We recently finished a kitchen project in our client’s second home and can’t wait to share pictures of the entire space. In the meantime though, we took the opportunity to style one of the kitchen nooks in three distinct looks to show off the versatility of a great neutral space. First up, here are a few of the design elements for the space to give you context.
We loved working with black as the base and knew the marble counters were the way to go the second we discovered this particular piece. But for the styling, it wasn’t so clear cut. Like a lot of people, she was torn between filling the space with treasures collected over the years which happened to be filled with bright colors and different aesthetics. Or keeping the space super neutral and relatively timeless. This is a common balancing act that everyone faces as they design their home and one I plan to cover in another post.
What I want to make sure is clear is, in my opinion, all of these looks are gorgeous. They are just different. And whether you’re starting with a neutral canvas or a bright and colorful one, how you style it, can completely change how you experience the space. Let’s take a look:
COZY & NEUTRAL
First up, we created a relatively neutral space with approachable textures that make the space feel a bit more comfortable and lived in. It looked a little something like this:
The baskets paired with stone and wood along side of the ceramic plates looked casual yet refined when paired with the marble counters and stone wall covering.
BRIGHT & COLORFUL
Next we took some of the pieces we knew she loved and made them a bit more prominent. These were pieces collected from her travels, gifts from her family and so on. Simply put this was the most personal of the three concepts. It was full of life and meaning and when paired with black, stone and marble, created a refreshing and polished vibe.
DARK & MINIMAL
The last look was a bit more edited. Clean lines, a dark palette and super chic. While we never thought she’d like this direction, she ended up loving how calm the space felt by reducing the clutter and editing the colors. We loved it too!
Which do you like best? I’d love to know!
