Kitchens

2023 Kitchen Design Tip 5: Don’t Be Afraid to Go Bold With Colour

This Bowen Island home was built in the '70s, and designer Andrew Barker honoured those groovy roots.

By Alyssa Hirose /
Janis Nicolay

West Coast cabins traditionally abide by a certain palette: natural woods, forest greens, perhaps a river rock fireplace. But the kitchen in this home on Bowen Island, B.C., pops with bright orange and avocado green millwork—it’s an ode to the homeowner’s love for colour, and to the building’s 1970s roots. The Richard Henriquez home was renovated by Andrew Barker, principal designer of AJ Barker Design, with millwork by Momentum Millwork.

The West Coast ’70s architecture of this cabin created some very cool storage possibilities, and Barker took full advantage of them. The wall behind the green cabinets slopes back, so each drawer goes slightly deeper than the one above it. The orange cabinetry that conceals the fridge and pantry also holds shoes, recycling bins and firestarter logs. Photo: Janis Nicolay

After the client selected the orange, Barker chose the green: “The avocado colour was a nice counterpoint to the orange—it works with the wood and it’s relevant to the era of the house, but it’s not screaming out ’70s,” says the designer. The bright hues keep company with more neutral materials (Caesarstone countertops in a concrete hue, black slate tile floor, a sleek chrome faucet from Cantu), creating a space that’s both grounded and exciting. 

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Alyssa Hirose

Alyssa Hirose

Alyssa Hirose is a Vancouver-based writer, editor, illustrator and comic artist. Her work has been featured in Vancouver magazine, Western Living, BCBusiness, Avenue, Serviette, Geist, BCLiving, Nuvo, Montecristo, The Georgia Straight and more. Her beats are food, travel, arts and culture, style, interior design and anything dog-related. She publishes a daily autobiographical comic on Instagram at @hialyssacomics.