Scandinavian Modern Mid-Century Design & DIY
- Josephine Nicdao Carranza
- Nov 11, 2018
- 9 min read
After six months of bare walls and empty space, dreaming of appliances, furniture and kitchen counters, our dream finally came true.
Determining which style you want to incorporate in your home, can be somewhat stressful. It's a huge investment, and committment...what if you make the wrong choices? Are you prepared to live with those decisions for the next 5 to 10 years?
This blog will describe how we found love for Scandinavian & Modern Mid-Century design.
Overall design and key elements of design selection
Selecting a theme
Both Dennis and I wanted natural elements to be present in our home, which is a very strong element of Scandinavian design. But we also wanted to have the balance of having these natural elements with a modern feel overall. A minimalist approach to home furnishings and colour was desired. To give the home a bit of vintage, we decided to blend elements of the Modern Midcentury design.
Colour Selection
A big concern was colour; but as time passed trends also changed quickly and so did our palette for colour and the more risk averse we became with thinking long term - suddenly what was an urge for bold red became plain white- can we live with that colour for X number of years?
Material Selection
This was one of the hardest decisions because of the art of balancing cost with personal desires. You are going blind by being put on the spot to choose in a catalogue and samples. Glancing at them and visualizing the end product is not always obvious. The final decisions for material selection really comes down to the next subject: Supplier evaluation, competitive pricing and long term value.
Supplier Evaluation & Long term value
Having worked closely with a Platinum builder, their experience helped to shape certain decisions with regards to long term and resale value. As a builder, they have their network of connections, but as a consumer and homebuyer, the builder sometimes only has the vision of the project as a whole, not necessarily a vision of your own personal space. Keeping open communication and asking a ton of questions and challenging your builder is important in ensuring the right material selection and also knowing that money is being spent for good reason. That is why it is key to do research on suppliers and to take time to compare pricing and quality to ensure you are well informed before going into price negotiations. It can be so easy to say yes at face value, but there are ways to compromise on certain decisions to maximize value in others.
Our Scandinavian Modern Mid-Century home
The Chef's dream kitchen
When building our new construction home, we wanted to have a massive kitchen. The Chef's dream kitchen to be able to enjoy having adequate space to prep, cook and clean and eventually entertain.
In our quest for a chef's kitchen, we decided to expand the space. Expanding the space meant shortening the adjacent living room, opening a wall in what should have been a guest bedroom to convert that space to become a comfortable entertainment area for dining.
Kitchen countertop selection
One of the biggest decisions and the hardest goal to achieve was our kitchen counters. We were going through so many life events, some of which greatly influenced cashflow. We had already spent additional costs to extend the kitchen cabinetry and add the dream island. We were offered standard quartz countertops available in 5 shades with the builder, but we really wanted to have something with a wow factor since it was an important element of the kitchen design, but we could not come to a decision quickly enough and long term value played a vital role in the decision making process.
Butcherblock countertops
Most people think of butcherblock countertops for kitchen renovations mainly due to the sheer difference in price. The natural element of real wood is definately appealing to a Scandinavian design. There are several types of butcherblock to choose from and several types of wood. Ikea proved to be the most economical of choices. The disadvantage of choosing butcherblock, however, was the long term viability. The risk with real wood counters is the high chance of chips, burns, stains and water damage. Imagine you casually left a glass on the counter near the sink, to wash at a later time. You forget. The rim was wet and leaves a mark. What happens? If you successfully sealed your countertops with product such as waterlox or other wood treatments, perhaps you can avoid an accident. But based on my research, the only solution to a stain, chip or burn is to sand the surface. Sand, you say? I am definately not one to sand. Once a counter is installed, the backsplash is then installed. Therefore not only will you pull out the counter but you may have to undo the adjacent tiling as well. Unless your specific goal is to save short term and you are comfortable to invest later and are able to take on a renovation project, then perhaps these are considerations to make when deciding for a butcherblock counter.
Cement countertops
(Photo credit : Pinterest )
Cement is just super cool. There is something so intriguing about having a cement countertop. The technology has come such a long way with regards to the way they finish the product. The one biggest disadvantage is the cost of transport. Cement is super heavy. The second disadvantage is the risk of it cracking. Very small risk, but still an important factor to consider. The cost of the cement countertop is quite competitive to that of quartz, corian or even high end granite. There are wonderful Quebec home grown companies that can have the job done, such as Balux. They are a great supplier and the service received during the process was fantastic. Having a combination of cement and quartz could still be a project in the future. One idea we had for the kitchen was having a cement and wood extension (as shown above). We decided for the price that we would invest in a dining table that can be moved or replaced rather than fixed to the actual space. It's still in my opinion that cement has that element of cool.
Corian countertops
There was something about the look of Corian that inspired us to change the whole kitchen design to choose all white countertops. It was clean and modern. First impression to some home owners is white? But if its white it will get dirty or stain. That statement has proved to be false in our case. Since we chose white as the colour selection, I have been overly diligent to clean up any spills or messes immediately and am constantly going over with "Bon ami" or "Vim" for stubborn stains like wine, to keep sparkling. Corian, however, is a patented technology by DuPont. Super durable to spills and long term but still sensitive to scratches and heat. It has been around for years and suppliers such as Costco and Home Depot offer Corian. It is definately a great choice for Scandinavian design. The only disadvantage in my opinion is the cost to buff or refinish. It could go as high as $1500 to have the surface refinished and it can only be done by someone familiar with Corian. It was very competitive with Quartz countertops. Matte Corian can be appealing.
