STATEMENT PIECES: “The stove hood and backsplash combination is old fashioned but not old fashioned at the same time,” says Lemm, who designated the back wall as her favorite part of the kitchen. “The tile has a little more pop to it and brings up the colors on the countertops.” Photo by Josh Droval, Revl Media.Sometimes all it takes is one key element to define an entire room. In this kitchen designed by Becky Lemm, a design consultant with CCD Interiors, the hammered copper stove hood provided inspiration as well as offering the perfect centerpiece for the modern farmhouse space. “Stainless was too sleek, but when I saw that copper hood, suddenly it all made sense,” says Lemm, who added an apron-front sink in the same material and selected accents to reinforce the metallic theme. The glazed backsplash subway tiles, for example, host gray and copper tones, and Lemm describes the color of the Caesarstone counter and island surfaces as “worn denim blue-gray with shots of copper.”
LIGHTING: According to the designer, when you have an excess of white like the wall of cabinets with the paneled refrigerator, “a space can start to feel sterile.” Lemm solved that dilemma with black metal lighting with copper accents by Hinkley from Urban Lights. Photo by Josh Droval, Revl Media.Noting that “copper brings warmth to a space, Lemm’s choice of character-grade European white oak floors continues the effect. “The wood has lots of knot holes and other markings, which work well with the farmhouse feel,” says the designer, who topped the white painted cabinets with black metal pulls to coordinate with a similar material on the light fixtures, and painted the island base black to contrast with the expanse of white cabinetry. “You can get too much white, so the island is darker to offset that while introducing a modern accent.”
CABINETS: Tharp Custom Cabinetry in Loveland fabricated the white wall and black island cabinets. “We like to source locally when we can,” says Lemm. Among the hidden treasures: a pullout spice rack to the left of the stove, and tray dividers to the right. BACKSPLASH: Modern and farmhouse merge in the contemporary subway tile with Craftsman-era style glazing that crackles when fired. The 5 x 10 tiles are from PetraSlate Tile & Stone. Photo by Josh Droval, Revl Media.The space itself is an entertainer’s dream with a four-foot-wide-island that does double duty as an expansive buffet area or a place for guests to hang out. And because Lemm admits to lack of storage as “my pet peeve,” the back side of the ample island is designed for stowing all manner of kitchen accouterments.
