Working within existing floorplan limitations can often lead to some of the best design, and it’s no different in this case. Thorpe & Yellow Spaces took on this kitchen renovation with two ideas front of mind, easygoing hosting and symmetry. They used these two ideas to carefully craft a space that fits within the existing floorplan, has beautful balance and emcompasses every convenince an avid host could wish for. Take a tour below to see how it call came together!

From the kitchen designer, Thorpe… Welcome to our McCowan project! This client came to us through our good friend and colleague Emily, who is the lead designer at Yellow Spaces. This project was particularly important to her as the clients, Jenn and Shawn, were very special, long-time family friends. Starting the project we knew one thing – that this space would be used to host and entertain day in and day out. Jenn is everything you’d imagine in the perfect hostess and Emily describes going to her house like taking a vacation.

We knew it was important to design a kitchen that would not only be comfortable and functional for their family but also be a favourite spot for guests and dinner parties. Abundant seating was a must, so of course we needed both an island a peninsula. The stove is outward facing so that Jenn can whip up her special recipes all while chatting with her guests. A point proven when she surprised our photoshoot team with lunch and homemade soup!

This project was particularly fun for us to design as the client came in with an open mind and was willing to go in any direction. We had a few design limitations we knew we needed to work within, including existing flooring and windows, 8 foot ceiling height and a load bearing beam that could not be moved. As in most projects, our limitations resulted in some of our favourite elements of this project including the peninsula frame which we created in order to incorporate the beam.

One of the elements we focused on in designing this kitchen was symmetry. When you pull up to this house the grand symmetrical exterior is one of the first things you notice, and we wanted to bring that feel into the kitchen. We did this in a few ways including pairing the wall ovens with an equally proportionate arched cabinet on the adjacent end of the sink wall. The hardware was carefully positioned with the same symmetry in mind and we designed two corresponding display cabinets that had retractable doors and stained interiors to match the dark stained island. We made sure that the stone countertops ran underneath these cabinets to provide storage for small appliances behind closed doors.

Some of our favourite old world elements in this project include the aged brass hardware handmade in England, apron front sink, bridge faucet, framed cabinetry style and the arched display cabinet with reeded glass. Thin Dekton countertops in a honed finish added a modern touch along with the lighting and barstools selected by Emily at Yellow. Of course, our favourite element of this kitchen is the custom green paint colour on the perimeter cabinetry and the custom dark stain on the rift-cut white oak island and pocket pantry door. We wish we could fully describe the peaceful atmosphere of this kitchen and whole home. Hopefully the photos are worth a thousand words!

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Like what you see? Take a peek at the talent behind the story… Kitchen Design Collaboration: Thorpe & Yellow Spaces · Photography: Young Glass Photography · Lighting: Thorpe Collection