Photography by Ilaria Fatone.
Ilaria Fatone is an interior stylist and blogger who grew up in Milan, lives in Provence, and has a fondness for the sun-suffused Scandinavian look.
“But my main intention was to bring in the maximum amount of natural light, and that was quite a challenge since the kitchen faces north.” Her solution?
After
A wood- and glass-paneled sliding door creates a clever division between the kitchen—approximately 117 square feet—and the living-dining area.
“It’s an Ikea kitchen structure that I dressed up with tailor-made wooden drawer fronts,” says Ilaria of the under-counter storage.
Her carpenter first made the room’s sliding door partition, and she liked the look of it so much that she had him use the same hardwood, Western African fraké, on the drawers.
Indestructible, bright white Corian counters were Ilaria’s biggest expense: “They reflect the light.” In Remodeling 101, read up on Corian (and Corian Look-Alikes).
Evidence that a stylist is in residence: A wooden tray anchors a tidy ensemble of kitchen accessories. The cutting board is the Slice by Heerenhuis of Antwerp.
Newly installed aluminum-framed glass doors replaced the old side entrance and bring more light into the room. The doors overlook the street, so for privacy, Ilaria applied an inexpensive, removable matte plastic Window Film to the glass.
On the opposite side of the room, Ikea Ringhult cabinets in glossy white create a workhorse storage system.
The fridge (from Ikea) is on the left and the freezer is below the wall oven.The aluminum cabinet pulls are Ikea Blankett handles.
When the sliding door is closed, it “makes one with the glass wall,” says Ilaria.
Southern Italian baskets that belonged to Ilaria’s grandmother hang over the table.
Before
The kitchen was an unharmonious mix of homey elements when Ilaria and family bought the apartment.
A door closed off the space from the living room.
Ilaria wanted to begin fresh and put every inch to use.
In Progress
The existing terracotta tiles were removed mostly intact.
How to open up a galley kitchen: Step one of the sliding glass door panel. Go to Ilaria Fatone to see more of the project.