Sonya Kinkade Designs a Farmhouse Style Kitchen for Modern Living
When homeowners Sharon Clewlow and Paul Allaire toured Sonya Kinkade’s home, they knew she was the right designer to renovate their own house — the couple loved Sonya’s farmhouse aesthetic.
Set on nearly a hectare of forested land a 45-minute drive from Ottawa, their home needed modernizing and a fresh look. Sonya opened up the entire main floor to create a beautiful farmhouse-style kitchen that had plenty of prepping and cooking space, storage and a cosy eating nook.
The Look: Modern Farmhouse
Design Brief: Create a large open kitchen with a hardworking island and a farmhouse feel.
Sq.Ft: 290
See also: Sonya Kinkade Designs A Cali Craftsman-Style Kitchen
To give the sink more farmhouse style, Sonya bumped it out and added feet below.
House & Home: How did you come up with the design for the kitchen?
Sonya Kinkade: Sharon and Paul had seen my house on a holiday tour, and our styles were aligned. There was a little back and forth, but they mostly let me take the lead.
Designer Sonya Kinkade
Sharon Clewlow: Sonya had lovely hardware in her own kitchen and I loved her farmhouse sink. Because we liked the same things, we gave her a lot of freedom when picking the details.
The banquette area is enveloping in muted green; built-ins house a plate rack and pantry with pullouts.
Paul Allaire: We also wanted to open things up. Our former dining room was at the front of the house and it was dark. We demoed some walls so that space could be repurposed and our eating area was moved into the kitchen.
Bruce gets his own special food and drink station at the end of the island. A stretch of butcherblock above is perfect for chopping.
H&H: What was on the wish list?
SK: Sharon wanted the island to be hardworking, with seating, a sink, prep area and somewhere for Bruce’s bowls — he’s their goldendoodle. They also wanted all new appliances, including a 42-inch fridge Sharon specifically requested.
The 12-foot-long island has a microwave drawer, sink, butcherblock work area, dog food station, garbage pullout and seating that allows Paul to see the TV from the kitchen.
SC: I did want that fridge! And a good oven. Both Paul and I like to cook as does our son, Owen, so we wanted lots of space to cook together. The kitchen needed to be functional and pretty.
PA: I originally wanted a TV in the kitchen, but when that was shot down, Sonya positioned the island so I could sit at a stool and see the game on in the other room.
Vintage-look lighting is layered throughout for an eclectic vibe.
H&H: How did you achieve that country feel?
SK: I took inspiration from English country kitchens, so the knobs, handles and latches were all sourced from the U.K., and we chose lighting with a vintage vibe. The antique plates on the plate rack add to the look, and we built up the backsplash to have a lip for displaying art and accessories. For a more farmhouse feel, we clad the walls in V-groove panelling and added detailing on the vent hood.
SC: I filled the open shelves with some older plates and ceramics from my grandparents and vintage pieces I picked out with Sonya. I have a beautiful trophy of a silver cow that my grandfather won. He worked in a dairy and made butter!
A drinks station, wine fridge and open shelves bring function and plenty of space for display.
H&H: How did you decide on the palette?
SK: Sharon loves colour, so I knew she’d be up for something fun. Green is my favourite colour — my house is full of green. We picked a moody hue, then added some wood tones and creamy whites so the space still felt bright.
SC: Green is so calming; it was an easy sell for us.
Recessed lighting is incorporated into the open shelving to illuminate cookbooks and dishes.
H&H: What do you love most about the kitchen?
PA: For me, it’s the lighting. There are so many options between the pot lights, sconces, pendants and the lantern sconce in the eating nook — and everything’s on a dimmer. Sonya described the fixtures as being like jewels in the space and she’s totally right.
The lip on the quartz backsplash is used to display candles and small jars of herbs.
SC: I love the farmhouse-style sink. When you’re standing at the window, there’s a beautiful sight line to my favourite tree in the yard — a honey locust — and the rock garden beyond.
A lantern sconce and vintage plates bring a cosy, collected feel to the banquette. The table expands to accommodate six to eight people. “This was originally going to be a walk-in pantry with beautiful old doors, but the banquette gave them the seating they needed,” says Sonya.
SK: The banquette is something we went back and forth on, and it almost didn’t happen. Now, it’s my favourite feature. I think it tells the whole story of the kitchen with the V-groove panelled walls, lantern sconce and vintage plates. The farmhouse vibe is so cosy.
Elements of the look:
1. 15″ Dutchess pendant in Aged Brass by Hudson Valley Lighting. $1,234. Robinson Lighting & Bath.
2. Union counter stool in Essence Natural with Light Carbon Ash Base by Four Hands. $429. Ah-Bohd Home Store.
3. 36″ L Farmhouse-apron Doublebowl Solid Surface Kitchen sink by Westbrass. $1,640. Wayfair Canada.
4. Sumptuous Chenille II fabric in 36076-1121 by Kravet Smart. $168/yd. Kravet Canada.
4. 36″ Induction range with Five Heating Zones and Cast-iron Griddle in Stainless Steel by Bertazzoni. $11,999. Trail Appliances.
5. Light cabinet colour, Natural Cream (OC-14), Benjamin Moore.
6. Allyn Transitional Bridge Kitchen faucet combo with Water Filter Faucet in Brushed Gold by Kraus. $1,575. Wayfair Canada.
- Photographer Justin Van Leeuwen