This Kitchen Remodel Wasn't Cheap, but the Results Are Incredible

When Colette purchased this 1930s Spanish-style home, her goal was to do a full remodel that included this dated kitchen. The goal: Put to use all that she has learned over the years while writing her design blog, COCOCOZY.

The kitchen was originally broken up into three small rooms that didn’t quite flow together. While the furnishings were relatively inoffensive, they weren’t Colette’s style. The appliances, on the other hand, were quite old and definitely needed to be updated.

The result is a modern take on the traditional farmhouse kitchen. Colette replaced the walls of the small rooms with one big beautiful archway that mirrors the rest of the home. She loves mixing traditional and modern aspects, and she was especially determined to honor the history of the house. “I wanted the kitchen to have that same weight and gravitas as the rest of the house,” she says. The full backsplash of ceramic brick tiles and the bright white, traditional Shaker cabinets that hit the ceiling make the kitchen feel tall and important.

Colette had planned to paint the bottom cabinets a dark color to create a sharp contrast with those up top, but she looked at the grayish blue primer color of the cabinets when they were brought in and knew that she wanted to keep them exactly the same. Everyone told her to stick with her original idea, but she decided to trust her instincts. “I just thought it added this softness,” says Colette. The contrast of the black hardware against the pale blue is totally dynamic and helps strike the balance Colette always tries to make between hard and soft elements.

The quartz countertops take both design and functionality into account. They match the full backsplash to maintain continuity, but Colette especially loves them because they are sturdy and easy to clean. As a person who loves to cook in her own home, she wanted to make the kitchen logical and fully operational.

This renovation was, by no means, cheap: The appliances alone cost about $30,000. But Colette hopes that her ideas inspire other people to make them their own. As someone who doesn’t come from a design background, her blog attempts to “democratize” design. “It’s the idea of high-low, of accessibility in design,” says Colette. “You can still be very creative and think outside the box on a regular budget.”