This ’90s Brown-and-Blah Kitchen Is Now a Lavender Grandmillennial Dream

The kitchen is still the heart of the home for many. So when tackling a whole house remodel, it’s often the space that needs the most love because it has so many hard finishes and aesthetic choices that furniture and paint alone can’t fix. 

That’s exactly the situation designer Crystal Blackshaw of Crystal Blackshaw Interiors found herself in when rebuilding this 350-square-foot cook space in a 1900s Chicago bungalow. “Before renovations, the home overall hadn’t been updated since the early ’90s,” Blackshaw says. “It showed a lot of wear, and there was little personality that we could salvage. The overall appearance was basic and boring.”

Coupling the age of the home with a recent life change — in this case, Blackshaw’s client (and her children) had recently blended their life with her new husband and his two kids — and a fresh start was in order, especially in the kitchen. “She wanted to reflect this new chapter into her home with a fresh, bright and fun interior design,” says Blackshaw of her client, whom she had worked with on a prior residence. “The goal was to create a grandmillennial style with tons of pattern, color, and most importantly, functionality.”  

For Blackshaw, the “first order of business is to always tackle the bones of the house.” It’s important to make sure a home’s rooms are “safe, secure, and sturdy from the inside out,” she says. “Then we present the designs, all the pretty elements that the client gets excited about.” 

Of course, the planning phase is also when permitting gets locked down — and the general design direction for the home is born. It’s also a time where necessary fixes are identified. “This old home had a bit of settling over the years so we had to level out the subfloor and install all new hardwoods throughout, an expense that’s not seen or fun but necessary for the foundation for the rest of the design,” Blackshaw says. All of the windows got replaced at this time, too, because it just made sense for energy efficiency. 

The kitchen layout was fairly functional, so it only needed minimal tweaking. Most of the changes would be cosmetic rather than structural, and the old, character-full doors would stay in place throughout the home as well. “This saves money on gas and plumbing lines staying where they are, and for the most part, there was only one layout that could really work unless we tore walls down or added an addition,” says Blackshaw of the space. 

Keeping the layout the same also allowed the team to splurge on all-new beautiful custom cabinetry, luxe finishes, and fabrics, all of which would solidify the cream and purple color scheme and grandmillennial vibes. “Our goal was to use the space we had but create better storage solutions and a prettier and brighter room,” Blackshaw says.

 An almost iridescent lavender zellige tile backsplash and pink and gray stone countertops set the tone early for a whimsical space. Underfoot, large Annie Selke hex tiles in orchid and white create a whimsical pattern play that feels at once old world and modern.

While demoing, the team found a hidden window behind one of the existing cabinets, and that brought so much more natural light into the space from the get-go. “I opened it up and had a custom stained glass window made for it in the lavender color story,” Blackshaw says. “This along with open glass shelves really brightened the sink wall dramatically.”

Strategic placement of key design elements also improved function and further created an airy impression. “We pulled the fridge away from the side wall so you could open the doors all the way,” Blackshaw says. “And this allowed for a small pantry that pulls out along the wall so we could utilize every nook and cranny with storage.”

Another smart design detail for maximizing storage? Taking the upper cabinets all the way up to the ceiling, which uses every square inch of vertical storage space. “Corner cabinets with magic corner pullouts are a good idea, and tall pull-out pantries can be tucked in along walls,” Blackshaw adds. “Don’t forget to include a garbage drawer, too!”

The biggest debate in the room came down to the large, farmhouse-inspired kitchen island, which Blackshaw sourced on Etsy. The team was split on whether it should have open or closed storage. “I felt that a closed storage cabinet island would make the space feel closed in and tight,” Blackshaw says. “So I found other storage areas/solutions that could house everything she would normally put in an island, and that freed up the center of the space for pretty food items and display objects. Win-win!”

One other strategy for achieving a light and bright look came down to the appliances, the matte finish series by CAFÉ. “I also loved the idea of white appliances to lighten the design, and they went so well with the lavender color story,” Blackshaw says. “CAFÉ has a beautiful series I’ve used many times before, and their appliances are beautiful inside and out. Stainless steel would have felt cold and sterile in this bright and warm space.” 

To further soften up the space, Blackshaw took great care to select sweet wallpaper and fabrics. “A lot of the wallpaper and fabrics are from our vendors at the Merchandise Mart such as Kravet, Fabricut, Schumacher, Pindler, and Osbourne and Little,” she says. 

Cabinet paint came from Farrow & Ball (Calluna No. 270), while the crown, baseboards, and doors are Benjamin Moore’s Simply White (OC-117). Hardware for all the hinges, electrical, cabinets, and doors for the entire home were sourced from the House of Antique Hardware. That way, “the brass finish is the same throughout, and the style is consistent with the age of the home,” Blackshaw says.

Now, Blackshaw’s client couldn’t be happier with her new family kitchen. It’s exactly the personality- and storage-packed space she wanted for her family. The space looks and feels bigger and brighter, even though the footprint didn’t really change. And Blackshaw now has a truly unique showpiece for her portfolio, too. 

“I love the color risks she allowed me to take and the pattern-on pattern-on pattern,” says Blackshaw of her client and the project. “When clients trust the designer and allow them to do what they are being paid to do, that’s when design can really be exciting and elevated.”