Zen Modern
Ash Leonard uses texture to create cohesion in a new kitchen design
The owners of a traditional two-story home in Ladue wanted to give their kitchen a fresh look without changing its footprint. They enlisted designer Aisling “Ash” Leonard, owner and principal of Ash Leonard Design, to thoughtfully blend existing architectural elements and modern materials.
“The kitchen is modern but has a soft feel with patina and character,” says Leonard, who worked with Eyman Kitchen & Bath to carry out the vision.
Get a weekly dose of home and style inspiration
Subscribe to the St. Louis Design+Home newsletter to explore the latest stories from the local interior design, fashion, and retail scene.
Here are the elements the designer incorporated into the project.
Cabinet Curiosity
Solid walnut slab-door cabinetry by Shady Creek Woodworking features clean modern lines but is also warm and natural. A coffee station is hidden in a drawer, and an ice machine and wine chiller/cooler are built into the cabinetry. Open glass shelves float above it all.
Hardware Hue
Leonard chose solid brass and matte black pulls from the Signature line at St. Louis-based Locks & Pulls. “They feel like leather when you touch them,” she says. Black gooseneck faucets with knurled brass accents by Brizo complement the cabinetry hardware. The backsplash outlet covers, done in brass, are a step above the ordinary. Brass–and–black leather stools by CB2 at the center island continue the theme.
Wow Tile
With windows flanking the range, Leonard wanted a backsplash tile that would blend into the views. Wasabi Green, by Spanish firm WOW Design, gets the job done. “I wanted it to feel like it had been there a long time and had a patina,” says Leonard. Walnut shelves pick up the color of the cabinets beneath.
Loads of Lighting
A long, cylindrical glass fixture with brass accents by TEC Electric runs the length of the island. Hanging it from two different ceiling heights was a challenge, but the team got it done.
Floor Fabulous
Leonard’s goal for the floors was to impart a country house feel with lots of texture. Gray-washed wood-like porcelain tile in a traditional box-and-crosshatch pattern imparts the appropriate style for the space.
Counters/Backsplash
To balance the room’s darker elements, Leonard went with slabs of Super White marble in a suede finish.
Brick and Beams
The wood ceiling beams, white-painted brick, and white wood paneling in the dining area are original to the house, and Leonard wanted to keep them intact. The custom-made range hood mimics the existing paneling, says Leonard, marrying old and new.
A Pretty Scene
Classic design in a West County kitchen
The clients, who are empty nesters, wanted to create a feeling of spaciousness in their kitchen without enlarging its footprint. They solicited the advice of designer Chelsea Smith, of Chelsea Design Co., to help them achieve their desired outcome. Early on in her planning, Smith made key decisions to produce a sense of space. First, she installed the largest possible windows in the kitchen. Then she removed a heavy wall of cabinets that crowded the room. These two moves, plus the room’s subtle yet striking palette of colors and materials, helped turn a small, confined kitchen into a stylish, relaxing hub.
Tile trick
“The kitchen feels calm and balanced, but it didn’t start that way at all. The backsplash tile was the solution to tying it all together,” says Smith, who designed a look with many interesting elements without overwhelming the space. The Calacatta marble mosaic is variegated in monochrome shades from white to black tones, making for an arresting visual element. (Luke Spain of Pristine Tile installed the tile, purchased at the Tile Shop.) In electing to tile all the way to the ceiling, Smith generated that much-desired open feel. “It was a way to give the impression of expanding the kitchen without making it larger,” she says.
Window wonders
The kitchen originally held two double-hung windows positioned several inches above a small corner sink, limiting the view. “It was a standard builder-grade kitchen from the ’90s,” recalls Smith. Moving the sink from the far left-hand corner to directly beneath one of three new 50-inch Pella windows allows the homeowners to enjoy the wooded landscape beyond.
Paint palette
The wall color is Natural Choice, by Sherwin-Williams. “It’s my go-to color when I want something neutral and warm. In some lighting, this color can appear gray, while at other times it feels warmer,” says Smith. “It is the softest and prettiest of whites.” The kitchen cabinets are a starker white, offering a subtle layering effect and visual interest.
