The melding of modern and rustic takes shape in a country kitchen on Mother Nature’s clock.
Photography By Alex Lukey
Getting a kitchen design just right is always a little stressful. In this particular project, timelines were somewhat tight seeing the homeowner had a bun in the oven of her own, making it an even more time-sensitive project. Our young professional couple had bought a wonderful home in the country with the thought of starting a family— complete with animals, lots of space to grow, and land to spare. The setting is nothing short of bountiful Mother Nature in her glory but inside the home, the kitchen needed help bringing its outdated appliances, tiled floors and oak-stained cabinets into the now. Ultimately, we knew we had to conceive and create a modern country kitchen before the birth of her first child. From start to finish, we had seven months to complete the project. We knew this kitchen was going to go full-term and we needed her to do the same. The race was on to see who would cross the finish line first, baby boy “Harrison” or us!
ON SOLID GROUND
We started by removing the floor tiles in the old kitchen and replacing them with some beautiful hardwood. Many people worry about hardwood in the kitchen but the reality is that factory-finished hardwood will perform as well as tiles and is a little softer underfoot. Water is no issue unless it is left on the floor for hours and hours. We replaced the floor throughout the main level with a beautiful Satin wide board product in a warm-grey tone. Our first trimester ended on solid ground.
CHEF-WORTHY APPLIANCES
Next was the selection of appliances. Both she and her husband love to cook, so selecting a premium brand like Jenn-Air was the natural choice. A six-burner cooktop and range hood, coupled with a double oven and panel-received French door fridge and dishwasher were selected in record time. When cooking is a passion, it is important to look at products that will give you the superior performance a chef comes to expect. We love the idea of panel-received appliances in open-concept spaces to ensure that the kitchen looks like fine cabinetry when you are in the family room but is filled with function when you are working in the kitchen. In open-concept living, you want to elevate the visual of the kitchen to suit the elegance of the principal rooms.
FAUCETS & FINISHES
Next, we selected a farm-front style sink from Blanco to maintain the charm and era of the homeowners’ property coupled with a vegetable sink on the island. We were delighted to find they were both available in a Silgranit material, making them almost impossible to destroy and perfect for this new family. Blanco faucets in chrome, one for the farm-house sink with a spring control and the other has a simple arch, complemented each other perfectly. With a budding family, we needed a beautiful yet easy-to-maintain countertop. The Silestone by Cosentino option, a man-made quartz, fit the bill. We selected the Nebula Orion colour because it was simple but also had some graining in it like marble. Every new mom knows that any help hiding the dirt until you can get to cleaning it is a God-send.
TRADITIONAL MEETS MODERN
We then ran an elongated subway tile as a backsplash made of a bevelled glazed porcelain paying homage to the traditional country kitchen. Clean and crisp, modern and approachable— the space is elegantly embellished by black-and-gold lighting above the sink and island. We also selected knobs and pulls in matte black to provide contrast as well as add a touch of the “local blacksmith” look. The warm and reflective properties of the gilded drum shade interior result in a soothing glow, day or night.
POWER COUPLE
A classic black-and-white palette wove a common thread throughout the kitchen colour scheme. Anchoring the design, we incorporated a matte-black island and moving the eyes upward we selected, along with the homeowners, white raised-panel door cabinets. The result is a modern kitchen with a farm-fresh feel for this wonderful family in waiting.
AND BABY MAKES THREE
This modern country kitchen was completed just one week before “Harrison” arrived on the scene. Our sources tell us that both kitchen and baby are doing brilliantly.
SOURCES – FLOORING: Satin Flooring COUNTERTOPS: Silestone by Cosentino SINKS AND FAUCETS: Blanco BACKSPLASH: Olympia Tile CABINETS: CCW Millworkers LIGHTING: Living Lighting on King CABINET COLOUR: Benjamin Moore, Cloud White OC-130
Glen Peloso and Jamie Alexander are co-founders and principals of Peloso Alexander Interiors. They bring 35 years of combined experience to creating environments that merge the client’s lifestyle, personality, and architecture. pelosoalexander.com , twitter @ glenpeloso & @glenandjamie, Facebook.com/glenpeloso