This Interior Designer Turned Her Kid’s Art into Wallpaper for Her Kitchen Redo
Color-loving interior designer Mary Kathryn Wells of Mary Kathryn Wells Interior Design set out to transform the kitchen in her Nashville home — and took it as seriously as if she were working on a client’s space. And the project was serious business; the original 2015 spec-home kitchen wasn’t going to work for this family.
“It was builder-grade and neutral to the point of being forgettable,” Mary Kathryn explains. “Gray cabinets, very safe, and not reflective of us as a family.”
Strategic Planning Meant They Could Give the Whole Home a Makeover — Including the Kitchen
Although the makeover was a big project, it wasn’t the only space being updated in their home. Mary Kathryn didn’t want to leave “an inch” in their four-bedroom, three-bathroom house untouched, and they had a $400,000 budget to make it happen. They had to be “strategic with the budget” when it came to the kitchen, Mary Kathryn admits.
She Approached Her Family’s Home Makeover Like She Would with Any Other Design Project
Instead of demolishing the existing kitchen and starting over, Mary Kathryn chose to keep the layout, cabinets, countertops, and subway tile backsplash the same. She had always wanted a paneled fridge and Beauta Heuman’s Dodo Egg pendants, but she needed to consult her clients (aka her family) on the rest.
“I approached my own home the same way I approach all client projects, using the exact process my studio follows every day,” Mary Kathryn says. “I treated my family — especially my kids — as true collaborators, which is central to how I design.”
They upgraded all of the kitchen appliances, like adding the new Wolf 30-inch dual-fuel range, plus a custom white oak hood above. She also got the built-in hidden fridges she’d dreamt of; they also added a Dutch door to separate the kitchen from the mudroom so their dog couldn’t enter while the family is cooking or eating. Besides functionality, though, the kitchen got a personality makeover, too.
Easy Changes Made the Room Feel Brand New
The cabinets were painted using Farrow & Ball’s “School House White,” and the tile backsplash was extended. Some Turkish runners from Etsy added a pop of color to the floor while also concealing a few cooking-related stains. However, the brightest addition has to be the custom New Hat wallpaper.
What made the project even more special — aside from the fact that it was Mary Kathryn’s own home — was that they didn’t have to do an entire renovation to get a bold new space. “It’s a great example of how strategic decisions, rather than total replacement, can result in a kitchen that feels highly custom, durable, and designed for daily family use,” she shares.
She Loves Everything About the New Space — Especially How the Updates Come Together
When asked what Mary Kathryn loves most about the kitchen, she couldn’t name just one thing. “The built-in paneled fridge! The Beata Heuman Dodo Egg pendants! The amazing runners! The way all those pieces, plus the unlacquered brass hardware and paint colors on the cabinetry and white oak hood, all come together to really sing,” she explains.
To see more of this gorgeously colorful home, visit the full house tour on Apartment Therapy. Inspired? Submit your own project here.
This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: See How a Nashville Interior Designer Transformed Her “Neutral” Forgettable Kitchen Into a Southern Escape