Share a tip on an excellent place to go in early summer – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays breakIt’s been ... Designer: Kamila Malewska of Level Up Design
General contractor: Rainier
Location: Jacksonville, Florida
Size: 320 square feet (30 square meters); 16 by 20 feet
Homeowners’ request. Transform and open up a dated and dark kitchen into a light and airy modern-farmhouse-style space with lots of function, storage and room for family gatherings.
White and wood details. Custom white perimeter cabinets (Pure White by Sherwin-Williams). Distressed white backsplash tile. Matte white appliances. White marble-look quartz countertops. Stained maple island. “The decision to mix white and wood cabinetry seemed like a perfect choice for a modern farmhouse kitchen,” designer Kamila Malewska says. “It was a theme we created and carried throughout the house. While white finishes create a very fresh and bright look, they can appear cold and need to be balanced. In our case, the light wood cabinets on the island, beam between kitchen and dining area, floating shelves on the bar and flooring added warmth and a homey feel.”
Other special features. Brass hardware, plumbing fixtures and lantern-style pendant lights.
Designer tip. “Use neutral colors and timeless finishes for cabinetry, countertops, flooring and wall paint and then play with more trendy accessories like light fixtures, cabinet hardware or a wallpaper accent wall,” Malewska says. “Down the road, you can easily update your kitchen look just by swapping those elements.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “The homeowners wanted to have their kitchen windows painted white to match the French doors and other trim work,” Malewska says. “Mid-project, when the cabinetry, countertops and flooring got installed, I noticed that the wood finish on the window over the sink and by the French doors went really well with all the other woodwork in the room and added warmth. I thought it would be a mistake to paint them white. I was able to convince my clients to keep the wood look.”
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