Tour a Striking Kitchen Decorated In Shades of Teal

Empty nesters Denise and Rick Mauro were ready to make a big statement in their kitchen when they moved back to Houston. They’d been overseas for Rick’s job as a geologist and were looking forward to boisterous Sunday dinners with their three sons and their families. “I had come to love color as a result of living in different places and collecting art from all over,” says Denise. Guided by designer Victoria Sheffield (Denise knew her from book club), the couple decided to combine a daring shade of teal and a not-shy, Moroccan-style tile backsplash. Rick picked the granite countertop for its prominent swirls. Black accents, and the fact that the space opens to living and dining areas with white walls, keep it from feeling over the top. Still, in more ways than one, it’s the most spirited spot in the house. “When our family is all together in the kitchen,” says Denise, “those are our loudest and happiest times.”

The Reno

Paint

Denise had been drawn to painting the kitchen cabinets Dragonfly by Benjamin Moore via Pinterest, though she wondered if the teal would be too much. “It was a meeting of the minds when Victoria had that same color picked out,” she says. Definitely an unexpected move for a kitchen — but no regrets here.

Backsplash

Victoria suggested pairing teal with graphic 9-inch-by-9-inch porcelain tiles from Soho Studio Corp — double wow! The muted shade of gray bridges the darker gray and teal. Another fearless move: taking the backsplash up to the ceiling.

Hood

When you’re going with a strong color, go all in. Teal it was for the Mauros’ custom tapered range hood cover. Open shelves and upper glass-front cabinets temper the scale of it.