Before & After: “Dated” Vintage White Cabinets Get a Color-Drenched Makeover You’d Never Expect
As Apartment Therapy’s Associate Home Editor, it’s my job to scroll through gorgeous interior spaces daily. Homeowners’ (and renters’!) ingenious ideas never cease to amaze me — especially when it comes to kitchen transformations. One such space that totally blew me away? Anna Latorre’s pink-drenched kitchen in her airy Barcelona apartment.
When Latorre moved into the apartment, the kitchen was in the same room as the shower (she suspects it had something to do with the building’s pipes.) “It was a somewhat rudimentary kitchen that needed a major renovation like the rest of the apartment,” Latorre explains.
It wasn’t just that the storage space needed increasing and the appliances needed updating — the entire aesthetic needed a makeover, she says. What intrigues me most about Latorre’s kitchen is that it’s mostly done in shades of pink. I’m a huge fan of kitchens that feature bright colors (like this eggplant-colored kitchen!) — one of the year’s hottest kitchen design trends — and Latorre nailed it with hers.
“Personally, I don’t need to say that I love the color pink! It’s a color that is present in most of the rooms in the apartment, which makes me feel more connected to it when I see it,” Latorre explains. “I liked the idea of integrating all the old elements like the floor and walls with this pastel pink tone of the kitchen countertop with mosaics that look like pink marble.”
It’s not just the actual fixtures that are pink — some of Latorre’s appliances, like the tea kettle, silverware, and dog bowls, are also pink. Even though the kitchen is modern (and gorgeous), the baby pink blends it with the vintage bones of the home.
As a New York City renter myself, I can appreciate how Latorre maximized every square inch of her kitchen. “It was also important for all elements to be as small as possible to optimize space, such as the stove, the dishwasher, the sink, etc.,” Latorre explains. There’s also open shelving to house glassware, and all of the cabinets are large enough to store her appliances and serveware.
Latorre says the pink hues in the space give her a “good vibe when cooking.” It feels soft yet playful, whimsical and yet sophisticated. Plus, the light color and clever storage solutions help it to feel even larger than it is. If you love the pink in this kitchen as much as I do, you’ll want to see the rest of Latorre’s apartment. Visit the full home tour on Apartment Therapy to see more.