Save My Reno: Marcus + Jamie's Balanced, Blue Kitchen
When we first met Jamie and Marcus, they had just got engaged and bought a house. (Congrats again guys!)
Before getting married, they wanted to cross "kitchen renovation" off their to-do list so they could start their lives as a married couple making waffles in a super cute kitchen. Missed this episode? Watch it here.
This renovation had a few bumps and bruises once we opened up the walls. Although we initially planned on opening the kitchen into the dining area and giving them a peninsula with seating, once we removed the drywall and saw a mess of electrical and plumbing stacks, we had to halt that dream. It could have been done—but at a big cost. Instead, we got creative and re-worked the layout to accommodate the change. In the end, we were all really happy with the floorplan.
Other than dealing with the surprises behind the drywall, our mission was to create a kitchen that appealed to Jamie's love of colour while satisfying Marcus' want for neutrals. It was a tough balance to strike and meant giving them both a little bit of what they each wanted: we keep the cabinets light and the floors a neutral grey, and introduced colour with the backsplash and accessories. The vision wasn't just to give them function (and a dishwasher! Marcus' main wish), it was to create a kitchen as youthful and fun as them.
One of the decisions we made was to remove their old window and replace it with a shorter one that would allow us to run countertops underneath and take advantage of the space on the back wall. Marcus and I sourced the overstock/return section of a window shop and we found the perfect one. After Seb and Jamie replaced it, they installed base cabinets underneath that housed the dishwasher and a beautiful big sink so you can enjoy a view of the yard while washing dishes!
What started as a joke poking fun at the allen key they stuck in the wall to hang their apron turned into a DIY project. Using recycled cardboard tubes that Seb cut at various lengths, Marcus and I painted them out and glued them onto a plywood sheet to create a 3D piece of art that doubled as storage for keys, phones, wallets, etc.Funny story: when we initially glued down the tubes, we didn't wait long enough for the glue to set. I tipped the plywood up to show to camera, said "And voila!" and they allllll came crashing down! I wish I could show you that take and the look on our faces, haha. We all died laughing. But after waiting the right amount of time for the glue to set, it was a-okay and totally secure ;)Check out the full DIY video here.
Working with a small footprint can be challenging, but this kitchen proved that small can be mighty! We may not have increased the footprint of the space, but we increased the functionality and aesthetics big time.
In this kitchen, the main design rules that came into play were repetition and balance. We echoed the hexagon backsplash in the floor tiles, and even matched backsplash grout colour to the floor colour. We then balanced out the bold blue hues with neutral cabinets. And to create some symmetry and the sensation of airiness, we broke up the run of upper cabinets above the stove with a stainless steel vent hood. It not only offered a visual break in the bulk, but allowed us the opportunity to create a beautiful feature by running the backsplash all the way up the wall. 
With pretty accents such as the hanging glass terrariums and pops of yellow to contrast the blue, we gave newlyweds-to-be a great place to start their new life as a family. For all the before and after photos, head here!
Get The Look:
