A Room Reborn
Designer Laura Hay Gives a Gaudy Toronto Kitchen a Facelift
Written by Ashley Gartland
Photography By Lisa Petrole
When two Toronto homeowners decided to downsize by moving into a 4,400-square-foot residence in west Toronto’s historic Kingsway neighborhood, they found themselves taking ownership of a home with stately Georgian architecture and great bones. Unfortunately, the home’s existing interior design didn’t fit their personal style—especially in the kitchen.
Though the home was relatively new and the kitchen still in excellent condition at the time of their purchase, the homeowners were put off by a design that leaned toward a formal Italianate style with heavy window treatments, ornate glazed millwork, and a dark color scheme. “The cabinetry had a glazed painted finish and a café mocha color palette,” says Laura Hay, president and designer of L.H. DECOR & DESIGN INC. “The countertops were orange-and-black granite and the fascia and island corbels were Mediterranean inspired. And the light fixture over the island included antique brass details and stained-glass shades. If I may say, it was gaudy.”
The homeowners hired Hay to shift the kitchen design toward a new traditional look that better matched the home’s classically proportioned architecture and the homeowners’ modern lifestyles. Additionally, they charged Hay with turning the dark room into a bright gathering space that was as rich and beautiful to look at as it was functional.
When the talented Toronto-based designer considered the homeowners’ requests for the 400-square-foot room, she quickly realized they couldn’t completely reinvent the space without spending a small fortune. So she presented the homeowners with an alternative option: refinish the room by removing the embellishments and changing the paint finish, hardware, countertops, and backsplash. “I knew that by changing everything but the cabinetry, we could create a kitchen that was distinctly modern,” she says.
With her clients’ approval, Hay set about a refinishing project that was well planned but not without its challenges. “A major challenge of refinishing cabinetry is making sure that care and expertise is put into the work. The doors are sprayed off-site in the shop but the frames and cabinet boxes must be carefully painted on-site,” says Hay. “The process of spraying sounds simple but drip marks and cracking can occur. It’s also somewhat messy and the house has to be thoroughly protected. In short, the homeowners needed to stay away.”
It was also difficult to remove the original countertops and backsplash from the kitchen while keeping the cabinets structurally sound. By executing the removal with care, however, Hay was able to replace the original countertops with classically elegant Italian Calacatta marble and install a modern backsplash treatment in the same material without damaging the other elements in the space.
When set against the now pristine white cabinets, the veined-marble countertops and backsplash create a fluid, open feel in the room and even act as built-in artwork. Additionally, the veining of the stone set the tone for selecting the color palette and remaining finishes for the space.
To contrast the classic beauty of the marble, Hay turned to pieces that made use of nickel hardware like the island pendants from Robert Abbey Lighting. “Transitional in style, the nickel is warm but the style is sleek,” says Hay. “It’s polarizing elements like this that balance the design.”
Hay finished the space with fixtures and furniture that work beautifully with the naturally inspired tone-on-tone color scheme. Those pieces include the Arteriors Rittenhouse chandelier, the custom-designed white oak dining room table, and four custom-made barstools that Hay positioned around the redesigned island to serve as seating for casual meals. (The original split-level island had an oversize slab top that dwarfed the dining table and felt heavy in the space; Hay revised the island by squaring its shape, shortening its overhang, and removing the decorative corbels so it better fit within the room.)
Finally, Hay made changes to let the light come in through the home’s gorgeous French doors. “I simplified the window treatments to allow as much light in as possible,” she says. “Instead of framing each set of doors with panels, I used linen sheers on the outside lights and doors only. This gave the sense that the drapes could in fact be drawn all the way across [the wall].”
With plenty of natural light, ample amenities, and finishes that fit the home’s new transitional design, the refinished kitchen has become the social hub for the family. In the years to come, Hay believes it will also be a standing testament to the longevity of good design.
“When the individual components of a design are rich and beautiful, the design is more likely to stand the test of time,” she says. “In this kitchen, every component is of the highest quality. This fact gives me confidence that this kitchen will be the home of many happy family events for many years to come.”
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