{ The Dancing Man’s Kitchen }

I have a feeling you’re all going to be huge fans of Thursdays here at ComoxValleyDwellings.com. Kari and I had a blast putting this feature together. If you’re a local business, you probably saw us poking around your shop looking for inspiration. If you’re a friend of ‘H’s – you’ll recognize this room :)

I must admit,  I approached ‘H’ for this feature because the guy is a wiz when it comes to social media and word-of-mouth. Plus he’s super fun and light-hearted – which is (in case you didnt’ notice), kind-of what we’re all about here. Entertaining is a huge passion of ‘H’s – so I thought it might be fun to feature his kitchen – the one room in any house that gets the most attention at parties.

‘H’ we hope you love this :) Thanks for sharing your home with us!

Here’s Kari to give us the scoop:

~ Before ~

{ Thank-You H.  for the photos of your favourite entertaining spot. Let’s get right to it – we’re about to make this space work double-time for you! }

Kitchen Cabinets:

{ My first suggestion requires painting, sanding, waxing, & elbow-grease. These cabinets will look amazing painted out in black, with distressed wood reveals, and a little wax applied to keep them durable (a.). (Inspiration from “The Lettered Cottage” blog.) We know just the gal to do the work for you. Her name is Cathrine and her local Comox Valley business is called “Gabriel’s Attic“. She specializes in a decorating style known as “chabby chic“.  If you’d rather replace your cabinets, head on over to Inspired Spaces by Harbour Kitchens and Moreon Cliffe Ave in Courtenay. Megan will be happy to assist you in creating a custom kitchen that would suit your specific needs. They can order cabinets with this same distressed look. For added detail, we recommend the striking leather and brushed steel door/drawer pull (b.) offered from Richelieu and available through Inspired Spaces… truly stunning!

For the back-splash, try using bead board wainscoting painted white. The look is classic, and it works as a great DIY week-end project. House of Colour on 5th street in downtown Courtenay offers an excellent selection of Benjamin Moore products.  For this project,  I recommend having House of Colour mix the colour Onyx 2133-10 (l.)  for the Cabinets, and Cloud White OC-130 for the bead board. }

~Designer’s tip: In the kitchen It’s best to keep like-items grouped together so you can buzz around your work stations with ease.~

Pantry/Wall behind Fridge:

{ Storage is an issue in almost every kitchen, so on that note, let’s place a nice wicker basket on top of the fridge to catch some of the random things usually found in kitchens. Next, I’m suggesting that the wall behind the fridge become a fun interactive space for you, your family, and your dinner guests. Here, you can paint the wall in Black Benjamin Moore Chalk Board Paint (floor-ceiling) and have fun while keeping track of daily information such as grocery lists, reminders, and appointments. What a great place for your friends to tap into their inner Picasso as well! A bulletin board (c.) placed here will also assist by offering a place for loose paper items.

This same area remains a good location for a clock (g). The image we used is from a display at FD & Interiors. This particular clock is quite large, but we loved the steel look and we think it provides excellent inspiration. Pop in and ask Linda for something smaller – she’ll most likely be able to help you find just the right piece. 

When it comes to the cooking-ware storage, I suggest  to re-locate the pots and pans to the pantry (closet) beside the fridge, and to replace the existing door with a black (Onyx 2133-10) narrow reed glass door (e.). The obscured glass will distort the view into the closet while adding light, colour, and curiosity to the space. Finally, trim out the door with a flat profile 3” MDF trim painted the same white colour as the bead board (Cloud White OC-130), and top the door with a header moulding to match…ooh-la-la!}

Island/Bar:

{ The Island/Bar would make a perfect spot for storing and displaying your entertaining goodies, and in order to tie into the rest of the cabinets,  you guessed it… paint it black to match. Removing the mirror above the island and replacing it with this small mountable shelving unit (f.) will utilize that wall space more efficiently. In this unit, store special occasion glasses, and beside it, hang a wall mounted wine rack (h.) for a lovely conversation piece. We also found these leather topped stools at Rattan Plus on 5th Street in Courtenay to replace your existing chairs. For added visual interest, add some Canadian Art. We think you’d love these limited edition pieces (n.) by Sid Dickens of Vancouver.  Cody & Company on 5th in downtown Courtenay is the local authorized dealer in our community. To complete the look, install this pendant fixture (i.) available through The Light Houseon Kilpatrick Ave.

Wardrobe/Home Office:

{Now that we’ve created a more efficient space for cooking and entertaining, we need to re-locate your computer. I have a great suggestion: Why not try converting a wardrobe (d.),  such as this one from Ikea into a personal office? By placing the unit where the bookcase currently sits, you can still have the convenience of having your computer in the kitchen. However, when it’s not in use, simply close the doors, and the piece blends in seamlessly with the rest of the cabinetry. The wardrobe also offers discrete storage for recipe books, office supplies, and computer components.

Finally, I would like to suggest you paint the room Benjamin Moore’s “GlossamerBlue – 2123-40″ (k.) and accessorize with pieces in this (m.) eco-lime green colour. }

{ ‘H’ and guests, we hope you take some helpful inspiration from this! I’ll be back with another Interior Design Feature next Thursday. See you tomorrow for our Friday feature! }

~ k

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And that, ‘H’, will be a kitchen worth twittering/blogging/socialmedia’ing about!

Thanks again!

-b

pssst. want a room in your home to be featured? contact us! it’s FREE :)

Tags: Kitchen, Projects + Ramblings