Traditional Eclectic Kitchen: The Big Reveal

Hey all, Ginny again with the final reveal of our Traditional Eclectic kitchen I introduced yesterday. For your viewing pleasure, here it is in all it’s white, black, blue and grey glory.  The tile is clearly the showstopper here which is complimented really well by my new favorite wall color: Stiffkey from Farrow & Ball. The kitchen feels fresh, simple and inviting so with that in mind, we styled it out for everyday use.

From the bottom up – we kept the existing marble floor tile and had it polished out since there were a few stains on it from the previous owners. It would have cost us a lot more to replace when you add up materials and labor, and since they were in good condition and complimented Sara’s (our client) style aesthetic we decided to keep them. I really like that they bring in warmth to the floor, yet still feel fresh and clean. We installed simple white shaker cabinets that have a slight bevel detail to make it feel slightly more traditional with oil rubbed bronze hardware from Rejuvenation. I love their oil rubbed bronze finish because it feels more matte black than brown like you get from other places.

We moved the range from what was a really tight, awkward corner and now it feels like it’s been given a new lease of life and space to breathe. With a 36″ range you ideally need at least 18″ on either side otherwise it’ll feel tight and overbearing.  Can we talk about the tile now? Sara always wanted to use a encaustic cement tile which obviously made me giddy and meant I didn’t need to twist anyone’s arm. I did try to get her to do it the full perimeter of the kitchen but keep it to under cabinet height, but I love how this has turned out. It makes the range area feel like a true focal point in the room.

We added a pot filler in the same oil rubbed bronze and you know you’ve made it big when you have a pot filler in your kitchen… soooo fancy!

We styled it out so that Sara could actually live with the kitchen every day and we honestly didn’t remove any unsightly microwaves, coffee makers or toaster ovens – they are all stored away in the pantry/laundry area. We brought in some wood tones with the chopping board, utensils and salt bowl which makes it feel earthy and adds depth.  Sara has an insane cook book collection so we leant a few of her favorites against the wall for easy access and to give height and balance out the opposite side of range. We brought in some marble elements with the utensil holder (which I later found out is a wine cooler) and cheese platter which we used to corral everyday cooking essentials like oils, vinegar, salt and pepper. It’s always nice to have things like this out for easy access but sitting them on a tray or platter helps to keep them grounded and feel more organized.  Is anyone drooling over the gold pepper grinder yet because I know I am?? We added a pop of color with the tomatoes which can live out in everyday life. And don’t get upset when you don’t see the ceramic tomato dish on the get the look, you’re behind me and several other people trying to convince Emily to let us buy it from her – Scandinavian, vintage, of course!

Moving on to another area and this unexpectedly might be one of my favorite shots. When Zeke and I were figuring out the shot list I knew I needed to get one of the fridge to show where we moved it to. We initially couldn’t figure out the angle but this surprisingly turned out really well. You can see that this might be the perfect location for the fridge, it’s tucked away nicely and doesn’t feel as heavy as it’s previous location. We added a cute rug from Dash & Albert in front of the sink which adds a fun pop of blue to the floor.

We added a light grey Belgian linen roman shade from Loom Decor and hung it a few inches above the frame. That way when you open it you don’t end up blocking any of the window itself, meaning you’re maximizing the amount of light in the room.  We did think about putting open shelving either side of the window, but I like that it feels clean and open.

We started styling this area out by organizing soaps, hand-wash and sponges in little bowls and trays to keep things grouped together by the sink – this also helps to catch any drips.  Also this faucet is touch activated, pretty fancy and not as expensive as you’d think.

We added green and white flowers to a tall vase to give the corner some height.  Stacked chopping boards, but this time horizontally, and added a rustic wooden bowl which ties in with the other wood elements in the room. By adding the colorful still life and fruit we easily added a pop of color to what could be a dark corner. This artwork might be my biggest regret in life so far. Sara and her husband didn’t want to keep this after the shoot so I returned it to the store. I feel like I might need it in order for my life to be complete.

This is the other side of the room which is the only area that has upper cabinets. If you read the post yesterday, you’d see where I mentioned about spotting prefab cabinetry and this is the area where you can probably tell the most with the upper cabinets. Had we gone fully custom, I might have been tempted to do two doors on the left at the top instead of three. Minor details but that’s all part of the job.

We styled this area out to bring in pops of blue to enhance the wall colour as well as orange and wood tones. This countertop is a big expanse of space, especially the corner section, so you need to break is down into smaller areas when styling it out. By adding an open cook book on a stand helped to give height and fill out that back corner, you could also do this with an oversized bowl or a set of canisters. We stacked a few more books close-by to give it some friends.

On one side of the counter we made an area with a tray, flowers and a bowl for your key – almost like a secondary entry area. And added a colourful ceramic plate as a backdrop.

Above the wine fridge we made a drink station with a few casually sliced lemons 🙂 I’m not-so-secretly laughing at myself, because I had a conversation with Emily a few days before the shoot asking her how “styled do I style?!” And we both agreed to keep it simple and casual and not go overboard with cut up baguettes and a full on charcuterie board – but I think this does the trick and doesn’t feel overly staged.  We added more art and this beautiful floral citrus filled fruit bowl from Nickey Kehoe (I couldn’t find it on their website so don’t be mad when you can’t find it on the get the look). And not forgetting the rug, which is a different patten to the other but they both worked well together in the space.

So there you have it, Traditional Eclectic kitchen. Tell us what you think and if you liked the changes we made the the overall layout.

1. Stipple Large Bowl | 2. Rustic Olivewood Bowl | 3. Assorted Kitchen Towels | 4. Gatz Vase | 5. Blue Print Vase | 6. Gold Scalloped Pot | 7. Coco Blue Indoor/Outdoor Rug | 8. Olivewood Cheese Cutting Board | 9. Round Marble Cheese Server | 10. Notch Wood Server | 11. Pepper Mill Grinder | 12. Blood Orange Oil Painting | 13. Glass Olive Oil Bottle | 14. Glass Canister with Lid | 15. Glass Canister with Olivewood Lid | 16. Wall Mount Pot Filler | 17. Tribute Pitcher | 18. Dots Cobalt Plate | 19. Olivewood Spoon | 20. Denim Plaid Woven Rug | 21. Linen Roman Shade | 22. Matte Black Kitchen Faucet | 23. Bubble Up Brush | 24. Fireclay Kitchen Sink | 25. Asian Pear Oil Painting | 26. Bevel Edge Bin Pull | 27. Ball Cabinet Knob | 28. Patterned Cement Tile | 29. Stiffkey Blue Paint

* Designed by Ginny Macdonald for EHD. Styled by Ginny Macdonald, assisted by Melanie Burstin for EHD

**After photos by Zeke Ruelas 

*** A big thanks to our contractor, Golan from H&A My Design, for making the whole process so seamless. 

For more of this project: Modern Traditional Bathroom