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From Austin Carrier and Alex Mutter-Rottmayer’s very first meeting with their client, an artist and gallery owner living in Healdsburg, California, she was adamant about having a yellow kitchen. Actually, her exact words were “a really happy yellow kitchen.” Carrier and Mutter-Rottmayer, the married founders behind design firm Hommeboys Interiors, took the idea and ran with it as far as they could. “She was just thinking of yellow cabinets, but we were like, let’s drench it,” says Carrier.
While the kitchen renovation turned into a near-full gut (the only things they salvaged were the freshly installed floors and the large window looking out over Fitch Mountain), the pair turned it around in a month and a half. Even in that short time span, they were able to deliver a slew of creative solutions, from the faceted drywall and vent hood to the custom Moroccan runner that fit the color palette perfectly. Ahead, the designers share what it takes to pull off a monochromatic kitchen as bold as this.
Close Up Any Gaps
While the general size of the kitchen has stayed the same, Hommeboys created extra space by closing a narrow passageway next to the fridge. With a seamless U-shape layout, they were able to extend the countertop and cupboards to the left of the sink. The couple also designed all the new custom cabinets themselves, which allowed them to tighten up the usual gaps that result from stock or semi-custom millwork. “We’re able to really home in on the details, like how the doors perfectly line up,” says Mutter-Rottmayer.
Stick With Earth Tones
Not all yellows are made equal. “There are a million shades out there, but a lot of them are pretty terrible,” says Carrier. “We didn’t want highlighter or neon; it had to have a calming quality to it.” They decided to kick off their material selections with the backsplash first, narrowing in on Zia Tile’s zellige in the color Cadmium. The gritty texture of the 4-by-4-inch squares makes the hue feel a bit more down-to-earth. Once that box was checked off, they easily pinpointed a matching shade for the door fronts: Dylan by Portola Paints.
Draw Eyeballs Away From Awkward Details
The zigzag drywall that surrounds the vent hood and upper cabinets wasn’t a random addition. To make the ceiling’s semi-vaulted drop-offs less distracting, Hommeboys wanted to incorporate something sculptural so you barely notice there’s another uneven surface in the room. An additional perk of the jagged walls? They create shadows, which lends more depth to the narrow space and helps bounce around natural light throughout the day. The designers also aren’t fans of having upper cabinets free-floating on a wall with nothing above them—this detail fills out the room and makes the kitchen feel complete.
Pepper in Some White
How do you make a monochromatic space, let alone one that’s bright yellow, not feel like a fun house? Weave in white. The designers used it sparingly but thoughtfully with Schoolhouse hardware, a Brizo faucet, and Caesarstone counters. These accents break up the intense hue and also play off of the white ceiling, which the couple intentionally left unpainted. “We wanted to color drench it without being overwhelming,” says Carrier. At the very end of the project, they tossed in some black dishware for good measure.