Story: Tiffany Adams | Photography: Rett Peek | Styling: Lauren Cerrato |
Designer Krista Lewis pairs a timeless palette with fresh fixtures and furnishings in a couple’s kitchen and breakfast room
A bamboo, chinoiserie-inspired light fixture complements the wallpaper.
After a major kitchen renovation more than a decade ago, the owners of this Little Rock home were ready for an update. “We didn’t feel like it needed to be gutted,” one of the homeowners says. “We just wanted to reface the cabinets, get new countertops, things like that, and we thought, ‘We have good taste; how hard could that be?’” However, almost immediately, she and her husband were faced with a sea of choices—quartz or granite, classic subway tile or a handcrafted selection, and the list goes on and on. Feeling a tad overwhelmed, the two remembered meeting “a young and fresh designer” named Krista Lewis who has a penchant for modern-meets-traditional style. They decided to bring her in to guide them through the process.
Since the couple had already been working on renovation plans, they had several ideas in terms of style. “We wanted modern traditional, meaning still traditional but less formal and a little more comfortable,” the homeowner says. The rest of their home was designed by Arkansas legend Keith James, and much of it still fit their needs and taste, so naturally they wanted the kitchen and adjoining breakfast room to flow in this style. “This was such a great opportunity to be able to work behind Keith James because everything is so well done—and they have beautiful things already. They just wanted to freshen it up a bit,” Krista says.
“Even though it’s small, it’s very functional.”
Blue is a favorite color for the owners, so Krista highlighted this by selecting a blue-and-white wallpaper featuring ginger jars to cover the back wall of the kitchen and the entire breakfast room. “I think it was a bold move,” says the homeowner, who admits she was hesitant at first but fell in love as soon as the art and furniture were placed.
The couple’s school-age grandson also lives in the home, so kid-friendly considerations were important. For this reason, they went with a glass-top Hickory Chair table—which can easily wipe clean after messy meals—complemented by bamboo-style chairs covered in a gingham fabric. Watercolors by local artist Delia Prather, a friend of the homeowners, cover the walls and add contrast to the background. “We framed the watercolors with a really thick mat to help break up the repetitive pattern of the wallpaper,” Krista notes. “These also look great with the rug, which they already owned.”
In the kitchen, cosmetic updates brought the galley-style room up to date. “Even though it’s small, it’s very functional,” the homeowner says of the space. “We already had it laid out in a pattern that worked for us.” With that in mind, new appliances, a Walker Zanger backsplash tile, cream “Taj Mahal” quartzite countertops, and brass hardware were all the pieces needed to revive the room. “I probably would have done all white, but Krista took into account how much gold we have in the house, so she brought in the warm countertops, hardware, and backsplash—which I love. I would not have thought of that,” the homeowner says.
The homeowners’ daughter suggested chic Astier de Villatte pottery pieces, which she had registered for as a bride, to complement the palette and bring a modern touch to her parents’ breakfast room.
Design Resources
Interior and kitchen design Krista Lewis, K. Lewis Interior Design Appliances Metro Appliances & More Art Delia Prather Cabinetry and hardware Kitchen Tune-Up Countertops Triton Stone Group Fabric, furniture, lighting, and wallpaper K. Lewis Interior Design Fixtures Southern Pipe & Supply Paint Pittsburg Paints Tile (backsplash) Inside Effects
