Inside a textile designer's kitchen renovation – including her Instagram-famous breakfast nook
If there was a formula for creating a warm, layered and lived-in kitchen, Swedish textile designer Cathy Nordström has perfected it: oodles of pattern, rich and reddish woods, creamy marble surfaces and corners carved out for family rituals, from Friday night dinners to an early morning coffee.
It is the kind of kitchen that really strikes you on first glance, but requires a second, third and fourth look to really take in all of its lovely details.
It was not always so lovely Cathy admits, which prompted a total renovation that turned the kitchen on its head.
"The original kitchen was crammed, with no space to really move around without constantly bumping into someone else. We’re a family of five plus a dog, so we had a long list of things that needed to work," says Cathy.
"I dreamt of a warm, inviting and timeless kitchen that wouldn’t feel dated in 10 years’ time. I didn’t want a specific style or to use any materials that were "trending" at that moment."
Despite being an incredibly talented designer herself, Cathy sought help to realise her vision, and tackle a tricky layout – the kitchen has two doors and an open archway connecting it to the rest of the home, reducing the space for counters and storage.
"By chance I found Rebecca of Inuti Design on Instagram," says Cathy. "I learned that she had just redone a family friend’s childhood home – a house I had spent so much time in as a child. That made it extra special."
The jumping off point was the dark wood of the kitchen units: "I knew that I wanted a warm wooden kitchen, but I was a bit nervous it would feel too dark so we decided to keep the upper cabinets and the appliance area the same warm off-white as the walls in our living room." The overhead cupboards are fronted with fluted glass, through which you can see the reddish hue of Farrow & Ball's Picture Gallery Red that covers all the inner woodwork.
The wall of fitted cabinets opposite is broken up with an arched recess, filled with open shelves. "This is where we make our morning coffee and I love standing here," says Cathy. "Rebecca suggested a rounded profile instead of a straight edge and I am so happy we went for this. It adds to the timelessness of the kitchen."
Another ingenious feature is the built-in recess for dog bowls created by hollowing out the bottom draw of the corner unit.
Cathy's eye for mixing print and pattern really comes to the fore in her choice of textiles. "I’m a big fan of soft furnishing in a kitchen, it just makes the whole space so much more inviting," she says.
The dining nook is one such space, with a deep seat upholstered in Cathy's own Faye Fabric in Rust & Lilac with matching scatter cushions trimmed in a playful mix of piping and ruffles.
The blinds by Schumacher are a warm chestnut colour – "I had fallen deeply in love with the Schumacher print, Pomegranate" – and on the floor sits a vintage Swedish Rölakan rug. "The combination of these three patterns and styles embody everything I love about pattern mixing!" she adds.
Whilst the textiles came together quite effortlessly, the furniture and accessories proved a bit trickier to source – an antique Swedish bockbord table with rounded corners (that make it easier to squeeze in) are not a dime a dozen.
Trickier still was finding the right lighting. Cathy didn't want overhead pendants, and so settled for vintage, wall-mounted lamps found on 1st Dibs. She adds: "The shade was plain and boring, so I asked a friend if she could make me a loose linen cover that I could easily place over the original shade. A simple construction that made all the difference!"
Faye Rust & Lilac cushion cover
Cream Tiffany Ruffle Wall Light
Open Palm Pasta Bowl
Elm Wood Board
Florence Fabric in Tobacco
Picture Gallery Red Paint
Shop Cathy's collection of fabric, cushions, wallpaper and more at Cathy Nördstrom.
You Might Also Like
