their grown children and their grandchildren.

The first challenge was to find exactly where in the home to put the kitchen. It was originally located in the front of the house, but this layout did not work for the homeowners, who wanted to enjoy indoor-outdoor living. Alexandra relocated the kitchen to the back of the house and added a breakfast area to create better flow to the dining and outdoor areas.

Once the perfect location was selected, the design took on a life of its own, as Alexandra focused on building in custom functionality and personality. The first design choice was to use a soothing yet unexpected periwinkle blue for the cabinetry. This choice set the tone for what would become a truly unique kitchen.

A large center island features marble, with whimsical pendants providing light in tones of blue, bronze and brass. The range area, which also has marble, is flanked by large windows. Alexandra notes that one of her challenges was to craft a new window to be an exact match to the existing original.

The design team paneled the double refrigerator with a washed wood, and built in the appliances for an upscale, custom look. The hardwood floors were carried in from the rest of the home and are a commercial application of hardwood by Schotten & Hansen. Extremely durable and scratch-resistant, they are “bulletproof,” according to Alexandra.

The size of the kitchen allows for the luxury of no upper cabinets and the opportunity to create the most striking feature of the kitchen: the backsplash. “The client’s favorite tree is the cherry blossom,” says Alexandra. “The backsplash we designed is custom-made, hand-cut mosaics forming the cherry blossom tree.”

Visual Comfort sconces highlight the mosaic backsplash and add more touches of brass to a kitchen that feels fresh and a little whimsical. Custom counter stools were covered in fabric from the French company Pierre Frey. “It is not a typical kitchen,” says Alexandra. “When you walk in, you feel like you are in a magical space.”

For Alexandra, the best part of the project was when the team was approaching the finish line, and asked the homeowners to stay away so they could add the final touches and host a reveal party in the kitchen. “It was really fun,” says the designer. “It was very emotional—some watery eyes—and the clients loved it.”

Resource:

Alexandra Naranjo Designs

Alexandra Naranjo

4209 South Dixie Highway

West Palm Beach, FL 33405

561.800.7382

7250 Keele Street, Suite 315 Vaughan ON L4K 1Z8

416.992.3562 alexandranaranjo.com

Kitchens have always been the hub of the home, but in recent years, after unexpected, extended time at home and now a renewed opportunity to host guests, prospective home buyers are even more laser-focused on the kitchen meeting their personal and entertainment needs.

Danielle Reardon, Partner for Abodeable— a full-service construction and interior design firm based in Naples, FL—focused on this when remodeling a spec home for her company.

A total remodel was in order for the existing Tuscan-style residence, and the first task was to blast out all the Tuscan features, like arched windows, to square everything up. For designing the spaces, Danielle recognized that creating an open floor plan was a top priority. “We doubled the size of the kitchen and created an open floor plan because there is less formality here,” says Danielle. “We also added a butler’s pantry, because we felt those types of features are more on trend.”

The dining room was relocated to the back of the house into a former family room, so it would open to the kitchen and connect to the outdoor space through fully pocketing sliders that open completely. “You bring the outdoors in, and it’s one giant entertaining space,” says Danielle. “It flows for indoor-outdoor living all together.”

Often, the challenge in a project like this is the uncertainly of what you are dealing with structurally to achieve the desired open concept. “Because it was a spec and we were controlling the budget, we couldn’t make things as large as we might have wanted to, so getting the footprint we wanted was a little challenging,” says Danielle. “But at the end of the day, I think it all worked and flowed properly.”

Another consideration on a spec project is designing for homeowners who are unknown. Danielle says she used the Naples’ environment as her inspiration by featuring bright, vibrant blues in the decorative accents and artwork. However, she chose to keep the core elements of the design fairly neutral. “The color scheme of the hard goods like the tile and wood was all neutral, so anybody could move in, and if they didn’t like the art or the color of the chairs, that’s an easy fix,” she says. “Bringing in color with elements that are easily interchangeable was the goal because we knew we were selling it, and we needed to appeal to a broad client base.”

The cabinetry is Abodeable’s own line through MasterBrand, and the solid quartz countertop is from Rock Solid. Metro Tile & Marble supplied the backsplash material, which is an intriguing geometric marble waterjet with brass discs in the center of a star pattern.

The general plan for creating an open, casual living and entertain - ing space is echoed in Danielle’s favorite feature of the kitchen: the butler’s pantry. “It hides the mess!” she says. “With the open floor plan and the kitchen being so exposed to the great room and dining area, you want your kitchen to be clean so people can sit at the island—not necessarily for eating, but as a social spot. So you can keep the mess and food prep in the back, which is really conducive to entertaining.”

Resource:

Abodeable

Danielle Reardon

4085 Tamiami Trail North, No. B105 Naples, FL 34103 239.920.3190 abode-able.com

In an open concept home, the kitchen is typically the statement-making moment of the entire interior design concept. The homeowner of this stunning contemporary glam kitchen knew exactly the statement she wished to make.

Interior designers Rebekah Errett-Pikosky and Charlie Hansen of Clive Daniel Home were tasked with bringing her vision to life. After owning another property in the same Naples community, the homeowner wanted a home that was unique and just her style. “When we first started meeting with the client, she had a very good direction and concept of the design she wanted for this house,” says Rebekah. “She had a lot of design sensibility, and it was very much about the wood tones and neutral fabrics. And she loved the gold. She drove how she wanted the end vision to look, and we helped facilitate that.”

The new build, constructed by Frank R. Jenkins Custom Homes, would be the retired couple’s second home, and the plan was to create a home that is classically modern and equipped for entertaining. “Her goal was definitely to keep things warm and inviting and natural—so we added lots of natural elements and texture,” says Charlie.

For the kitchen, the designers commissioned SoHo Kitchens & Design due to their ability to create a modern-contemporary aesthetic with lacquers and textured materials. The wall and full-height cabinetry features a blonde Sonoma oak semi-lacquered gloss, while the base cabinets are a matte semi- lacquer taffeta gray. “The high gloss and matte finishes play well on each other and with the finishes,” says Charlie, “and it shows really well.”

Perla Venata quartzite countertops bring a cool, streamlined look to the surfaces. The two islands with custom Century Furniture and Vanguard Furniture bar stools in the same fabric accommodate more seating than a typical kitchen. “The bar stools set things off with the white painted hood and the brass accents,” says Charlie.

The unique island lighting is by Hubbardton Forge, and its brushed brass tone ties in well with the striking Daltile backsplash and Brizo faucets.

“This kitchen is pretty glam—more so than the kitchens we are seeing right now, which are customarily white,” said Rebekah. “They are nice and pretty, but not as interesting visually, and this one was all about the different textures—the stones, the backsplash, the lighting and how it all came to play together so well. It’s visually interesting, and when the kitchen is the main show of the space, it can’t be just white anymore.”

Resource:

Clive

Daniel Home

Rebekah Errett-Pikosky | Charlie Hansen

2777 Tamiami Trail North Naples, FL 34103

239.261.4663 clivedaniel.com