Quartz countertops
So when deciding between Quartz and Granite, it came down to whether you wanted to see real stone and all its impurities and beauty or whether you wanted to have to do an annual maintenance and sealing. Granite is beautiful but still presents risk since it needs resealing annually. Quartz countertops are super durable, they are non-porous and therefore bacteria cannot form. It is known to be used in chemistry labs and hospitals. It is very resistant to scratches and stains but can still be sensitive to heat due to the epoxy that is used to create the final finish.
In Montreal, there are several suppliers who can deliver similar, more cost affordable versions of the white quartz countertop Samung White or Ceasarstone Pure White, such as the products known as Blanco white, and TCE4001, but the grain is quite visible to the naked eye. For some home owners this may be less of a concern with regards to the cost differential. In our case, we wanted to go with a permanent and timeless choice so we made the investment here. Based on our research and our personal preference, we decided to go with the supplier Rocartz , a reputable shop in the West Island that does excellent work. They were super patient through our whole decision process, but most of all they delivered with a short lead time and quick install. Since I had already gone bargain hunting, when requesting the quote, they gave their best price first without the need to negotiate - there was zero back and forth and no BS. Stellar team.
We chose a no-joint L countertop, the island countertop was customized with a waterfall on a 45 degree angle cut giving a seamless transition and a personalized edge.
Kitchen Cabinetry
A new construction home takes at least a year to build. So much can happen in one year. Take for example colour selection of cabinetry. And in making that decision you really don't think it's all that much of a big deal. The catalogue is there, and the choices are quite clear. You try and visualize but it just doesn't follow through as you had thought it would be in your mind.
Until you open your eyes to tools such as Pinterest and HGTV.
Unless you were naturally born with a talent for spacial regcognition and the ability to see the forest for the trees, it can be a daunting task to plunge into interior design without any guidance.
Hale Navy & Art of painting Melamine Cabinetry
So I stumbled upon navy cabinetry and copper elements with white and I fell in love. It reminded me of a cover of GQ, a man in a two piece navy suit with his crisp white shirt, tan belt and tan shoes. Yup. That was the inspiration for our kitchen, well that and the nautical feel of navy, white and wood.
My brother encouraged DYI and I was a bit apprehensive- I started the first leg and it was lumpy and the natural grain was disappearing. I was in a panic. Barely slept and kept working at it until I resanding it all and started back at zero. It was better but it wasn't perfect.
I then worked my way to the next leg of cabinets. I started at the biggest surface on the far end and with thin layers of primer and with a good paintbrush, I was able to create lines with the grain and by the end of a week's time, we had our hale navy cabinets.
Copper kitchen handles
They exist, and there is a super cool treatment that can be done whereby they dip your existing handles in a coat of metal of your choice. I tried super hard to find a supplier who would take on a personal application, but most were only for commercial purposes. Our handles were a standard pewter but buying copper handles was costly. Most copper is non-metallic finish, not as modern a look, more country. Therefore the only option to achieve this look was spray paint.
Spray painting handles was very difficult and labour intensive. I found it was hard to control the spray to achieve an even finish. Also it was difficult to paint all the sides at once because there was no way to hang them unless suspended by a screw and hung on a rack. But even with that, dripping would occur. The easiest method was to prime and spray paint one side using a screw as the point that you hold with one hand and spray with the other. You place them on a plastic surface to dry. Sand the painted joint to remove any bumps and paint the other side and place to dry.
(Photo credit: Superfront )
If you have a large budget, European companies have gorgeous metallic handles in rose gold and gold. Sells in Euros but long term value is there with minimal maintenance. Our mid term upgrade will most likely be inspired by these and would make a good investment.
Walk-in pantry
Having a butlers pantry was a luxury that we wanted to explore. Having a space adjacent to the kitchen to share with our guests and keep a collection of goodies, accessories or non-perishables. Also having a small station for small appliances like toaster or blenders that usually create a cluttered look on kitchen counters.
Technology, Comfort & Love for Art & Flair
We wanted to create a space that people would be conducive to being in the moment. Comfortable seating, access to technology to create a mood through music or sharing of YouTube videos or the love for movies.
Seating
(Photo credit : Article )
Comfortable chairs can be quite a pretty penny. However, if you do so, you won't regret those long holiday dinners that turn to half-day events. Or those family reunions of 15 to 20 people - how do you fit that many people comfortably in your space. Key message, be thoughtful with your chair selection. If budget is limited then build on the quality as your investment capacity grows. Start small and make incremental upgrades.
Technology
(Photo credit: Sonos)
Using technology to create mood makes the world of difference. Creating memories is through use of mood lighting (dimmers), sound either ambiant, festive or pensive with wifi controlled modular speakers and having access to tools such as a cell, tablet or screen that permit connectivity of users in your space.
Art & Flair
What a boring world this would be if there was no Art in your life. Art can be what you think is Art. That vase, photo frame, statue, carpet, lamp, re-painting the colour of paint on your wall. It also goes down to the detail in your bed - dress your bed with an aim to value quality sleep.
If you are not an art enthusiast then there is always the friend, brother, sister or cousin that marvels in that creative bug. Having fun in your space is through Art - why? Because it can change as quickly as your mood and that's OK. It can be changed periodically without consequence. That is your ability to recreate space and transform as you progress in your life.
Hope you enjoyed this sharing of experience. For more ideas check out my Pinterest link to my personal space, particularly the tab Home❤ where there are both ideas and the inspirations of our exact space.