Kitchen of the Week: A Mix of Textures, Metals and High Contrast
You’d never guess the kitchen in this 1930s Florida home was new, which was exactly what the homeowner wanted
Bring on the Wear and Tear
“I love a well-worn look,” McQuiston says. “Wear and tear just add to this kitchen’s appeal.” The most wear and tear takes place on these walnut butcher-block countertops, where McQuiston chops and dices right on them. “I want more imperfections so that the kitchen will look like it’s always been here — the more nicks, the better,” she says. This means the counters are very low-maintenance for her — no oiling, no sealant, just washing with water or her favorite cleaner.
“I love a well-worn look,” McQuiston says. “Wear and tear just add to this kitchen’s appeal.” The most wear and tear takes place on these walnut butcher-block countertops, where McQuiston chops and dices right on them. “I want more imperfections so that the kitchen will look like it’s always been here — the more nicks, the better,” she says. This means the counters are very low-maintenance for her — no oiling, no sealant, just washing with water or her favorite cleaner.
Next, McQuiston designed open shelves that hang from the ceiling on galvanized metal plumbing pipes. The shelves are walnut to match the counters and are 12½ inches deep. “In hindsight I’d probably go a few inches deeper in the future, probably to 14½ inches,” McQuiston says. “We use these for all of our everyday plates, bowls, cups and glasses. I don’t believe in having more of that stuff around than we need, so the shelves fit it all.”
Larger items like platters are stored in the pantry, as are small appliances. “I don’t like to clutter countertops up with coffeemakers and microwaves,” McQuiston says. “If these appliances aren’t built into the cabinetry, I advise my clients to have electrical installed in the pantry so that small appliances can be used in there,” she says. “I prefer to keep things like my wooden cutting boards out for laying out appetizers like cheese plates. And I love to cook with lots of herbs and tend to keep them handy next to the range on the counters.”
McQuiston brought in additional contrast by using navy blue on the cabinetry (Polo Blue by Sherwin-Williams). “I have navy throughout the house — it is my favorite color,” she says. “And I really like doing a color on the cabinetry because it makes a kitchen much more interesting to me than a kitchen with a white, gray or wood-stained cabinetry. Navy accentuated the wood and the finishes.”
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Larger items like platters are stored in the pantry, as are small appliances. “I don’t like to clutter countertops up with coffeemakers and microwaves,” McQuiston says. “If these appliances aren’t built into the cabinetry, I advise my clients to have electrical installed in the pantry so that small appliances can be used in there,” she says. “I prefer to keep things like my wooden cutting boards out for laying out appetizers like cheese plates. And I love to cook with lots of herbs and tend to keep them handy next to the range on the counters.”
McQuiston brought in additional contrast by using navy blue on the cabinetry (Polo Blue by Sherwin-Williams). “I have navy throughout the house — it is my favorite color,” she says. “And I really like doing a color on the cabinetry because it makes a kitchen much more interesting to me than a kitchen with a white, gray or wood-stained cabinetry. Navy accentuated the wood and the finishes.”
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Belly Up to the Bar
When the wall came down, a large structural beam remained. McQuiston sourced old wood from Jacksonville salvagers Eco Relics and had the beam wrapped.
“We have people over practically every weekend, so we wanted our kitchen to be a comfortable hangout spot,” McQuiston says. Four French-cafe-style bamboo counter stools line the peninsula, which has an elegant brass footrest attached to it. “I had spent enough time in bars to know I wanted a footrest,” McQuiston says with a laugh. “It makes it so much more comfortable to have a place to prop your feet.”
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When the wall came down, a large structural beam remained. McQuiston sourced old wood from Jacksonville salvagers Eco Relics and had the beam wrapped.
“We have people over practically every weekend, so we wanted our kitchen to be a comfortable hangout spot,” McQuiston says. Four French-cafe-style bamboo counter stools line the peninsula, which has an elegant brass footrest attached to it. “I had spent enough time in bars to know I wanted a footrest,” McQuiston says with a laugh. “It makes it so much more comfortable to have a place to prop your feet.”
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A brass bar cart occupies the corner behind the counter stools. Guests can mix their own drinks while the homeowners work in the kitchen. The placement of the fridge at the edge of the kitchen also makes it easy for people to stay out of the cooks’ way.