Countertop cool
To offset the kitchen’s lighter elements—the light fixtures, cabinets, and tile— Smith chose Silver Pearl granite from Global by Custom Stone Interiors in a “leather” finish. This granite presents a clean matte finish that “feels like the modern farmhouse style,” Smith says. “I wanted contrast in this mostly white kitchen.”
Island vibes
The island was originally installed parallel to the oven, placing a barrier between the kitchen and the rest of the room. To open it up, the designer had the island trimmed on each side and elongated to 27 inches. At the oven-facing end of the island, Smith added a storage unit and a walnut butcher block cutting board. The island doubles as a table for four. Note the shape of the legs; they call to mind those of an old farmhouse table.
A Bespoke Beauty
Jenny B, a St. Louis designer specializing in custom, vintage-inspired interiors, selected handmade details and nature-inspired flourishes to create a kitchen informed by the English countryside.
This kitchen renovation isn’t the first time the homeowners and designer have worked together. Ron and Jessie Mueller, collaborated with Jenny B on the design of their previous home, in the city. That experience, resulting in an eclectic, colorful design scheme, provided a strong foundation for working together and bringing out the best in the new home.
“Ron had items on his design bucket list, and I had some as well,” says Jenny B. “Together we pared everything down to what worked the best when placed next to each other.”
From the stylish light fixtures to the gleaming hardware, surprising and delightful moments are found throughout the space. See how it all comes together inside a historic Georgian Revival home.
Countertops details
The brass pot rail, from deVOL Kitchens, holds copper utensils chosen for their one-of-kind aesthetic. “These, like the rail, are definitely not factory made,” says the designer. The honed Danby marble backsplash features a pretty black-green hue. “While marble is known for its softness, Europeans do marble in their kitchens all the time, so we just went for it,” says Jenny B. “We didn’t want to be afraid to use it.” Although Ron was initially reluctant to use marble, he agreed that the timeless material would be the best choice for the kitchen: “Its beauty outweighs the work of cleaning and maintaining it.”
Lots of light
The pendants, from Restoration Hardware, are a modern take on vintage Parisian streetlamps. “I wanted something French industrial,” says Jenny B. The beehive-shaped sconces to the right of the oven were designed by Kelly Wearstler for Stoffer Home. “I liked the hive shape and the glow of them,” she recalls, “but the best thing about them is that they come in a trio, which creates an impact in the kitchen.”
Oven matters
Chosen for its traditional look, the oven from Italian brand Bertazzoni makes a statement. “We went with black to provide a more masculine touch to the kitchen,” says Jenny B. The Muellers love to cook, making the oven and its range of options—six burners, an electric griddle, seven interior shelves—a great choice.
Patina pretty
Jenny B chose slightly distressed chestnut cabinets to contrast with the room’s dark-veined marble and dark-stained bar cabinets with smoked-glass fronts. The designer is a fan of English homes, and so she sourced elements of the kitchen from the U.K. The hardware, for example, in both antique brass and unlacquered brass, is from Mark Lewis Interior Design, in London. “Everything from Mark Lewis is not only handcrafted; even the tiny brass nails in the hardware are beautiful and offer layers of patina as they age,” says Jenny B.
Pantry plus
Though much of the kitchen leans heavily on the English country aesthetic, the 12-foot pantry with insets of rattan has a subtle Midcentury modern look. (The bar stools, backed in rattan, also mirror the style.) The pantry’s striking woodpecker door handles are by Schaub and were purchased at Locks & Pulls in Rock Hill. “The woodpeckers spoke to me,” says Jenny B. “I don’t generally try to match things, but it does fit with the beehives and hollyhocks [found in the breakfast nook wallpaper].”
Wallpaper wow
Jenny B aimed for a rustic Old World vibe in much of the kitchen, and the breakfast nook that looks out onto the landscaped gardens was no exception. “I love things that feel bespoke and biophilic—having a love of nature, and bringing the outdoors inside,” she says. The bright colors of the hollyhock wallpaper from House of Hackney offer a pop of color that gives the room a design moment steeped in the wondrous beauty of the English countryside.
