Dabbieri Blog

Urban Cottage Kitchens: Kitchencore

We’ve all heard about the cottagecore lifestyle and seen how its whimsical rustic charm has worked its way into our home design trends from accent wallpaper to floral prints and vintage furniture. But have you heard about kitchencore? Kitchencore explores urban cottage designs, blending the pastoral ways of cabincore with the sentimentality of cottagecore. This typically translates into dark palettes, stained woods, and natural countertop stones and these trends have already taken shape in the interior design world. So how do you nail that perfect kitchencore look?

Connect Ivory Porcelain by Emser Tile

Incorporate Depth and Movement

BB Concrete Silver Matte/Satin Porcelain by Emser Tile

The first step towards creating the ambiance of kitchencore is to find depth and movement within the textures, materials, and appliances in your kitchen. As we step away from the white shaker cabinets of the past, kitchens are adapting to more color palettes with dark cabinets pulled to the forefront of design. Faucets blending into countertops and other fixtures rather than stand-alone features are in popular demand as these create a seamless kitchen experience. For smaller spaces, kitchencore takes shape through stylish tile backsplashes that extend up to the ceiling, making these rooms appear larger.

Use Natural Materials

Creamy Beige Hardwood by Biyork Flooring

Secondly, use natural materials in your kitchen design. Whether this is through rattan bar stools, slate tiling, distressed white oak floors, or wooden beams, natural elements work to elevate the design and incorporate authenticity. Cabinets with visible wood grain and interesting stone countertops will be in this season as designers attempt to integrate the kitchen with the rest of the home through the use of more natural materials. As always, it’s smart to bring in green elements with potted plants, herbs, and flower bouquets to breathe a bit of oxygen into your kitchen environment.

Install Statement Lighting

Statement lighting is the key to top off any beautiful kitchen space. Every kitchen should be well lit for functionality, however, statement lighting takes this function to the next level. Whether you’re after a rustic farmhouse-style kitchen and opt for a single schoolhouse pendant over the kitchen table or you want to elevate your kitchen with weathered wood chandeliers, the lighting choices are endless. Finding the right lighting for you in terms of task lighting, overhead lighting, and spotlighting will depend on the size of your kitchen, cabinet placement, and the amount of natural sunlight in your room. While flushed mounts are great for task lighting, you want to opt for a more powerful light source with your statement lighting over the kitchen island or breakfast nook so look into wide pendants and linear chandeliers.

How have you redesigned your kitchen to create the perfect kitchencore ambiance for your family?

Tile For Your Fireplace

Fireplaces are beautiful gathering spots for you to spend time with your loved ones on the brisk and chilly days. Meant to be eye-catching centerpieces that act as a room’s focal point, fireplaces often bring coziness and warmth to your home design. If you’re looking to update your old fireplace this season or are adding a new one to your home, installing tile around your fireplace is a great way to add a spark of pattern, refined finish, and elevated style.

Known for its durability, tile is fairly easy to keep clean which is why you can often find tile as backsplashes in kitchens and baths. There are many different types of tile, but not all are made to withstand high temperatures. Ceramic, porcelain, glass, metal, quartz, and stone are some of the tiles that can withstand the most heat. Even limited to these materials, these tiles come in a variety of textures, shapes, sizes, and patterns.

One thing to keep in mind when installing tile is that, it’s perfect for surrounding a fireplace, but you should not use it in the firebox. Materials in the firebox need to meet building codes and must be able to endure extreme heat. When you are looking for tiles to upgrade your fireplace, make sure you confer with a flooring expert to ensure that your product selection is safe for high-temperature applications. Another benefit to consider is if your room has carpet or hardwood flooring, tile will protect the surrounding areas around your fireplace which are exposed to embers and sparks.

Textural or Sculptural Tiles

Pacific Rim Silver Engineered Stone Concrete by Emser Tile

For a high-end, artistic look that adds a dramatic flair to your fireplace, sculptural tile brings dimension to your room. These tiles are beautiful works of art all by themselves, but when you place them on your fireplace, it brings the whole hearth to life. Textural tiles can come in rough, coarse, smooth, or silky textures. As an eclectic tile choice, textural tiles offer fascinating and stunning designs. Both of these styles can create an impressive wall feature around your fireplace that is avant-garde.

