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Studio Blog

April 18th

Finding Your Kitchen Style

The touches of lime green in this kitchen allowed us to maintain a neutral palette for our client while still providing pops of color.

We remodel a lot of kitchens in San Diego at Tracy Lynn Studio. Who doesn’t want a fabulous kitchen? After all, it is the heart of your home – the place where everyone gathers. That’s why it’s important to remodel your kitchen in a way that suits your home’s style.

Most of our homes work well with what is known as a “transitional” interior design look – not too traditional and not too modern. You don’t want your kitchen (or any room in your home, for that matter) to be a sudden departure from your home’s overall architecture and design.

While this kitchen is beautiful, the blue cabinets are too personal for a home slated to be sold soon. But if this is your forever home, you have the freedom to make it your own.

That doesn’t mean boring, though. While transitional avoids committing too heavily to any one style, there are a zillion different cabinet doors, for example, that create character without being heavily ornate (and don’t forget: cabinets in good condition can simply be painted or restained for a fresh look!). Similarly, backsplashes can be colored glass, neutral tile, cork – you name it. Flooring, countertops, accessories – as you can see, there are many ways to decorate your kitchen without over-personalizing it.

Maybe your house isn’t transitional – if you have a Spanish home, for instance, you can be bolder with color, tossing in some cobalt blues, oranges and reds. Or a mid-century modern kitchen would retain clean lines with a minimalist feel.

The cork backsplash we designed for this client is distinctive without being too personal for good resale value.

So let’s say you have a tract home but you want a country kitchen with that shabby-chic feel, including rustic cabinets, rough-hewn floors and a big farmhouse sink. Are you out of luck? Absolutely not! Before proceeding, your first consideration should be how long you plan to live in that house. If you foresee selling it within five years, we advise against customizing any room to that degree. But if you are in your forever home, why not create your dream kitchen?

We always hope you consult us for your home design, but this type of non-traditional approach is where we really caution you to tread lightly. A skilled interior designer can show you how to blend your kitchen’s distinctive look into the rest of your home so the contrast is pleasing to the eye and not a shock to your system. Sometimes we can achieve that by just threading the theme or colors throughout your home in subtle ways that tie it to the kitchen’s more individual style.

Need some assistance in deciding on a style for your new kitchen? We are here to help! Please contact us for a complimentary consultation.