Trade Secrets: Contemporary Heritage Kitchen

Here’s how the design duo behing Marrimor included a nod to history in a modern design.

When designers Carrie McCarthy and Tanja Hinder (of Marrimor, named Ones to Watch in our 2014 Designers of the Year) renovated this 1911 character home, they gave it a contemporary update—with a few nods to honour the heritage architecture. In this kitchen, that meant working a walnut shelf and storage cubes into the flat-lacquered cabinetry.The open storage hosts Japanese dishware above the sink and cookbooks in the island. The key, says McCarthy, is to keep it uncluttered. “It’s important to create open space,” she explains. “A place to honour your belongings, not just a place to unload stuff.”