Decorating & Design
March 12, 2021
See How This Fashion-Forward Kitchen Marries Form & Function
For Shauna Walton‘s clients, whose weekly ritual of pizza-making guarantees splashes of stone-staining tomato sauce, marble counters were out of the question. With two young daughters eager to help, the couple knew they needed a hardworking quartz surface to cook on. “Still, marble had to play a part,” says Shauna, who instead used a dramatically veined marble for the backsplash and island front, turning the surface into the star of the kitchen in a family-friendly way. “The island is the pièce de résistance,” she says. “It’s the first thing you see when entering the kitchen.”
The clients had called in Shauna to spearhead the renovation of their 1930s Toronto home. “The kitchen was teeny-tiny and falling apart,” says the designer. The brief was to create a space that was functional and edgy while staying true to the home’s original (and coincidentally trending) details such as arches and brass hardware. “The new cabinet knobs and pulls came with a big price tag,” says Shauna. “But at the end of the day, it’s the jewelry, and sometimes you just need to have it!”
Scroll down for the big design moves and unexpected details of this fashion-forward kitchen!
“Despite all of the black, the kitchen still feels fresh and bright,” says Shauna. “I credit that to the wood-sided island.” A little dazzle was the driving force behind the curved light fixture over the island, too. “I immediately fell in love with its simplicity,” she says. “It was perfect since we had so much going on in the backdrop.”
Counter stools made of blond wood with woven canvas seats inject a cool, casual vibe.
“Marble is like art — it’s so extremely personal. You have to hunt until you find the one that speaks to you,” says Shauna.
The angular shape of the vent hood is echoed by the antique brass sconces above the range. They are yet another clever moment of form following function, a mantra that never falls out of fashion. “Once the kiddos have crashed, the parents dim the lights, turn on the sconces and enjoy a glass of wine,” says Shauna.
Sacrificing upper cabinets for slim marble display shelves next to the vent hood was a harder sell, but a counter-to-ceiling pantry, installed to balance out the space, persuaded them. “All the dishes, including the kids’ stuff, are housed in that tower,” says Shauna. The shelf displays art and accessories for a decorative hit.
Shauna painted the breakfast nook’s brick wall white to accentuate the window’s curve.
Lauren Miller
House & Home March 2021
Shauna Walton