I’ve have become rather obsessed with Francois Halard’s pad in France especially the kitchen. One of the many reasons I think is because he has so successfully personalised every room from the kitchen to the bathroom. So many kitchens that I see are dull as dish water, bland, clinical and not a place to linger. So here’s the thing from now on I think we should all (me included) accessorise with aplomb. Add art, sculpture, and wallpaper, some super cool chairs and before long I reckon we will have kitchens that are practical but also tantalising.
Below is example of how one designer changed a rather small gallery esq. kitchen in New York into a kitchen that just screams glamorous. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea I realise but if you take the plunge and wallpaper a wall it really will push your space into the fast lane.And this dear friends is what design is all about coming out of your comfort zone and doing something you wouldn’t normally do – like going dark for instance.
This gallery kitchen has been transformed into an eclectic, quirky space purely with this rather fabulous wall of wallpaper.
WOW! you’d never know at a glance that was a kitchen! Looks like a boudoir! It’s amazing, and now that you mention it, kitchens do look a bit ho hum! Why not indeed make the decor blend in more with the rest of the house, especially in open plans. I’m convinced!
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Well done your fab!
Thank you very much am delighted
It’s my cup of tea alright. I’d be happy to drink it in every morning, afternoon and evening.
I love this kitchen and would like to do something similar for my new home. As I cook a lot wall paper might not be too practical. My kitchen is too small to have a big clean wall. I am thinking to do a mosaic panel with the italian brand SICIS between the cabinets on top and the lower floor standing oven, cooker, dish washer etc. What do you think? What advice or suggestions can you give me if I want to create a – yes, tantalising is the word – kitchen?
emily from Hong Kong
Certainly love the idea of mosaics in the kitchen its a fab way to enliven walls. In terms of making your kitchen fabulous consider dressing it as you would any other room in the house. For example I have an oversized table lamp on my central island, heaps of cookery books, a couple of bar stools flanking the island and artwork casually propped up against walls. If you can soften the space with your personal stuff the results can be amazing.
Thanks Abigail. I adore your consistent idea of eclectic mix of eras, items, colors etc. Going dark is something that I am going to explore too. Too bad that I cannot get hold of your book even with the help of my friends living in London! It is still out of print. Has it be translated into Chinese?
Struggling with whether to make my kitchen black or charcoal grey. All people are telling me not to! Saying that it is out or just too gloomy or less appealing if I am going to sell my apartment one day. What do you think? How to enliven the kitchen if I go dark with the cabinet and the wall?