Two Seattle kitchens are reinvented with vibrant, unexpected color

written by Melissa Dalton

Queen Anne

A Classic Victorian’s Color-Drenched Kitchen

This petite kitchen in a 1910 Victorian in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood looked nothing like the rest of the house. Whereas the other rooms revealed hardwood floors, diamond pane windows and wainscot—all expected in something of this era—a more-recent remodel had left the kitchen out of step, with drab big box-store cabinets, glossy black granite counters and a stainless-steel backsplash. “The kitchen had undergone a previous remodel that was not in keeping with the original character or quality of the home,” said interior designer Sheila Mayden of Sheila Mayden Interiors.

But the homeowner loved everything about the Victorian era, even collecting antiques and dishware, and wanted a kitchen that aligned with not only the rest of the home but also her favorite teacups and saucers. “She has all kinds of cool pieces,” said Mayden. “She really wanted a kitchen that felt cohesive with the house and displayed all the things she loved.”

Mayden stayed within the same 153-square-footprint so as not to disturb the surrounding rooms, and focused on the kitchen and its attached pantry. She started with the stove wall, allotting a 36-inch Lacanche range there to create a focal point across from the dining room, and then surrounded it with a custom stove hood and cabinetry, the uppers fitted with bespoke leaded glass that echo the pattern found in the windows. (All the better to display the owner’s pretty dishes.)

When it came to the cabinet fabrication, the owner did not want any sort of composite wood, or MDF. “She said, ‘No, that’s not how it would’ve been made back then. I want a solid wood door,’” Mayden recalled. The owner chose cherry for the door and drawer fronts, for its weight and solidity, and asked the painter to apply a hand-brushed finish for further authenticity. “You feel like you’re in a turn-of-the-century hotel, or somewhere in Europe,” said Mayden. “I felt very transported when I stand in the new kitchen, like I’ve gone back in time.”

As for the color palette, it was inspired by some favorite pieces from the client’s china collection, and she requested a bold, red-toned pink, or cranberry. Mayden matched her with, appropriately enough, Benjamin Moore “Chinaberry.” The color was applied to the majority of the room, including the cabinets, tongue-and-groove beadboard backsplash, window frames and crown molding. “We liked how the singular use of a bold color unified everything and made it feel like all one piece,” said Mayden. Honed black granite on the counters grounds the bright color, while just a dash of Pierre Frey wallpaper on select walls picks up the motif from the dishware. Delicate chandeliers cast a warm glow.

The result is a room the owner adores. “She loves color and pattern, and old things,” said Mayden. X X “This was about her finding overall delight in the space.”

Beacon Hill

Color Blocking Refreshes a Rental Kitchen

Design doesn’t have to take itself so seriously, as this project proves. When the couple that owned this Beacon Hill Craftsman home decided to move out of the city and rent their home while they were gone, they knew they needed to spruce up the kitchen first. They reached out to local firm Best Practice Architecture and essentially said, “‘Do something fun,’” remembered founder and architect Ian Butcher. Known for its creative use of color and unexpected design treatments, the firm did just that, teaming up with contractor Ainslie-Davis Construction to transform the failing space in a cheerful, and economic, remodel.

Having been previously spruced up in the 1960s, the kitchen had all the finishes to prove it: outdated appliances, laminate counters and vinyl flooring. Still, the existing plywood cabinets were in pretty good shape, with cast metal hardware. “That’s something people pay a lot to buy new at Rejuvenation now,” said Butcher of the hardware. The architect decided to keep all of the cabinets, just replacing a few of the boxes that were damaged, and then applied a two-tone “color dip” to the entire room. “Paint is a great way to get a lot of design interest without spending a lot of money,” said Butcher.

The color scheme started with the floor, where the vinyl was replaced with a durable pink Marmoleum sheet. “The clients wanted a bright color, and there’s not a lot of bright colors available in that product, so they chose pink,” said Butcher, who also rehabbed the exterior with the same hue, applying multicolor shingles to a rebuilt porch-turned-family room.

The base cabinets then received Benjamin Moore “White Dove” on the frames, door and drawer faces, and even powder-coated the hardware to match. The new laminate counter is also white, with an exposed plywood edge, and white ceramic subway tile on the backsplash completes that layer. Up top, Butcher wanted a “poppy, contrasting color” and opted for Benjamin Moore “Bermuda Teal,” including the ceiling for an immersive effect.

“It is almost like Neapolitan ice cream,” mused Butcher on the design. “A lot of people are concerned about resale, or whether it’s too weird, or too personal, but these clients were like, ‘Let’s do it,’ and that makes it a lot offun.” Both for the design process—and the finished room.

VICTORIAN STYLE FOR YOUR HOME

Light fixtures are always the jewelry of the room, and the Margolis Pendant from Arhaus reads like a pearl drop earring, thanks to the hand-blown molten glass shade surrounded by a brass-finished iron frame. (www.arhaus.com)

Sure, wall hooks can be utilitarian, but why not do as the Victorians did, and add a little flourish? The Wildwood Hook from Rejuvenation does just that. Designed in Portland, it’s cast in solid brass from a hand-carved wood mold, so as to pretty up the wall, even when nothing needs hanging. (www.rejuvenation.com)

The Lotus Wallpaper by Farrow & Ball is a popular pattern made by a singular tech nique: The 80-year-old British company handcrafts it in Dorset, using traditional application p methods and their own paint. This gives each roll a certain tactility and ensures the product is as unique as the home where it appears. Available at Sage Interiors in Tacoma. (www.sageinteriors.com/collections/farrow-ball-wallpaper)

It’s technically not a Victorian fainting couch, but the Samuel Tufted Chaise Lounge from Jennifer Taylor Home is equally comfortable for reading, relaxing, or swooning. We especially like the traditional touches, such as the velvety fabric, turned legs, scrolled arm and tufted upholstery. (www.jennifertaylorhome.com)