Inviting Tuscan Kitchen

A standard kitchen receives a colorful transformation with a Tuscan-sinpired theme.

After, kitchen

All About

Product Ideas

Miki Webber and Peter Klein recently purchased a 1920s Spanish-style fourplex. Their apartment is loaded with character but the twosome hasn't been able to capitalize on the charming kitchen. Last summer they had a magical vacation in Tuscany and would love to re-create that ambiance in their kitchen.

Before, kitchen

The Dilemma
Lee Snijders meets with his design team, Charles Burbridge and Summer Baltzer, to discuss his plan for transforming the plain white space into an Italian kitchen. They plan to warm up the space with a yellow color on the walls, create a message board to help with organization, transform a glass-fronted cabinet into a wine rack and redo the kitchen table to reflect the Tuscan theme.

The Solution
An inviting Tuscan look is created with the following design elements:

The textured walls are warmed up with a yellow paint, creating a fresco look without much effort.
Burbridge transforms the dining table with a mosaic tiled top. He wraps 4x4 tiles in a towel and breaks them into pieces with a hammer. He lines the edge with black disc-shaped tiles, then adheres the colored pieces in a random pattern, graduating the color towards the outside edge. The table is finished after he applies black grout and buffs the surface. He also creates a matching mosaic tile backsplash for over the stove.
To complete the dining set, Baltzer faux finishes two new chairs to coordinate with the rustic look.

Baltzer creates a message board out of stretched canvas, batting and paisley fabric. The batting and fabric is stretched over the canvas and stapled to the back. Ribbons are added in a crisscross pattern and also stapled to the back. For a tufted look, she stitches upholstered buttons onto the front where the ribbons intersect.

Snijders converts the glass-fronted cabinet into a wine rack. He creates the wineglass storage by gluing and stapling 1/2" square wood pieces to birch plywood. The wine bottles are stored in wood slats made of plywood. The doors are removed and the interior is painted black to match the table and countertops. He also adds a spot for storing wine glasses.