Kitchen Confidential: Go Bold on a Budget

Looking like a million bucks doesn’t have to cost it. This design philosophy helped guide Lori and Dennis Kroeker’s approach to their kitchen makeover. The Kroekers wanted a kitchen that was sleek and modern, but one where they could restore many of the Victorian period details that had been lost over the years as a result of past remodels to their 1880 home. Toronto interior designer Kirsten Marshall made many clever choices to craft a kitchen that makes a bold statement on a family-friendly budget. Here are five of our favorite features.

Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Lori and Dennis Kroeker and their 3 children
Location: Toronto
Size: 225 square feet (20.9 meters)
Designer: Kirsten Marshall, Palmerston Design Consultants

When the Kroekers moved into their home, they updated all the rooms (except the kitchen) by painting the walls white and all the doors black. As a result, the color palette for the kitchen was set before its makeover started.

1. Go Big or Go Home

Even in an all-black-and-white space, you can make a bold statement. Forgoing the trend to add a series of pendant lights over the kitchen island, Marshall opted for a single oversized pendant.

“We first fell in love with this great oversized pendant from Moooi, but the price was well north of a thousand dollars,” says Marshall. “Then we found this one from CB2 for a quarter of the price, and it works perfectly.”

Pendant: Capitol, CB2


2. Cost-Cutting Cabinetry

Other than a few custom pieces (such as the refrigerator panel and upper pantry shelving), all of the kitchen’s cabinets are from Ikea. The cost savings that resulted from the cabinet selection allowed the Kroekers to spend extra money on the appliances.

“Lori really likes to cook,” Marshall says. “She was much more interested in having a top-notch cooktop and oven than high-end cabinets.”

Cabinets: Ikea; oven and dishwasher: Bosch


3. Light It Up

LED ropes, a less expensive alternative to can lighting, run along the top of the upper cabinets to add a warm glow and also draw the eye up to the Victorian-era molding that was re-created to match the molding throughout the rest of the house.

The backsplash is one solid slab of crisp white Statuario marble with beautiful black swirls.

Cooktop: Bosch; backsplash: Statuario marble, York Fabrica

Explore 12 ways to light your kitchen with LEDs


4. The Power of Porcelain

The original plan was to use the same type of Statuario marble on the backsplash for the floor. However, once the Kroekers totaled up the $100-a-square-foot project and compared it to the $25-a-square-foot porcelain tile that Marshall found, the decision to go the porcelain route seemed like a no-brainer.

“It’s really hard to tell the difference between the backsplash and the flooring,” Marshall says. “Porcelain is also more durable and easier to clean than marble, which is an important consideration for a family with three children.”

Floor tile: Statuario porcelain, Stone Tile


5. Waste Not, Want Not

The space under the stairs is dead space in many homes. By adding a pantry and an office nook, the Kroekers gained function and extra storage. The upper shelves were painted black to keep the color scheme consistent with the rest of the kitchen.

“The pantry is a workhorse, and it’s a great use of the space under the staircase. I have a coffee station tucked into one corner and the microwave above it on a shelf,” says Lori. “I don’t like to live with a lot of clutter. My objective with this kitchen was to find a place for everything so I could have a space that was calm and serene.”



The office nook has become one of the most popular spots in the house for the Kroeker family. “It has become command central at our house,” says Lori. “The kids use the laptop for homework when they want to be close to the action. There’s also a charging station for all the cell phones, which of course gets used daily.”

Era armchair: Design Within Reach

More: See other great features to include in your kitchen

URL: Kitchen Confidential: Go Bold on a Budget http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-26122.html