Designing a Parisian Sweet Shop Kitchen
The ambience I was trying to achieve in this traditional kitchen was that of a 1915 Parisian patisserie. When I walked into the existing kitchen, I was thrilled to discover that the basic elements would easily transform into a candy store. The wonderful “skeletons” of the kitchen included cream cabinets with classic stainless steel handles and pulls, solid black granite countertops, deep crown molding, and finally, great windows, including a floor-to-ceiling bay window.
I must emphasize the importance of using classic style, stone and high-end appliances in a traditional kitchen. These are rarely dated and can easily “refresh”. In the case of this kitchen, I took several steps to maximize the candy store kitchen while staying within a strict budget. I knew immediately that I wanted the colors to be black, cream, and murky pink. The walls received a new slightly pinkish cream from Benjamin Moore called Butter Pecan. White Dove painted trim (always a favorite). The too modern stainless steel knobs and handles have been removed and spray painted matte black – voila! instant iron shooters! This step alone saved thousands of dollars.
A trademark of my kitchen designs has always been the use of open shelving. Whether modern, traditional, Tuscan, Asian, or French, I feel like upper cabinets tend to create a claustrophobic environment. A more European approach is to replace some upper cabinets with shelves. These particular shelves were made with Asian-inspired wrought-iron brackets, unfinished store-bought pine shelves that were painted deep red, distressed, and topped with velvet fringe with pom-poms attached with upholstery tacks. The red shelves were aged by rubbing and then removing a black stain to give them the aged finish I was looking for. With the shelves open, I could now casually display a fake Degas painting (found at a discount store for $19.99) behind the vintage plates now proudly displayed on the open shelves.
I now turned my attention to lighting. I replaced the two recessed lights above the island with large pendant lights from Home Depot. The problem was that these steel lights looked too modern, so once again black spray paint was used to transform the store-bought stainless steel lamps into a matte black iron look that complemented and connected with the black pulls. matte cabinets.
Perhaps the most challenging aspect of the redecoration was finding the antique pink opal chandelier that was installed over the kitchen table and the small version that was placed over the sink. I was very lucky on eBay finding them three months apart and from separate sellers. Other possibilities are Craig’s List, real estate sales, and antique stores. My advice is when visiting a small town, check out your local antique shops and if you see a chandelier that gets your heart racing and isn’t too hard on your wallet, splurge! A licensed electrician can rewire and hang it for you. My husband often jokes that “my wife doesn’t have diamonds, she has chandeliers.” This is a bit obsessive, but in my opinion, nothing gives a room more style than lighting and artwork.
I moved on to glass cabinets and looked for a fabric that could be hung inside to hide any clutter. I decided on a pattern of heraldic lions in cream on a dark pink background. I choose this over the obvious French toile as I feel too much of one style can create a theme park vibe and not the warm, eclectic look I was going for.
My last step in creating the best candy store kitchen was the most expensive and daring. The main wall of the kitchen was covered with WORKS OF ART. Some of the artwork was placed on ornate black mounts to add dimension, some encased in thick gold frames, and others were more modern black-and-white photos. I wanted this wall with all of its individual art that, when hung in such a massive grouping, would become one giant piece of art. More IS more when it comes to groupings. Ornate antique silver candlesticks on a large black table complete the elegant feel of a bygone era.
Bon Appetite!!!
