In the spirit of our annual Kitchen Issue, we asked Carrie Dessertine and her team at Mey & Co., a firm with a focus on boutique hotels and restaurants, to select the elements that make up her ideal kitchen scheme du jour. Her guiding tenets? A white kitchen doesn’t have to be boring. Use a warm white as the base and add in texture for visual intrigue. The beauty of a heavily veined counter is like a vast landscape painting that juxtaposes with quiet white cabinetry. Mix scales and types of patterns, the proportion of each in the space is important for balance.
HAND-PAINTED PERFECTION
“We were drawn to building a palette around House of Hackney’s ARTIST’S STRIPE in Sap & Alabaster wallpaper because of its loose hand. The imperfect stripes have a certain amount of friendliness that you want in a kitchen.”
GLOSSY DISTINCTION
“Because Particular Tile is a smaller, sustainable manufacturer, their runs are fairly small, which allows for a handmade quality in each tile’s glaze. The high gloss glaze is super wipeable for a kitchen application.”
THE HUE THAT HOLDS THE ROOM
“We chose Benjamin Moore Navajo White, a slightly warm off-white for the kitchen cabinets. It’s light but has enough yellow to give it a little more panache than a neutral.”
CAPTIVATING NATURAL STONE
“Calacatta Rosatto marble has beautiful and wild veining that complements the uneven stripe of the wallpaper and picks up on the pinkish and green colors.”
Carrie Dessertine’s firm, MEY & CO. is a full-service interior architecture and design firm. Based in Portland, Maine, the studio creates evocative, distinctive spaces blending thoughtful design with a strong sense of place.
