A Fresh Start for a Breakfast Nook

Making a Big Statement in a SmallSpace with a Moderate Budget
It was timefor a new start for this kitchen nook in a 1933 Spanish style duplex in LosAngeles.
Thecenterpiece of the room, a 50s reproduction Formica top kitchen table withhandle-back chairs, had served the homeowner well for many years. The set up was snug with two chairs, but withthe addition of a child, playdates and visiting grandparents, the need grew formore seating, and four chairs was a crowd.
The nookmeasured 99” x 93” with a 93” high ceiling. The room adjoined a long narrow kitchen with original bright yellow andgreen wall tiles and matching counter top. The original wood floor had been replaced with faux wood vinyl planks. Themuch-patched lath-and-plaster walls were dingy and dinged, and the windowssported mismatched aluminum mini blinds.
Arch Interiors Design Group of BeverlyHills was brought in to help create a new look for the space, centered around ashiny new white fiberglass reproduction of a mid-century modern classic – the EeroSaarinen Tulip 30” table, with four chairs with bright yellow cushions ($825,InStyleModern.com). The sleek set fitmore comfortably in the space, and the pedestal style legs eliminated the clutteredlook in the room.
With thetable and chairs as the starting point, Arch Interiors’ Christopher Grub andLinda Turner conceived a fresh retro look for the room, from top to bottom, allwithin the moderate budget requirements of the client.
Top Down
The designteam tackled the room from the top down. Starting with lighting, they chose the Fillista pendant lamp from IKEA($29.99), inspired by another mid-century modern classic – the HenningsenArtichoke lamp for Poulsen.
“We wanted toupdate and soften the mid-century look and make it livable. The house hasa vintage kitchen and we wanted to keep some of that feeling in thespace. And there’s a young child in the family so we wanted to keepit fun,” explained Turner.
To pick up the colors ofkitchen tile, Turner added a pattern to the ceiling to bring the eye up to thebeautiful tray ceiling and its dramatic oversized molding. Toexecute this concept, David Brandon of David Brandon Designs conceived ofan argyle pattern which complemented the pattern of the kitchen tiles and thefurnishings in a way that was slightly retro, but not gimmicky.

“I thought the argyle worked because of the diamond pattern,and also it felt nostalgic but not dated. I feel argyle has that same timelessquality,” said Brandon. “I wanted a lookof fun and whimsy, but still classic and never out of style.”

Brandon’s contribution to the makeover was the mostpainstaking. Using a projector and alaser ruler he traced the basic pattern onto the ceiling. He made many minuscule adjustments toaccommodate for the slight irregularities in the room dimensions, owing to the80-year-old home’s settling. He accomplished the final strokes of “stitches”through the argyle pattern while holding a straight edge and painting each lineby hand.

“There was a lot of math in getting it to be symmetrical,”said Brandon. “The hash marks throughthe print were also a challenge because I only had two hands. It tooksome trial and error.”

Brandon used a palate of mintygreens and more than six shades of yellow to achieve the desired effect. He chose Sherwin Williams Emerald paint,which he favors for its smooth application and its suitability as along-lasting, high-hiding and washable paint ideal for the high-traffic kitchennook. He covered the walls with a matteFrench Vanilla, then created depth effects in the ceiling design with variousyellows -- Lemon Chiffon, Straw Harvest, Cheerful, Solaria, Classic Light Buff,and greens – Aloe and Easy Green, and trimmed in semi-gloss Decisive Yellow.
The results of Brandon’s neck-breaking efforts arespectacular. The pattern draws the eyeup and makes a statement from the moment you enter the room.
To balanceout the color on the ceiling, Turner used white and stainless steel in theaccessories, with accents of blue-green and yellow, to bring the eye downthrough the room. She found affordable decorating items to complementthe ceiling design and new furnishings, including floor- length drapes (LuxuryLinen Grommet Top 88-inch Curtain Panel, $69.99, www.Overstock.com) to help ground the space,and a natural woven rug (6’ Round Hand-Woven Braided Natural Jute Rug, $107,Overstock.com), to add texture.
Theold blinds were replaced with embossed 2” faux wood blinds ($39.99, www.BrylaneHome.com) for a bright andclean look.
Accessories were simple andsleek, such as the curtain rods (Adjustable Curtain Rod Set with Pewter BallFinial, $29.99, Overstock.com), with a simple ball finial, in keeping with mid-centurymodern design.
Artworkwas kept minimal with two pieces: A circa1960s black and white lifestyle photo of the client’s mother, and a large printof a vintage surf scene, Cruise California by David Grandin, ($204.99, customframed by BrylaneHome.com).
The designers’challenges included incorporating both a kitchen cart and a water cooler, whichthe client wanted for functionality, in a small space without drawing too muchattention to them.

The old butcher blockcart was replaced with a stainless steel professional kitchen cart (Danver Cocinamodel, as assembled with drawer and towel bar, $704, HomeDepot.com), and theoutdated and cumbersome water cooler was replaced by a compact stainless steel Aquaversewater cooler ($229, Costco.com) with sleek modern lines, which made the piecesfeel integrated into the space.

Turner selected anassortment of décor items from HomeGoods, including a vase, ceramic tea pot, coffeepress, fruit basket and glassware, seeking out pieces with clean lines,geometric patterns, and shapes reminiscent of mid-century modern design. Her color scheme for accent pieces consistedmostly of white or neutral colors, or stainless steel, to balance all the coloron the ceiling. She used the pops ofblue-green and yellow to carry the color from the ceiling through the room.

For another touch ofclass, Turner set the table and cart with items from Williams Sonoma includingHerringbone Stripe table linens in Sunflower ($24.99 for set of 4 napkins) and asmall Ceramic White Cake Stand ($29.95) and Jars Cantine dinnerware in yellow, ($384.95for 16-piece setting). All available at www.Williams-sonoma.com.

To complete the picture,Turner styled the table for our photo shoot with colorful fresh flowers,scones, and iced coffee from Whole Foods.

“We hope that the spaceprovides a bright, cheerful place for the family to enjoy casual meals togetherand makes them happy to start the day when they have breakfast in it,” saidGrubb.