Designers Samantha Pynn and Laura Fowler renovated a 40-year-old cottage for HGTV’s Summer Home. Pynn revealed to the National Post and Canada.com her and her partner’s dos and don’ts for kitchens.
She said it drives them both crazy when cabinets do not extend to the ceiling. "Fill them in," says Laura. She said that cabinets look built-in when they extend to the ceiling.
“There's no reason to suffer with a dust-bunny-collecting space,” she said, “nor the cluttered look of baskets and books. Plus, the custom look is easy to get, even big-box stores sell filler.”
Pynn also said that you don’t have to spend a fortune renovating a kitchen if it is extremely outdated and unavoidable. The custom cabinets in the cottage kitchen were spray painted and installed for less than $6,000 by Cartier Kitchens (cartierkitchens.com).
More advice she gave in the article was when pulling together your cabinetry plan, remember to gable the fridge.
"Inexpensive stainless steel fridges have black bodies - they're not meant to be seen," Laura says. These small details will give you a luxe look.”
For the kitchen, they removed a cabinet under the stairs to make room for the fridge. Pynn said a fridge butted against the stove does not look luxe. Moreover, the heat from the stove can force your fridge to work harder, decreasing energy efficiency.
Cartier Kitchens suggested they double the size of the peninsula by adding cabinets to the work side and the public side of the kitchen. The large peninsula not only has double the storage space, but also double the work and serving space.
They are also big believers in using the same type of flooring throughout an open-concept space or keeping different flooring materials like ceramic, vinyl and wood, the same color. This is especially true when you're short on space. Pynn revealed that high-contrast flooring like white ceramic tile in the kitchen and dark hardwood in the living and dining area will make open-concept space look smaller and choppy.
“It's the same concept as monochromatic dressing for petite people,” Pynn said. “As a stylist once told me, ‘Honey, don't wear high contrast colors or thick belts unless you want to look like a shrimp.’ A catty thing to say, but ever so true.”