Wealden Times | WT188 | October 2017 | Kitchen & Bathroom supplement inside

WT Kitchen & Bathroom Supplement
Blue & White: London based creative
Ann Shore has put together a striking kitchen
with her fresh, arresting palette of white and
blue. She has used small pieces of masking tape
to cover the fridge in a montage of blue and
white images, including old magazine spreads,
postcards and printed photos from around
the world. Carrying on this theme, Ann has
papered her breakfast bar stools – made from tall
cardboard storage boxes – in recommissioned
pages from books and magazines, to create
a patchwork of memory and nostaglia. Her
granite worktop on the cooking island carries
on the theme, juxtaposed with crisp white
cupboards. Wooden bowls and chopping
boards bring in a sense of nature, like pieces of
driftwood on a seashore, and contrast with the
modern, polished-aluminium extractor hood.
The modern vintage cook-eat
space is the beating heart of the
home. It juxtaposes the best of
modernity with chic classics. Unlike the
kitchens of yesteryear, we have many
convenient, time-saving, high-tech
devices, yet it makes sense to bring in
a twist of vintage to inject wit, history
and nostalgia. For every home needs
a sense of humour and a little soul.
The best kitchens incorporate
brilliant details, perfect finishes and
utilitarian functionality. Kitchens are
practical, hardworking spaces which
can be given style and personality
when the correct balance of modern
and vintage is struck. Although the
details are important, start by searching
for materials with clean, sleek lines to
prevent the space from looking overcluttered,
and build up from there.
One of the easiest ways to bring
modern vintage into your kitchen is
with your cabinetry. You can either
source old cabinets from local salvage
or junkyards, or give existing cabinets
a twist by decorating the doors with
pretty, antique tiles, matte-sealed
vintage wallpapers or industrialstyle
surfaces. A quick, low-cost fix
is to simply secure old glass knobs,
colourful china handles or pewter
cabinet pulls to modern cupboards.
Otherwise, remove your cupboard
doors entirely and keep vintage-style
crockery, glassware, tea sets and other
period pieces on display. Glass-fronted
cupboard doors also showcase your
finds. In traditional French country
kitchens, the area below the kitchen
sink was often disguised with a
gathered curtain. For this look, source
vintage fabrics in pretty florals or
checks. Or go completely modern with
bold graphics or giant polka dots.
Worktops are the honed muscle
of the kitchen. Hardworking wood
– seen in old butcher’s blocks –
has been a favourite for centuries,
bringing in warm, honeyed hues to
any kitchen. Stainless steel, however,
has a slick, contemporary utilitarian
feel, perfect for contrasting vintage
details. If you’re replacing your
Smart Spaces: In the Parisian home of artist Cécile Daladier and architect/designer Nicolas Soulier
(above), the kitchen sink is integrated into the dining table, doubling up as a cook’s
work surface when not an eating area. Quirky finds, like a silver Aladdin’s teapot on
top of the cabinets and the handmade bowls, create areas of visual interest. Overall,
they’ve kept the colour scheme white, giving this bijou space a sense of airiness.
9 wealdentimes.co.uk