Kitchens

This $150K Nelson Kitchen Renovation Trades Castle Vibes for Spanish Revival Style

Covet Interiors keeps the character but loses the medieval mood, layering warm walnut, quartzite and unlacquered brass into this Nelson, B.C., kitchen.

By Alyssa Hirose /
Mary McNeill Knowles

Designer: Covet Interiors
Location: Nelson, B.C.
Budget: $150,000

A fairytale home isn’t necessarily a dream home: when Randall Boisvert of Covet Interiors first entered this Nelson kitchen, it had a conspicuous stone archway, Frog Prince-green paint and the cramped, dysfunctional layout of the olden days. “A lot of the home’s other walls were gold-coloured and purple… there were castle vibes,” says the designer.

Nelson kitchen by Covet Interiors with walnut millwork and white pearl quartzite countertops
SLAB AND GO: Keeping the original tiles that made up the window backsplash (updated in 2021) and floor created a unique challenge for Boisvert: finding a countertop material that felt fresh and modern while still complementing the old materials. She set out for Kootenay Granite in Cranbrook and sorted through the slabs herself, and when she saw the white pearl quartzite, it felt like finding a unicorn. “It was the perfect colour combination with the right amount of veining, and worked so well with the walnut,” says the designer. Photo by Mary McNeill Knowles.

To keep the kitchen’s magic while scaling back some of the more antiquated elements, Boisvert and her team carefully repositioned the millwork to ensure the existing floor could stay put. “We didn’t have extra tile that we could patch with,” she explains: so, new additions—like the showstopping ILVE range that reflects the home’s Spanish architecture—were thoughtfully placed. The froggy paint was swapped for soft greys, and rich materials like black walnut and unlacquered brass were brought in for texture and warmth. The wood-burning fireplace, a potential victim of the renovation, was valiantly saved with plaster and a monochromatic palette: “It feels more refined, and made a really big difference,” says Boisvert.

Renovated Nelson kitchen by Covet Interiors
Photo by Mary McNeill Knowles.
Plastered wood-burning fireplace with an exposed stone hearth in a Nelson kitchen renovation
TAKE IT TO HEARTH: Pre-reno, the stonework on the wood-burning fireplace was echoed in a very sharp, medieval stone-clad kitchen arch. “It was harsh and heavy,” says Boisvert. Her team transformed that arch into a more minimal half-moon entryway that matched the wall colour. But they didn’t get rid of the rocks entirely: when it came to treating the fireplace with plaster, the stones framing the inner hearth were left exposed. Photo by Mary McNeill Knowles.
Custom walnut banquette dining nook in a Nelson kitchen by Covet Interiors
THE PERFECT NOOK: The original window area was awkward and angular, and no furniture fit quite right. So, the design team created a custom banquette with walnut millwork and commercial-grade velvet. The Four Hands kitchen table and chairs were sourced from CF Interiors, and the floral-inspired pendant light came from Crate and Barrel. “I was really particular about adding softness,” says Boisvert, noting, for example, that the throw pillows from Canadian brand Tonic Living bring a cozy comfort to the designated dining space. Photo by Mary McNeill Knowles.

Secret Ingredients

  1. Ansel drawer pull in unlacquered brass, rejuvenation.com
  2. Edgecomb Gray (kitchen walls and cabinetry), benjaminmoore.com
  3. London Stone (kitchen island), farrow-ball.com
  4. Kitchen runner by Loloi and Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines, wayfair.ca
  5. Pillows, tonicliving.ca
  6. Black walnut millwork, forestdesigns.ca
  7. White pearl quartzite (countertop and backsplash), kootenaygranite.com
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.