Teal Cabinets and Custom Details Create a Bright, Fun Kitchen
Bold color, a graphic wallcovering and small, thoughtful details bring big character to this 130-square-foot space
When an active family bought their hundred-year-old Toronto home in 2007, they liked the fact that the kitchen was roomy by neighborhood standards and was separate from the adjacent dining room. But after several years spent living with the 1970s-era cabinetry and materials, the family decided it was high time to update.
For help, they turned to designer and Houzz writer Yanic Simard of Toronto Interior Design Group. Simard responded with a functional kitchen that reflects the vintage style of the home but also appeals to the homeowners’ unabashed love of color and pattern.
For help, they turned to designer and Houzz writer Yanic Simard of Toronto Interior Design Group. Simard responded with a functional kitchen that reflects the vintage style of the home but also appeals to the homeowners’ unabashed love of color and pattern.
AFTER: Simard kept the basic layout of the original kitchen but gutted everything in the 130-square-foot space down to the stud walls. “The original position of the sink, stove and refrigerator formed that perfect work triangle,” Simard says. “And the owners were used to it. But everything from the electrical and the plumbing to the cabinetry was replaced.”
The most notable change is the custom cabinetry, done in a simple, vintage style and painted a vibrant teal. “It’s definitely not a ‘safe’ color choice,” Simard says, “but it truly reflects the wife’s personality — and she loves it.”
Simard also replaced the window above the sink with a custom design, detailed with an X pattern that echoes the cabinetry detail as well as old leaded glass windows in the rest of the house.
Simard suggested a custom digital wallcovering to punch up a once-bland long wall on the side of the kitchen that previously had held a cookbook case. He also hid the dishwasher with a cabinet panel and painted the slim radiator next to it the same color to lessen its visual impact.
More cabinetry adds storage in the 30-square-foot vestibule that leads to the backyard. There was also room for a new wine cooler as well as the microwave.
The designer accommodated the family’s furry friend by hiding the litter box behind a small curtain in a lower cabinet.
Paint by Benjamin Moore: Florida Keys Blue (cabinets) and Chantilly Lace (walls)
The most notable change is the custom cabinetry, done in a simple, vintage style and painted a vibrant teal. “It’s definitely not a ‘safe’ color choice,” Simard says, “but it truly reflects the wife’s personality — and she loves it.”
Simard also replaced the window above the sink with a custom design, detailed with an X pattern that echoes the cabinetry detail as well as old leaded glass windows in the rest of the house.
Simard suggested a custom digital wallcovering to punch up a once-bland long wall on the side of the kitchen that previously had held a cookbook case. He also hid the dishwasher with a cabinet panel and painted the slim radiator next to it the same color to lessen its visual impact.
More cabinetry adds storage in the 30-square-foot vestibule that leads to the backyard. There was also room for a new wine cooler as well as the microwave.
The designer accommodated the family’s furry friend by hiding the litter box behind a small curtain in a lower cabinet.
Paint by Benjamin Moore: Florida Keys Blue (cabinets) and Chantilly Lace (walls)
AFTER: Simard stripped away the dropped ceiling, which allowed him to install full-height upper cabinetry, resulting in more storage space. He replaced the fluorescent lighting with schoolhouse-style glass ceiling fixtures that reflect the home’s century-old architecture. The hood is hidden in the cabinetry above the range.
Black sintered stone is a durable countertop choice. The black-and-white penny tile flooring is forgiving when it comes to drops and crumbs, and the stainless steel backsplash above the range protects the wall from splatters. Black stainless steel appliances add a modern edge.
Appliances: Samsung
Black sintered stone is a durable countertop choice. The black-and-white penny tile flooring is forgiving when it comes to drops and crumbs, and the stainless steel backsplash above the range protects the wall from splatters. Black stainless steel appliances add a modern edge.
Appliances: Samsung
Open shelving provides a place for some of the homeowners’ cookbooks as well as a spot to show off pretty dishware.
The deep, single-bowl stainless steel apron-front sink is big enough to hold cookie sheets and large pots. The mesh insert helps dishes drain.
Two library-style sconces add adjustable light above the sink.
The deep, single-bowl stainless steel apron-front sink is big enough to hold cookie sheets and large pots. The mesh insert helps dishes drain.
Two library-style sconces add adjustable light above the sink.
The kitchen was too small for a proper island and afforded little space for a full-size breakfast table. Simard solved the dilemma by designing a custom marble-topped “island” on wheels that can be pushed into the center of the kitchen for meal prep or rolled against the wall for coffee for two.
“The family has most meals in the dining room,” he says, “so the rolling table proved to be really practical.”
“The family has most meals in the dining room,” he says, “so the rolling table proved to be really practical.”
Simard and the wife worked with a few sketches to customize the digital wallcovering, layering images and adding colors that complement the cabinetry’s hue.
Find a kitchen remodeler near you to get a custom look of your own
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Kitchen at a Glance
Location: Toronto
Who lives here: Two economists, their two teen daughters and Boris, a Siberian cat
Size: 130 square feet (12 square meters)
Designer: Yanic Simard of Toronto Interior Design Group
BEFORE: The homeowners felt the existing melamine cabinets didn’t justly reflect the century-old architecture of the home, and the space lacked storage for their collection of cookbooks. A small hallway leading to the back door was unused space, apart from being a discreet place to tuck Boris the cat’s litter box.