A Kitchen Gets New Style and Function
There’s space to cook, visit, eat together as a family, get work done, store everything and do art projects in this Toronto kitchen
Designer Olivia Botrie loves to cook, but the activity was not a pleasure in her existing kitchen. With little counter space, an awkward layout and a dated look, the room desperately needed a revamp. Wanting to mix light and dark and traditional and modern, she came up with a design that respects her home’s history while providing a functional, welcoming and happy space for the whole family.
BEFORE: “The existing kitchen was horrible,” Botrie says. “It had no storage, no countertop space and had to be entirely removed.”
BEFORE: “We swapped the locations of the door and window to make a better work triangle and create more counter space,” Botrie says.
To see what changed, compare this photo, showing the previous window and door, with the next shot. The window over the sink in the remodeled kitchen is where the door used to be.
To see what changed, compare this photo, showing the previous window and door, with the next shot. The window over the sink in the remodeled kitchen is where the door used to be.
The designer looked to her brick row house’s history for inspiration. “Our home is over 100 years old, and I definitely wanted to keep that feeling while adding modern touches,” she says. The black and white hexagonal ceramic floor tile has a classic look from the era, but Botrie had it laid out in an unusual pattern to add interest. This required meticulous and talented tilers, who created the pattern by hand. “I love the pattern — it feels both fun and sophisticated at the same time,” Botrie says.
Tip: Dark grout will make life in the kitchen so much easier. “I have to say that somehow our white floor always manages to look clean, even when it isn’t, because of the grout,” Botrie says. “The dirt falls in between the tiles and is hidden by the dark grout.”
Cabinet paint: Kendall Charcoal HC-166, Benjamin Moore;
antiqued brass cabinet pulls: Lee Valley Hardware; range: Samsung
Tip: Dark grout will make life in the kitchen so much easier. “I have to say that somehow our white floor always manages to look clean, even when it isn’t, because of the grout,” Botrie says. “The dirt falls in between the tiles and is hidden by the dark grout.”
Cabinet paint: Kendall Charcoal HC-166, Benjamin Moore;
antiqued brass cabinet pulls: Lee Valley Hardware; range: Samsung
A bank of hard-working cabinets on one side allowed room for a more open feeling on the opposite wall. “The open shelves keep the room feeling more open and airy and let more light pour in from the window,” Botrie says. “It also enables all our everyday items to be within arm’s reach, which I love. I like it when guests feel free to help themselves to a drink or a snack, and the open cabinetry encourages that.”
The pine brackets and shelves are from Ikea. Botrie added a clear coat of urethane for durability in the kitchen.
The pine brackets and shelves are from Ikea. Botrie added a clear coat of urethane for durability in the kitchen.
On this lovely plan, the refrigerator is on the right side, integrated into the end of the bank of gray cabinets. It’s just out of view past the microwave in the first photo.
Concentrating all of the upper-cabinet storage space on the wall opposite the sink also left room for a mini gallery. “Kitchens have so many hard surfaces that I always try to bring in elements like textiles and artwork to soften the overall feel,” Botrie says. She found the paintings at a local vintage shop and used them to add color to the room. “They aren’t precious, so we can enjoy them without worrying that they will get ruined by the heat from the stove,” she says. A wall of subway tile with dark grout creates texture behind the paintings.
The counters are honed Carrara marble, which also works with the not-too-precious attitude. “I love the patina it’s developing over time,” Botrie says. “It gets marks from lemon and oil, but I think it adds to the lived-in feel, which suits our home’s relaxed style.”
The counters are honed Carrara marble, which also works with the not-too-precious attitude. “I love the patina it’s developing over time,” Botrie says. “It gets marks from lemon and oil, but I think it adds to the lived-in feel, which suits our home’s relaxed style.”
A built-in banquette with storage underneath, a Tulip table and Danish modern Wishbone chairs complete the tableau. “I wanted the shell of the kitchen to suit the age of our home, but I really like mixing styles, so I used the Tulip table and Wishbone chairs to create tension with the traditional kitchen,” Botrie says.
To the right of the banquette is a pantry outfitted with five deep pullouts and wire baskets hanging from the top shelf for additional veggie storage. There’s room inside not only for food but for plastic containers.
The door in this shot is where the original window was in the earlier “before” photo.
To the right of the banquette is a pantry outfitted with five deep pullouts and wire baskets hanging from the top shelf for additional veggie storage. There’s room inside not only for food but for plastic containers.
The door in this shot is where the original window was in the earlier “before” photo.
“I generally do all the cooking for our family, and while I like company I don’t particularly like it when people interfere!” Botrie says. “It’s nice to have company, so the banquette area is perfect for someone to sit and chat while helping chop a few ingredients but not get in my way.”
The family enjoys breakfast and dinner together at the banquette, and it’s Botrie’s favorite spot for reading magazines and working while drinking coffee on the weekends. “It’s super comfortable so it’s almost like another sofa,” she says. “Also, we keep kids’ art supplies under the bench, so it’s a great spot for my daughter to draw and hang out while I cook.”
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The family enjoys breakfast and dinner together at the banquette, and it’s Botrie’s favorite spot for reading magazines and working while drinking coffee on the weekends. “It’s super comfortable so it’s almost like another sofa,” she says. “Also, we keep kids’ art supplies under the bench, so it’s a great spot for my daughter to draw and hang out while I cook.”
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Interior designer Olivia Botrie and her husband, 3-year-old daughter and dog
Location: Roncesvalles Village area of Toronto, Canada
Size: 150 square feet (14 square meters)
Designer: Olivia Botrie of Dart Studio
“I like spaces that have contrast between light and dark and that have an overall traditional vibe but with modern touches,” homeowner and interior designer Olivia Botrie says. For her kitchen renovation, she first chose a simple Shaker cabinet style that bridges the gap between those styles. She also knew she wanted the dark element to come from the cabinet paint, highlighted by antiqued brass hardware. With those decisions made, she knew she needed to lighten things up and did so via the white floor.