Modern Large-Format Tiles

Metro Cream Vein Cut Honed Limestone Emser Tile

Oversized, large-format tiles on your fireplace can make a huge modernistic impact on your décor. This design typically focuses on straight lines and simplicity. Large-format tiles offer a clean look and have the ability to make a room appear larger. When placed on a fireplace, they make a dramatic statement that will automatically upgrade your fireplace to the main focus of your room. When installed around a fireplace, large-format tiles are typically used to create a floor-to-ceiling focal point that draws in the eye.

Rustic-Chic Tiles

Volcanic Gray Limestone by Daltile

If you’re looking to create a more natural and organic fireplace, tiles that bring some of the earth tones indoors are ideal for you. A good rustic design has tone, texture, and style that mimics the aesthetics and natural feel of organic elements! Slate, natural stone, and wood-look tiles can make your fireplace look hand-built while adding neutral colors and texture.

Moroccan-Inspired Tiles

Memoir Glazed Ceramic in Crystal Grey by Daltile

Moroccan-styled décor is inspirational due to its beautiful colors, and bold patterns. To achieve an opulent Moroccan theme on your fireplace, be sure to incorporate tile that has abstract and geometric patterns. Hues of blue and green and terracotta reds and oranges are the prominent color schemes for this style. Splashes of gold and silver are heavily featured as well and can be used as accents for furnishings such as grates and baskets, wood holders, and tools for your fireplace.

Updating Your Fabrics for the Winter Season

It’s approaching that time of year again, where bundling up inside under a big blanket with a nice cup of hot chocolate is much more appealing than venturing out into the chilly winds. But what makes a night in even more luxurious? Updating the soft fabrics in your home to reflect the casual, cozy interiors or the elegant plush décor that you’re looking to achieve. This can be as simple as switching out the throw pillows in your living room for cheery seasonal prints or, you can take this chance, to indulge in a total makeover, upholstering your furniture in rich jewel-toned velvets. Whatever your interior design taste, consider these five trending fabrics when looking to elevate your home design this holiday season.

Casual Cotton

Composite Shutters by Graber

Cotton never goes out of style because of its versatility to blend with other fabrics and finishes. Thanks to advancements in its spinning technology, cotton fabrics are even more sophisticated with quality, long-staple yarns that achieve a natural gleam and a silky smooth texture. With a heavy focus on the return to organics this season, cotton touches in blankets, pillows, canvases, and decorative towels will mix well with natural finishes like woven wicker chairs, wool carpets, and clay pottery.

Soft Velvet Velour

Graber Drapery

Try your hand at velvet fabrics this season if you’re looking to create a luxurious ambiance with depth and drama. Velvet works to showcase a stunning array of jewel tones, from jade greens to deep blush reds. This material was originally made from pure silk, giving velvet its infamous velour softness, but nowadays, you can find velvet made from silky nylons, polyesters, and rayon mixes. Incorporate velvet through your furniture with couches, armchairs, and ottomans. You can even add some heavy velvet curtains to your living room to keep the warmth in during the colder months.

Upscale Big Plaids

Couristan Downtown Setting Broadloom

You may recall this trend from fashion week –large-scale plaids are dominating the fashion industry with their bold designs and unique colorways. Aside from dragging out that old plaid jacket you have hanging in your closet, try updating your blankets, pillows, artwork, and flooring with hints of upscale plaid. Another way to subtly incorporate this trend into your household is by swapping out your light summer linens for thick flannel bedding.

Heirloom Flower Prints

Aldora Royal by Nourison

Reminiscent of the cottagecore and farmcore styles that have become familiar throughout lifestyle spreads and interiors, heirloom flower prints are beautifully whimsical with a faint touch of tradition. You can find these delicate patterns in area rugs, curtains, blankets, and couch cushions in various colorways, from pale pastels to rich hues. Lighter-colored florals are subtler, while bold blues and reds will draw eyes to your flower patterns. Feel free to mix and match your florals to complement your existing décor.  

Contemporary Cow Print

Cow print is the new leopard print when it comes to interior design. This rustic mountain-chic take on animal print delivers the same punch of pattern but blends better with your sophisticated neutral color palettes. You can find cow-print in cow-hide rugs, vintage light-hide pillows, cow-print canvases, and furniture.

How have you updated your fabrics this season to reflect trends from the runway or inspired interior design styles?