“After” photos by Click Photography
Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Size: About 165 square feet (about 15 square
meters)
Designer: Shannon Eckel-Braun, Design Factory Interiors
The owners of this home wanted to expand
and update their kitchen with a mix of elements —
some contemporary, and some that pay homage
to the era when this home was built, around the late
Vintage-style touches include the Shaker-style
cabinets and furniture-like legs on the island.
“After” photos by Click Photography
Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Size: About 165 square feet (about 15 square
meters)
Designer: Shannon Eckel-Braun, Design Factory Interiors
The owners of this home wanted to expand
and update their kitchen with a mix of elements —
some contemporary, and some that pay homage
to the era when this home was built, around the late
Vintage-style touches include the Shaker-style
cabinets and furniture-like legs on the island.
After. Designer Shannon Eckel-Braun had the wall between the two rooms removed to
make the kitchen feel more open. Before the renovation, the wall dividing the two spaces was located just to the left of the stove, shown in this photo. The window, partially seen on the right,
remains in its original place.
Countertop. The island and perimeter countertop are both engineered quartz. Eckel-Braun chose the white material with gray veining for its marble-like look. “I really love marble, and
it’s beautiful, but it does stain,” she says. Given that the homeowners are avid cooks, she wanted to find something resistant and durable.
Cabinets. The cabinets have Shaker
doors with an inset faced frame, meaning that the doors are set into the cabinet boxes so that the box edges show. Glass windowpanes for the upper cabinetry were common in the
1920s, Eckel-Braun says. The rich green on the lower cabinets is a custom-mixed paint that started off as Dollar Bill
Green by Benjamin Moore and evolved as the designer tweaked it.
The homeowners have many friends who are artists, and the upper cabinets hold handmade bowls and pretty pottery collected over the years. “Their cabinets are full of quirky, awesome things,”
Eckel-Braun says.
Range hood. A shallow range hood vents directly outside, giving the homeowners plentiful functional cabinet space above it.
Pendants: Cedar & Moss; counters: Modena stone quartz in Calacatta gold,
Naturale collection, Natural Stone City; cabinetry: Bendt Kitchens & Millwork; upper cabinetry
paint: Oxford
White, Benjamin Moore
Dish rack. The homeowners really wanted a built-in
dish rack, another 1920s detail. To keep the dish rack from looking too country, Eckel-Braun painted it white and installed it as part of a larger built-in piece.
Backsplash. The off-white
ceramic tiles are square, a shape that is appropriate for the home’s era yet unexpected compared to another era-appropriate option, classic subway tile, Eckel-Braun says.
Backsplash: Olympia Tile + Stone; see more ceramic tile
Casual eating area. A banquette and dining table make for a comfortable place to eat when the couple’s grandchildren
visit. The banquette cushion is upholstered in a green velvet that
echoes the cabinet color. The homeowners found the antique oak table at a local shop.
Floor. Originally the homeowners planned to have a black-and-white checkered floor, but they decided instead
on gray in a diamond pattern, which feels both retro and fresh. Each tile is 24 inches square.
The kitchen island makes good use of the
long space created by combining the two rooms. The homeowners tend to do meal prep at the far end of the island, within the work triangle formed by the refrigerator, island edge and sink. To the
left of the refrigerator are three open wood shelves, and behind them, a staircase to the second story.
Pendants. The pendant style and
details throughout the room vary, from translucent globes above the island to a milk glass shade above the dining table. “We didn’t want them to be matchy-matchy,” Eckel-Braun says. “They’re from
the same company, so the brass is consistent.”
Wall paint: Repose Gray, Sherwin-Williams