This Kitchen Makeover Has Bold Paint and Zero Cabinets (Really!)

When fine arts photographer and teacher Ottavia Castellina moved into her bohemian-style apartment two years ago, the kitchen needed some love. The home was previously a student rental, and after Ottavia took ownership she saw the kitchen’s potential and wanted to make her vision a reality. 

“The kitchen was in a very bad state; the existing cabinets were white and in poor condition,” Ottavia says. “The only thing I liked about the kitchen were the floor tiles, but unfortunately, they were in such a bad state that I couldn’t maintain them.”

She wanted the new kitchen to have a “vintage feel” by bringing in family heirlooms and secondhand pieces. Knowing that the space didn’t get a ton of natural light, she also wanted to play with the moodiness. “I wanted to create a cozy and at the same time elegant space, a space both for cooking and dining with special character,” she says. 

During the entire apartment renovation, Ottavia hired contractors to update the kitchen. Sadly, the first step was removing the original flooring, which she replaced with similar porcelain stoneware tiles with a hexagonal shape to mimic the originals with a “contemporary twist.” 

Even though Ottavia wanted to lean into the room’s natural moodiness, creating separate spaces in the kitchen was important. The contractors installed a stained iron glass door separating the entrance from the rest of the room, creating a lobby area. 

“Everyone was encouraging me not to paint the kitchen walls with a dark color as the space was already a bit dark because of the lack of light entering from the main door, but I thought it would have been more interesting to play with the dark cozy mood of the room rather than trying to brighten up the space using white paint,” she says. “The color I chose for the walls was Farrow & Ball’s De Nimes (No. 299). It’s both a very elegant and down-to-earth color.”

While the dark paint is dramatic, there are bits of light and warmth throughout, like the wooden structure that houses an IKEA HAVSEN sink, induction hobs, and an oven. Just above the appliances hang hand-painted Majolica tiles that Ottavia bought on a trip to Sicily. The open-shelving storage underneath the sink is covered with bright-white fabric found in her grandmother’s closet. 

Speaking of secondhand finds, her kitchen is filled with them. There’s a peacock chair (a flea market find!) in the entryway, vintage Formica chairs from Ottavia’s aunts (she painted florals on them), a dining table found at a flea market, framed artwork in secondhand frames done by friends and artists she admires, and one knockout vintage staple that helped the rest of the space come together.

“The starting point for defining the style and character of the new kitchen was my aunt’s haberdashery counter,” Ottavia says. “It had been sitting in my parents’ garage for so long, and I thought it would be a great storage solution for replacing kitchen cabinets. My father managed to restore it and bring it back to its original beauty.” 

Ottavia swapped out the haberdashery’s formica countertop with a gray marble option. This piece provides a lot of additional storage space, so the old cabinetry isn’t necessary, and Ottavia was able to fit a small washing machine, a refrigerator, and a branch that acts as a hanging place for baskets and drying culinary herbs in the various niches around the room. 

The kitchen took around two months to complete, which ended with Ottavia’s dreams being blown out of the water.  “I love the vintage feel of it, the cozy atmosphere, and the color scheme,” Ottavia says. “I also love the contrast between the stained glass door and the warmth of wooden and rattan elements.” To see how the rest of Ottavia’s apartment came together, visit the full house tour on Apartment Therapy.

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: Before & After: A “Dated” Kitchen Gets a Dramatic, Vintage-Inspired Blue Makeover (with No Cabinets!)