client installation
A Spanish Revival Pantry
We know that good design has the power to completely transform a space, but it’s still hard to believe that this charming pantry sits within a 1980s tract house just outside San Diego, California. Breaking the formulaic mold, interior designer Meta Coleman enlarged the room by reclaiming an underused nook from the lounge and then lined the walls with our Hanley Tube Line tiles for dramatic effect.
Drawing on the adjacent kitchen’s Mexican Saltillo tiled floor and the client’s love of French interiors, Coleman steered the pantry in a Spanish Revival direction with a palette of soft yellows, browns and French-leaning blues.
To create a sense of depth, she went beyond a two-tone checker pattern and specified a custom combination of five tile glazes: Straw, Mist, Cornflower, Wheat and Teapot. The cabinetry is painted House White by Farrow & Ball and feels more like furniture than built-ins, thanks to the skirting and mixed countertop materials.
For the clients, this room has become a secret hideaway, which is the ultimate compliment for a designer. “That's really what I like to do: make something functional, but also beautiful and appealing to the senses. If you're going to be doing things that are mundane, you may as well enjoy it.” says Coleman. Putting away dry goods never felt so enticing!
Photography Chaunte Vaughn
“I like paying homage to the historic kitchens of the late 1800s and early 20th century. They had a lot of tiled surfaces for reasons that were more utilitarian.”
