Beadboard Cabinets Gave This Coral Gables Kitchen a Cozy British Spin


Looking back at her client’s Florida renovation, Cristina Alvarez can’t help but laugh—it’s clear now that her color choices were subconsciously inspired by a trio of feathered friends that liked to hang around outside. “There are beautiful palm trees, sunshine, and peacocks with feathers that are all these shades of blues and greens,” explains Alvarez, the founder of Curio Interior Design.

Luckily, the homeowner was down for something bold. After working with Alvarez on her last space—a modern apartment in a Miami high-rise—she asked the designer to put her touch on a nearby Coral Gables bungalow in a way that felt authentic to its 1940s architecture. While some may have jumped to knock down the wall dividing the kitchen from the living room, Alvarez wasn’t sold on an open-concept floorplan. Instead, cozy, closed-off spaces would define the remodel. 

The client immediately told Alvarez she wanted a yellow kitchen. “I’ve done some fun kitchens, but never something this loud,” says the designer, who went all in with Fresh Butter by Benjamin Moore for the millwork. “Once we started there, I said, ‘Let’s go kind of crazy and do a blue-and-white checkered floor.’” Ahead, the designer reveals how she brought the Florida sunshine—and a sprinkle of cottagecore—into the 165-square-foot kitchen-dining space. 

The Freed-Up Peninsula  

The kitchen, before.
yellow kitchen
Knobs, Bin Pulls, and Appliance Pulls, Rejuvenation; Flush Mounts, Worley’s; Faucet, House of Rohl; Dishwasher and Fridge, Fisher & Paykel.

The original kitchen layout “just didn’t make sense,” says Alvarez: The range was situated in the tiniest peninsula ever and the refrigerator stuck out like a sore thumb on the opposite side of the room. The only thing going for the footprint was that the sink was located below a window looking out onto the lush garden.

“We had to be really thoughtful about what went where,” says the designer. Step one: shift the stove to the smallest wall in order to dedicate the peninsula to prep space and a dishwasher. The fridge moved to the opposite corner, making way for a new AGA range. Paneling all of the appliances was the cherry on top. “We wanted it to be a little more streamlined and let the new stove, which has this vintage feel, speak for itself,” she explains. 

The England-Meets-Florida Cabinets

white refrigerator
The kitchen, before.
yellow beadboard cabinets
Sconces, Amber Interiors; Range, AGA.

Finding a detail-oriented local maker to construct the new cabinets was a must given the doors would be clad in beadboard (a feature that’s become popular in English kitchens). “He was so meticulous, making sure all of the lines on each panel lined up, which isn’t always easy,” says Alvarez. Knowing that her client was game for storing plates and cookware on open shelves and Rejuvenation rails, the designer dedicated the two skinny cabinets on either side of the stove to spices, oils, and sheet pans. In other larger cabinets, she leaned into lazy Susans and pull-out drawers so not an inch of space went to waste.

While marble may have been a fit for the client’s sleek apartment downtown, the bungalow called for a warmer surface: butcher block, a first for Alvarez. The buttery undertones of the durable wood are a perfect complement to the yellow cabinets.   

The Perfect Flooring Trio

When it came to the flooring, the designer had two obvious options: match the kitchen to the wood planks in the breakfast nook or to the terracotta tile in the dining room. “We didn’t want it to feel so choppy,” she says. 

Then came a third choice: Lean into choppy. “When we thought more about it, we realized it’s never going to match perfectly. That’s when we came up with the idea to make the kitchen its own thing,” Alvarez says. In the end, she turned the floor into a focal point with checkered cement tile from Villa Lagoon. The transitions, however, are smooth as can be; the designer ensured the floor was level at both entrances. 

The Room-Brightening Backsplash

pot rail underneath shelves

While 4×4” glossy porcelain tiles protect the swath of backsplash behind the stove, the designer kept the beadboard theme going on the rest of the wall, this time painting it white to brighten up the space even further. “We only have that one small window, so it was important that things didn’t feel dark,” she says. The in varying shades of white above the stove are a close match.

The Sunny Breakfast Nook

empty dining area
The breakfast nook, before.
bench with plate wall

Alvarez wanted to protect the easy access to the back patio from the breakfast nook, so she pushed the seating against the wall and opted for a freestanding banquette from Serena & Lily, along with a rattan-wrapped pedestal table and dining chairs from the brand. The walls are swathed in durable vinyl grasscloth wallpaper that won’t scuff when the owner’s dogs inevitably rub up against it. But the ruffly Svenskt Tenn pendant is her favorite addition to the dining zone. “It ties in all of the color stories,” she says. We bet the peacocks outside approve. 



Source link

3 Comments
Show all Most Helpful Highest Rating Lowest Rating Add your review
  1. Купить Haval – только у нас вы найдете цены ниже рынка. Быстрей всего сделать заказ на haval jolion можно только у нас!
    [url=https://jolion-ufa1.ru]haval джолион[/url]
    хавал джулиан купить в уфе – [url=http://jolion-ufa1.ru]https://www.jolion-ufa1.ru[/url]

  2. Как не усугубить ситуацию с синдромом беспокойных ног, типичные обманы.
    Загадочные препараты для синдрома беспокойных ног, какие приемы действенны?
    сидеропенический синдром [url=https://bespokoynyye-nogi.ru/]сидеропенический синдром[/url] .

Leave a reply

LUXURY LIVEIN
Logo
Shopping cart