What do you get when two wedding photographers buy a cookie cutter condo in South Vancouver? A perfectly muted Scandinavian retreat of course!
The existing kitchen in our Champlain Heights project was….fine. A builder grade white on grey classic Vancouver “neutral” palette. But because of that, it was cold. The flat bright white, without direct sunlight to bring vibrancy felt stark and the quartz benchtops in a dark cool grey created contrast that was harsh, not dynamic and homeowners Jeff and Cat were not having it. The wedding photographers are known within the industry for their distinct dark and moody aesthetic, and while going dark wasn’t their goal, creating a mood was.
Enter Studio Hemma. Creative Director Meaghan stepped into curate a palette that was neutral, but had the same depth, bold strokes and soft tactile quality of their own photography.
“Drawing inspiration from Jeff and Cat’s own work it was an easy step into our soft off white and bold black palette, but it was being smart in how they played together that really made it successful.”
- Meaghan, Studio Hemma
Every kitchen has its own distinct character and sometimes subtlety is the name of the game. Since the homeowners didn’t want to stray too far from the “light and bright” that the original white cabinets were meant to impart, the key was fining the perfect off-white that read warm without feeling too stuffy or leaning too far into the taupe/beige spectrum. Going custom with the paint selection meant hinting that perfect balance. ‘Halo’ by Benjamin Moore brought just the right touch of colour, highlighted purposefully against a true white quartz used for the both the benchtops and backsplash. The slight contrast brings a layered luxury and incorporating the white oak look of the Cove colourway from Swede’s Coastal collection added additional warmth.
To keep the overall palette aligned with the photographer’s signature look it would have been remiss to not included dark bold finishes to balance out the lighter ones. To keep the palette minimal as well, all the hardware and fixtures were selected in matching matte black. With these bold punches the soft hue of Halo was further amplified and their contrast gives just the right amount of energy to keep the space from feeling too safe (which if you recall was how we got here in the first place!).
Keeping the eye soothed and uninhibited by integrating both the fridge and dishwasher meant the millwork was the start of the show and not a big ‘ol stainless steel fridge. With such a contained footprint this simplicity only further enhances the soft causal warmth of the space, and with room for three to pull up at the peninsula this small condo kitchen hosts kitchen parties just like the big boys.
See even more details of our Champlain Heights Project in the original project showcase, here.
