Four Design Tweaks for a Cozier Kitchen
Hygge—the Danish concept of warmth and coziness—has been a major design trend this year. But hygge in the kitchen? It’s totally doable, and it doesn’t involve draping blankets over every surface. The best way to cozy up your kitchen is to divide it into nooks. Dolores Suarez, founder at design firm Dekar Design, is the queen of the nook. In many of the restaurant spaces her firm has designed, there are comfy, separate, relaxed spaces that makes you feel like you’re in someone’s home. Here are some easy ways to create some cozy of your own in the kitchen.
1/9Lighting
“Separating a space through lighting often grounds it,” says Suarez. “We like the idea of creating areas with their own fixtures to separate a large dining room.” Rosemary’s has multiple different lighting accents—from the large basket-like pendants hanging over the communal table to the more delicate, industrial lights hanging over smaller tables.
2/9At By Chloe, Dekar Designs added custom-made lighting to separate out each space, or nook. “We have really large custom-made pendants over the bar area,” says Suarez. “Over the communal table, the centerpiece, we have a safari lantern with a sand linen. For the banquettes, we have no overhead light; just sconces.”
3/9Patterns and Textures
Another way Suarez and her team carve out cozy spaces is through different textiles, wallpapers, and tile. Claudette’s a good example—“The tiled wall is the kitchen and pantry area,” she says. “We often like to tile near an open kitchen to attract the eye back there and give it a focal point.”
4/9In Dekar Design’s renovation of Bobo, the firm couldn’t find the exact fabric they were looking for—so they made some custom fabrics. “The barstools’ fabric has a stripe with triangles inspired by a trip to Africa a few years ago,” Suarez says. Of course, to separate out the bar from the seating area, the banquettes have a different custom fabric—also inspired by a trip. “It’s a block print of trees, inspired by a trip to India I took years ago.”
5/9Ornate Details
“In the back bar area of Claudette, you have the custom Claudette tile, of course,” says Suarez. “But we wanted to also give it a pantry feeling, with shelves, Boss containers, a plate rack, and a vintage harvest table.” This little prep space is beautifully styled, but still functional—and definitely invokes hygge.
6/9Ornate details like warm metal accents and hardware can even make prep areas look more cozy and put-together. The rich gold tone of the Brizo® Litze™ Articulating Faucet adds depth to the look of your kitchen and helps to create a warm and comfortable environment with tactile elements that invite touch—perfect for welcoming in guests to gather while you prep for the night’s meal.
7/9Styling and accessorizing shelving can cordon off a space within an open-concept kitchen. Claudette has its pantry area, but it also has its main dining room, where the shelves are stacked with colorful decorative objects rather than ingredients and cooking equipment.
8/9Furniture
Incorporating different kinds of furniture may be the easiest, fastest way to create cozy nooks. “We’ll do a bench in one area, and do chairs in another area,” says Suarez. “In the new Bobo space, for example, we’re doing handmade tile tables in the entry, marble tables in the breakfast nook–slash-pantry area, and wooden tables in the dining area.”
9/9Pairing two standout chairs together in a room will automatically create a nook—bonus if they’re outfitted with plush pillows. Adding a whimsical touch to your furniture choices doesn’t hurt either—who wouldn’t want to sit in these breezy hanging chairs at By Chloe?