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Find the right bar cart for your home
Mixed Metals Lend a Sense of Age
There was an awkward situation above the range — the electric box for the home is located here and couldn’t be tiled over. The mirror had the right dimensions to completely cover it up. “Someday we’d like artwork here, but we need to commission it in order to get the right dimensions to cover the box,” McQuiston says. “For now the mirror’s metal frame picks up on the galvanized pipe and its darker bronze tones pick up on the wood. People either think it’s really weird that you have to look at yourself in the mirror while you’re cooking or they think it’s cool. It’s working fine for us.”
The mirror also adds to the mix of metals in the kitchen. The appliances and sink are stainless steel and the cabinet hardware is antiqued brass. The aged look and mix of finishes help the kitchen fit in with the home’s 1930s period.
There’s no drywall in the kitchen, which also makes the kitchen look older. McQuiston tiled all of the walls from floor to ceiling with inexpensive white subway tile and used tongue-and-groove paneling on the ceiling. And rather than using contemporary can lights, she went with classic white marine lights she sourced at a local hardware store.
There was an awkward situation above the range — the electric box for the home is located here and couldn’t be tiled over. The mirror had the right dimensions to completely cover it up. “Someday we’d like artwork here, but we need to commission it in order to get the right dimensions to cover the box,” McQuiston says. “For now the mirror’s metal frame picks up on the galvanized pipe and its darker bronze tones pick up on the wood. People either think it’s really weird that you have to look at yourself in the mirror while you’re cooking or they think it’s cool. It’s working fine for us.”
The mirror also adds to the mix of metals in the kitchen. The appliances and sink are stainless steel and the cabinet hardware is antiqued brass. The aged look and mix of finishes help the kitchen fit in with the home’s 1930s period.
There’s no drywall in the kitchen, which also makes the kitchen look older. McQuiston tiled all of the walls from floor to ceiling with inexpensive white subway tile and used tongue-and-groove paneling on the ceiling. And rather than using contemporary can lights, she went with classic white marine lights she sourced at a local hardware store.
McQuiston’s favorite meal to make for her guests in the winter is roasted chicken with roasted vegetables. It’s easy to see why she enjoys making it in this space so much.
Takeaways
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Takeaways
- For an older home, consider materials with an aged look such as salvaged wood, galvanized metal and antiqued brass.
- Plan for open shelves to be at least 12 inches deep to accommodate dinner plates, and note that a few extra inches can be helpful —14 to 15 inches is a good depth.
- If your small appliances aren’t built in and you like clear countertops, have electrical outlets installed in the pantry or in an appliance garage for an uncluttered look.
- An ugly structural beam can become a design accent when covered in wood.
- A footrest along an area outfitted with counter or bar stools adds comfort. (Note that placement will be higher for bar height than counter height. Determine the height by sitting on the stools you’ve chosen.)
- Mixing metals, materials and colors can give a kitchen lots of personality and charm.
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Interior decorator Robyn McQuiston; her husband, Stan; and their 14-year-old son
Location: Atlantic Beach, Florida
Size: 225 square feet (21 square meters)
Interior decorator Robyn McQuiston and her husband, Stan, love their 1930s shingled house in Atlantic Beach, Florida, near Jacksonville. But the cramped, outdated 1950s kitchen wasn’t serving their needs.
“Cooking is one of my favorite things to do, and we love to have people over almost every weekend,” McQuiston says. The couple, who have a teenage son, wanted a kitchen where she could cook comfortably and that would serve as an inviting place for the family and its frequent guests to hang out.
The new space used to be split between a porch that had been glassed in and a small kitchen. The large ceiling beam marks where there was a wall between the two. The spaces were on two levels, with a step between them. The renovation took out the wall and leveled out the floor. With the footprint enlarged, McQuiston designed the kitchen in a style to fit with the older home, with the goal of making it look as though it had always been there.
“I wanted to go with an unusual design style — a bright and shiny new kitchen full of drywall would not have worked in our house,” she says. She looked through Houzz photos to find inspiration. “I just love the look of white contrasted by dark wood. The wood just pops against the light colors,” she says.
She used walnut on the countertops and open shelves, salvaged wood on the beam and bamboo on the stools and matchstick blinds — and she likes to leave out wooden cutting boards.