Stickybeak of the Week: A Stylish New Look for an Eat-In Kitchen
With double islands and a new walnut-backed bar, this black, white and wood kitchen is now a sophisticated space
Before: The homeowners felt their original kitchen, pictured here, was cramped and disconnected from adjacent spaces. A pass-through on the rear wall opened to an unused music room, accessed by a small hallway to the left of the fridge.
The cabinets: MDF cabinetry features Shaker-style panels and is painted in ‘Cloud White’ by Benjamin Moore.
The splashback: The splashback is made up of 100 x 300-millimetre porcelain tiles from Ceragres in four different finishes: matt, glossy, flamed and textured. “When you look at it closely, it really adds to the textural interest of this space because I wanted it to have a bit of an eclectic feel to it,” Castro says.
The islands: One island contains cabinetry and the main sink. The second island is more like a benchtop-height table, with space for six bar seats. “It’s quite large, and yet there’s only four legs, so there are lots of hidden metal structural components underneath to hold it up,” Castro says. Both islands are 900 millimetres tall. The bases are painted ‘Tricorn Black’ by Sherwin-Williams.
The lighting: The outer casings of the two oversized fixtures are black leather with a baseball stitch, and inside is a hammered-gold-like finish.
The range hood: The range hood is a custom-built unit in solid walnut, and the black portion is made of MDF.
The splashback: The splashback is made up of 100 x 300-millimetre porcelain tiles from Ceragres in four different finishes: matt, glossy, flamed and textured. “When you look at it closely, it really adds to the textural interest of this space because I wanted it to have a bit of an eclectic feel to it,” Castro says.
The islands: One island contains cabinetry and the main sink. The second island is more like a benchtop-height table, with space for six bar seats. “It’s quite large, and yet there’s only four legs, so there are lots of hidden metal structural components underneath to hold it up,” Castro says. Both islands are 900 millimetres tall. The bases are painted ‘Tricorn Black’ by Sherwin-Williams.
The lighting: The outer casings of the two oversized fixtures are black leather with a baseball stitch, and inside is a hammered-gold-like finish.
The range hood: The range hood is a custom-built unit in solid walnut, and the black portion is made of MDF.
The benchtops: The benchtops on the perimeter and islands are quartz.
The floors: “Walnut can be quite dressy, but we used it in a casual way by making sure there was no shine to the floor,” Castro says.
The barn door: A massive walnut barn door adds a rich, warm feel to the space.
The floors: “Walnut can be quite dressy, but we used it in a casual way by making sure there was no shine to the floor,” Castro says.
The barn door: A massive walnut barn door adds a rich, warm feel to the space.
The bar: The shelves and backing are walnut. “The owner had this Jack Daniel’s bottle collection that he wanted to play with – he didn’t necessarily want to feature it but use it as a jumping off point,” Castro says. “Because the labels are black, and the liquid has this gold-y feel, it was a natural transition for us to add black to the walnut wood accents we used.”
The hardware: The handles on the bar are actually leather handles that you’d see on an attache case.
The hardware: The handles on the bar are actually leather handles that you’d see on an attache case.
The bar lighting: Strip LED lighting tucks into a slim channel in the bottom of the wood, lending a beautiful glow to the space. “LED was a good choice because of the longevity,” Castro says.
Tell us
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Tell us
What do you love about this home? Tell us why in the Comments. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation below.
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple who love entertaining, and their teenager
Location: Whitby, Ontario, Canada
Size: 40.3 square metres
After: Designer Frankie Castro of Square Footage spearheaded the project, which included taking down walls and expanding the footprint by absorbing a hallway and music room, adding nearly 18.5 square metres to the kitchen.