Favorite project: A client needed help remodeling her home and adding space for her own mom. Of course, the Cunninghams loved this idea, and the completed project still tops their favorites list. They designed the kitchen seen here, along with other rooms in the house. In the kitchen, the client, who enjoys red wine and pasta, loved the idea of using a stain-resistant alternative to marble for the countertops. They used Cambria quartz, an engineered solid-surface material, to give her the look of marble without the worries of stains while cooking, eating or entertaining in the kitchen. In addition to new countertops, the space now has a faucet with red accents, a built-in wine fridge and wine storage above the refrigerator.Kitchen Counters: Stunning, Easy-Care Engineered Quartz
3. A Little Bit Country Red berries and amber bottles in the window add just the right amount of fall color to this charming kitchen in New York. White ceilings and a white shiplap backsplash add just enough contrast to all of the black on the cabinets, while gray speckled granite and charcoal slate floors mediate between the two. The wood countertop on the island adds a just-right rustic touch for the bucolic setting.
Design signature: The Cunninghams try to work a pineapple into every project they work on together, whether it’s staged in a bowl or a permanent piece of the decor. It stems from their love of Hawaii, Amanda’s birthplace. They have even incorporated a pineapple into their company logo. Communication: They have developed their own lingo to use while shopping for clients. “We can speak a few words and know exactly what the other person wants to buy and where to place it,” Jane says. They don’t disagree often, and they can usually tell who feels more passionately about the issue, Jane says. If that doesn’t settle things, Amanda says a round of rock-paper-scissors might solve the issue. Funniest moment: During a particularly long week of installations, they were exhausted and their feet were killing them. “We decided to wrap bubble wrap around our aching feet,” Jane says. “It helped relieve some pain, but got us laughing so hard due to the popping noise while walking around that we could barely hear each other, let alone complete the task.”Tell us about your daughter’s … Biggest strength: Multitasking under pressurePaint color personality: An elegant light purple with a silver shimmer....
Living room: Custom-milled crown, window, door and base moldings give the house character it seems to have been born with. The marble fireplace facade is original to the house. The window seat is another new feature that feels as though it was part of the original design. All windows and doors throughout the house are new.How to Bring Out Your Home’s Character With Trim
Kitchen at a GlanceWho lives here: A coupleLocation: Leicestershire, England Size: About 140 square feet (13 square meters); about 16 by 9 feet (4.9 x 2.7 meters)Designer: Matt Fern of deVOL“This kitchen is a great example of what you can achieve with a smaller budget,” Fern says. With the cost of their new oak-framed house starting to spiral and plenty of workers already on-site, the owners asked deVOL just to supply the cabinets. DeVOL’s Real Shaker design in deep Pantry Blue features cup handles and plenty of open shelving. “It’s a classic Victorian staff kitchen in many ways — the open shelving, butler’s sink and scaffold-board worktops are all simple, functional features of an honest, hard-working space.”7 Inky Colors to Use Instead of Black
This living room leads to the master bedroom. “The double door for the bedroom once divided two small lounge rooms. Since we liked it, we decided to use it in our bedroom,” Ramón says. “Because of my passion for collecting things, I always visit all the street markets I possibly can. So whenever I go to a new city, I always come back with a new piece. For example, I bought the nightstand in a market in Zurich, a city I love for its great design culture.”
This sofa is from the Spanish manufacturer Sancal. “The truth is that this is a piece for just one person, since it only has one armrest,” Ramón says, laughing. The poster to the right of the sofa “is a work by Julius Klinger, an Austrian graphic designer associated with the Bauhaus movement who was persecuted, deported and executed by the Nazis because of his Jewish roots,” Ramón says.
The moldings and ceiling rosette are original. Ramón says they connected the moldings in what were once separate rooms with moldings from the walls that were knocked down. “There are many things I would never do in a modern house, but it made sense in this place,” he says.Holy Day chair by Jean-Marie Massaud: Viccarbe
The new addition is thus a single long form housing the kitchen, dining area, living area and master bedroom, which are positioned along the northern side to take advantage of natural light. The spaces are linked but have been designed to maintain their individual character and privacy. Sofa: Freedom; chair: Hawkes General Store
Q