Sarah Richardson's kitchen design tips
Fresh twist on the classic kitchen
It's no wonder that Richardson was awarded Canada's Top 40 Under 40 in 2007; the highly-demanded interior designer has been the host of several design shows, including Room Service, Design Inc. and Sarah's House, she's led her own design firm, and has a number of signature product lines. Here, the Toronto-born, mother of two shares her design tips and tricks to transform a basic builder's home.
Q. How do you make a standard island work harder?
A: An island shouldn’t be a giant monolith. It needs to fulfill a lot of different functions. Today’s kitchens are places where people gather. Your island should be divided into zones so everyone can work together without stepping on each other’s toes. Here, I included a raised eating area, a lower drink station and a counter-height prep area.
Q. How do you add personality to a basic builder’s kitchen?
A: When working with a kitchen maker, see how far you can push their design. Small touches like a criss-cross detail, upgraded hardware or trim really dress up the whole room.
Q. How do you make an open-concept layout work?
A: Select your fabric before your paint. Choose one of the colours in the fabric as the starting point for the palette. We chose neutral greys with a hit of beige, to tie in with the cabinet colours and give us a base from which to build the family room. And try to steer away from stark white kitchens that never feel truly connected to the rest of the home .
Q. Where do you splurge? Where do you save?
A:
If you truly love to cook, spend on
appliances. That’s one place where you
always get what you pay for. Splurge on
a backsplash — don’t choose cheap tiles
since most of the cost is the installation .
Finally, don’t get carried away with fancy
hardware, especially in a big kitchen.
It’s sure to break the bank.
Get this look: Visit HGTV.ca/sarahshouse
for full list of suppliers.
Sarah’s House 4 airs Tuesdays on HGTV at 8 p.m.
ET and 5 p.m. PT.
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