Playful contrast eclectic Mick De Giulio kitchen

Home interiors are no longer expected to fall into strict categories of classic or modern. Increasingly, decor is becoming a celebration of personal loves and likes whatever the preferred design flavor.

Created by designer Mick De Giulio, this kitchen offers the best of all worlds. The client wish list specified an open-plan kitchen and family room that would project an edgy feel, yet meld with the home's traditional architecture. The owners love to cook and entertain so the space had to combine functionality and drama.

In many ways, the room's ceiling both leads and symbolizes this project, says De Giulio.

"We introduced ornate crown mouldings to tie in with the home's origins but at the same time, we replaced the round recessed lights in the existing kitchen with rectilinear versions."

Contrasting tones and textures balance each other in the new design. White lacquered cabinets on the wall and island play off an ebonized cabinet with antiqued mirrored panels that conceals the integrated refrigerator. Gleaming stainless steel cabinets flank the range.

The room is grounded by the existing wood floors, stained a darker tone to accentuate the artisan wall finish and cream cabinetry.

A balance of scale further draws the decor together. The presence of the large range hood, designed by De Giulio, is played down by its reflective surfaces, and the mass of the island is mitigated by its modern, slender countertop.

"Plenty of cabinets, spacious work surfaces and heavy-duty appliances cater to the business side of the kitchen, but several elements have a more glamorous appeal," says the designer. "For example, I designed a tall glassware cabinet with a polished, reflective frame and ebonized walnut interiors. This eye-catching, modern piece catches the sparkle of the large chandelier over the breakfast table and light from the nearby floor-to-ceiling windows."

Story by: Trendsideas