Western Living Magazine
Small Wonders: 3 Playful Kids’ Rooms Built for Big Imaginations
7 Reading Nooks Where We’d Love to Get Lost in a Good Book
Inside a Gravity-Defying West Vancouver Home
Recipe: St. Lawrence’s Chez Solange Brown Butter Mocktail
8 Surprise Dinners For One Serious Cause. Here’s What’s Going Down at Vancouver Entertains
Recipe: Chicken and Parsnip Stew with Leeks and Potatoes
What It’s Like to Forage with a Two-Michelin Star Chef
5 Things to Do on Salt Spring Island: Where to Eat, Shop and Sip
Hastings House: A Salt Spring Island Getaway Full of Little Luxuries
In Living Colour: 7 Silver Chrome Home Finds That Shine
10 New Furniture, Lighting and Decor Finds for 2026
In Living Colour: 8 Striped Home Finds for Summer
PHOTOS: Party Pics from our 2026 Designers of the Year Awards Party at Inform
Introducing the 2026 WL Designers of the Year
Robert Ledingham Memorial Award 2026: Schédio Spaces
Designers Aly Velji and Alison Connor bring a hit of colour to a classic white design.
The love for white kitchens stays strongbut even within this enduring trend, there are plenty of ways to customize. This light and bright room was once a galley kitchen design in a 50s-era home in Calgary, and designers Aly Velji and Alison Connor from Alykhan Velji Designs were brought on board to create an open-concept layout for the main floor.
The homeowner was keen to keep the original oak floors for the living area, so rather than try to colour-match them in the kitchen, the design team had a little fun with a playful black-and-white tile pattern. Consistent black accents throughoutthe pendants, the hardware, the faucetsbring some grounding to the space, and while the perimeter Shaker cabinets are in classic white, the island has a little fun in a lovely sage green (Benjamin Moore's Cushing Green).
For us, having an island as a feature has always been a big thing when it comes to designing kitchens, says Velji. Some people are just a bit wary of painting the whole kitchen in colourthis way it doesn't feel overwhelming.
Anicka Quin is the editor-in-chief of Western Living magazine and the VP of Content for Canada Wide Media. If you've got a home design you'd like to share with Western Living, drop her a line at [email protected]
Are you over 18 years of age?
Get the latest headlines delivered to your inbox 3 times a week.