Decorating & Design
A Toronto Kitchen Designed By Olivia Botrie Gets An Injection Of Ocean Blue
Updated on January 8, 2024
Designer Olivia Botrie balanced bold color with practical finishes in this mid-century modern–style kitchen for a family of four. The clients wanted a hardworking space where everyone could cook and hang out. We chatted with Olivia about how she achieved the look in this 192-square-foot space. Scroll down!
House & Home: What did the original kitchen look like?
Olivia Botrie: The cabinets were from the 1980s and had a dark wood veneer. There was a powder room that jutted out into the kitchen, and the whole thing needed a major update. I’m obsessed with function, so we started there. Beautiful kitchens are great, but they need to be hardworking.
H&H: What does the banquette add?
OB: The family hangs out there a lot, especially when someone is cooking, so they wanted something comfortable. A banquette is like having a sofa in your kitchen. A modern take on a schoolhouse pendant over the banquette area ups the cozy factor.
H&H: How did you choose the palette?
We were looking for a fun pattern for the banquette and, rather than use vinyl, I found a durable indoor- outdoor fabric in an ocean blue shade. I designed the kitchen around that fabric, adding the green tile and pale blue uppers because my clients wanted more than one pop of color.
OB: How did you decide on a design direction for the cabinets and counters?
We always envisioned wood cabinets for the warmth, and it suits the rest of the house’s mid-century vibe. Slab door fronts and simple black hardware feel mid-century and clean. For the counters, we chose a neutral color with a beige undertone. In this kitchen, we always planned for some elements to recede because we wanted the focus to be on the color blocking.
An extra-long cabinet pull is used to hang tea towels.
The interior of this shelving niche was painted in Denim Wash, the same color as the upper cabinets, to show off a glassware collection.
“I’m always a sucker for a banquette because you can have storage in the bottom,” says Olivia.
Olivia’s client suggested using two different sizes of tile for the backsplash to create visual interest.
Keep scrolling for elements of this look!
Donna Griffith
House & Home September 2022
Olivia Botrie