Homeowners opt for a new kitchen that reflects their love of opulence
BY SUSAN SEMENAK
STYLING: MANON RIENDEAU
Agnes Ciarlo loves glitter and glamour. You can tell just by walking into her kitchen.
When Agnes and her husband, Santo Gracioppo, were renovating their kitchen last summer, she had this advice for the designers: Make it sexy. “I like bling. I love jewelry and opulence and anything glamorous and beautiful,” Agnes says with a laugh. “I wanted a kitchen that would be fresh and young and elegant.”
And that’s just what kitchen designer ManonRiendeau of Galleria Design and interior designer Mari-Claire D’Elia did. They created an elegant kitchen with bright, white surfaces, touches of dramatic black, and everywhere glass and mirror to catch and reflect the light.
“They both wanted a kitchen that was chic, in the hotel style. And she really wanted it to have a sexy look with crystal and glass and all shiny things,” says Riendeau, who designed floor-to-ceiling cabinetry in white-lacquered MDF and married it with finely veined grey granite countertops. D’Eliachose large pale grey porcelain floor tiles polished to a high gloss, and small Carrara marble mosaic tiles for the backsplash.
And to carry the shine to a higher level, Riendeau custom-designed a hood above the stove concealed behind a set of mirrored panes. They echo the mirrored surfaces along two sides of the island counter and reflect two oversized crystal chandeliers that hang over the island.
“Everything we chose is meant to add a touch of glamour,” Riendeau says.
The large U-shaped kitchen with two islands – one of them in a separate nook for sipping coffee or having cocktails – was created by removing a wall between the former kitchen and the dining room. And though that might seem like a tall order, Riendeau said the whole project took about five weeks so that the new kitchen would be ready for the couple’s daughter’s graduation party.
In the area of the kitchen nearest to the adjoining dining room, Riendeau installed cabinets with glass doors in the style of a vaisselier where Agnes displays her dinnerware and crystal. In the upper cabinets on each side of the sink, the designer opted for mirrored doors, which reflect light but keep the stored items hidden.
Agnes says she and Santo really love the cozy nook dedicated to coffee and drinks. It houses their espresso maker, wine fridge and a bar sink, plus another island with bar stools where guests congregate when they entertain.
“We turn it into our bar area. We put out a tray with the liquor bottles and cocktail glasses and champagne flutes and my husband mixes cocktails,” she says. “It’s fantastic.”
