Joshua's Top Picks - California Eclectic Kitchen & Nook
I always get particularly excited about styling the kitchen for the holidays. With my friends and family, the kitchen is the place to hang out and socialize often more than most other rooms. While it definitely needs to be highly functional to put out those fabulous family meals and dinners for guests, you still want it to be a stylish space. So, that’s inspired me to do with recent kitchen design that includes a nook. There’s nothing more cozy than a little eating nook in a kitchen! While I designed the space to be timeless, year-round, there’s a little nod to autumn here with a couple of décor pieces.
Some kitchens are big, and lucky, enough to have a nook - some people called it breakfast nook, but anyone who has one knows it gets used for more than simply breakfast. This nook has a bay window so I decided to create a built-in banquette attached to the bay window. I decided to make it a little more dramatic and draw the eye by painting the entire bay windows in Black Knight by Benjamin Moore, which is my favorite black paint color/brand that I used often for my e-design clients! This is also a great example of having the architecture of the space define where you paint if you want to go for an accent area. This bay window craves a round table and I’ve gone for neutral whites and wood tones to match a lot of the elements in the rest of the space. A couple of open chairs that aren’t going to be blocky and a fun rug, like this cowhide rug, sets the space to be unique and stylish.
So, when you’ve got some extra space or a wall that you don’t really have a particular use for, you can dress it up and make it practical at the same time with a sideboard. This sideboard, paired with a large single print, a live plant, and some décor fills up the space nicely and extra storage space is always handy! There’s another practical aspect to the sideboard, that you can clear it off of the décor and use it as a buffet for entertaining.
Kitchen design is one of my favorite types of projects and I love working with clients that are open minded about changing up their kitchen space. This particular design is not a huge kitchen; no giant island here. This smaller space works well with a peninsula countertop design that also gives extra stool seating for up to 3 comfortably. When I accessorize a kitchen, I tend to go fairly minimal and simply as I’d rather let the design, materials, and finishes speak for themselves and you need actual workable counter space to cook! Less stuff on the countertops also typically means it’s easier to keep clean! :)
I selected one of my favorite tiles, Kasbah Trellis, from Fireclay Tile for this backsplash. It adds pattern and character to this kitchen design. This 3D rendering shows you the close up to see the details of this tile.
So, after investing in all the major pieces, accessorizing the banquet area allows you to change it up depending on season and mood. This 3D rendering above is an example of a few autumn decorations that include a pair of wood pumpkins and branches. You can also easily change up the pillows with different colors and patterns to match the vibe you’re going for in the space.
If you’re feeling inspired by this kitchen and nook design - you can shop this look using the digital shopping list below!
Shopping List
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