A couple years ago, we began what has become a gradual kitchen remodel in our 1930's Tudor. It began with a new shade for the light, then appliances and cabinetry, flooring and now a new tile backsplash.
Before we started, I had an, "Old Yeller'" moment with the kitchen as it was. Many of the original pieces were there, but most in need of extensive work. We had to decide if we could get what we needed working with what we had.
What we found was that the decision to honor the original parts had a positive effect on the decisions that followed. By choosing to match the character of the existing kitchen, the new parts felt joined with the rest and stronger as part of the whole.
Each home is conceived and built with a unique set of parts and ideas; so when something is added that doesn't fit with those, "genetics" it undermines the space as a whole. Making that decision involves taking the whole into account with each detail we add or change.
The benefits of limiting ourselves in this way can be powerful, but subtle. Matching the, "cove and bead" profile on our existing cabinets with the ones we added isn't something that's immediately obvious, but it's those little things that we subconsciously observe when we walk into a space that give a feeling of completeness and order.
The unity of details, colors, textures and shapes is what makes a space work as a whole. No matter how beautiful or wondrous one part is on it's own, if it doesn't belong within it's surroundings it undermines itself and everything around it.
