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“I cover kitchen walls in tile whenever I can,” Milner says. “It makes the ceiling feel higher because the wall isn’t broken up by a backsplash. This keeps the eye moving around and prevents the kitchen from feeling chopped up.” She even continued the tile on the walls behind the glass-front cabinets. The shelves inside are glass, and she stuck with white and clear glass for the items on display. But she notes that should her clients desire more color in the kitchen, adding colorful items to the display cabinets would be an easy but impermanent way to add it.The cabinets ride the line between cozy cottage and urban modern. They have a classic Shaker profile but are inset and adorned by streamlined matte black and chrome hardware. The floors also suit cottage and modern styles. They are hand-scraped engineered white oak, which is traditional. But their lighter tone leans modern.Learn the Lingo of Cabinet Door Styles
KitchenThe renovated kitchen is bright and airy and has a beach cottage vibe. A glass-tile backsplash reflects the light while an island provides extra workspace and a place to perch and keep the cook company. Cobalt pendants and a midnight island bring in a few splashes of dark blues. Pendants: Alina, Tech Lighting; countertops: Brittanica Marble collection, CambriaFind round counter stools
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Photos by Leslie Goodwin PhotographyKitchen at a GlanceWho lives here: A young couple with a newborn sonLocation: TorontoSize: 88 square feet (8 square meters); 11 by 8 feetDesigner: Barbara Milner, founder and principal of South Hill InteriorsThis small Victorian-era house is located in the park- and tree-filled neighborhood of Casa Loma in Toronto. The homeowners, a couple with a new baby, asked interior designer Barbara Milner to modernize the kitchen but maintain a warm, family-friendly, comfortable vibe. “Although this house is centrally located in the city, it has a cottage-like setting with a beautiful backyard that backs up to conservation land. I wanted to bring that feeling of freshness and airiness into the kitchen,” says Milner. Also, the kitchen is open to the dining room, so it needed to provide a view that would be pleasing during a dinner party.Taking cues from the home’s country-in-the-city setting, Milner balanced classic and edgier industrial pieces in the renovation. She kept the existing U-shaped layout in place because it functioned well and because using the same electrical and plumbing infrastructure left room in the budget for more exciting purchases. The...
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