What Kate Berry Bought to Personalize Her Rental's Kitchen

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Who says you have to completely demo your kitchen (not to mention your budget) to make it yours? In our new series, The No-Reno Kitchen, we’re highlighting total transformations that prove the power of paint, fixtures, and a little elbow grease.

When Domino’s chief creative officer, Kate Berry, moved into her New York City apartment two years ago, she already had a plan for the epic outdoor patio. (Now it’s her Garden in the Sky.) But she was a bit stumped when it came to the kitchen, which doesn’t have a ton of wall space and features generic gray floor tile. A true renovation was out of the question, but here are the clever ways she took her rental kitchen and made it her own, in her own words.

The Paint I Used to Refresh Everything

I used two warm neutrals for the living room: Farrow & Ball Stirabout for the walls and Dimity for the ceiling. That said, I wanted to have the kitchen be more of a statement color—but still wanted it to complement the rest of the apartment, because you can see into the kitchen. I went with Dead Salmon in a Dead Flat finish, which is Farrow & Ball’s amazing solution for flat paint that you can scrub and it won’t scuff or stain. Now the colors are warm and moody when the sun isn’t shining, and crisp but cozy when the sun is out. They also elevate the existing ivory faux veneer cabinets and white mini tile that my landlord won’t let me alter.

Open Shelving That Feels So Me

My kitchen has decent storage, but because I have a lot of tabletop items and I love to cook, the cabinets and drawers fill up quickly. To maximize space, I installed Rejuvenation triple multi-shelf brackets on the two free walls. The wider shelves hold some of my cookware that’s tonal and works well with the rest of the apartment, while the narrower space that doesn’t face the living room holds pantry items such as teas, vinegars, and oils.

Triple Multi Shelf Brackets, Rejuvenation

$558

Rejuvenation Triple Multi Shelf Brackets

The Rug That Transformed My Floors

The gray floor tile is fine, but this striped Morrow rug adds color and complements the rest of the kitchen.

Paolo Rug, Morrow Soft Goods

$1740

Bowls That Add Character

The things I have on my counter and shelves are a reflection of my style, where I’ve traveled, and people I’ve met, so they don’t necessarily match—but they do work well together. I have this great LSA dome where baked goods live, a Ginori platter from Paola Navone and the Slowdown Salone del Mobile 2023 show for my fruit, a Tamegroute pedestal bowl for my bulb vegetables, a Marcie McGoldrick incense vessel, and a Tensin Juba ceramic oval bowl as a catchall. All the things on my shelves are either items made for or gifted to me by friends or from my travels: terracotta Elsa Peretti pieces, Colombian La Chamba cookware, and ceramics made by my daughter and friends.

My Artistic Addition

I have a lovely Tuscan landscape painting from the late 1800s in a gilded frame that looks so pretty against the flat Dead Salmon walls.

My Personality-Packed Tea Towels

I have a lot of Heather Taylor Home for ginghams and stripes, Madre for quality linen with great solid colors and simple piping, Jenny Pennywood for fun patterns and colors, and a new-to-me brand out of Venice, Italy, called Chiarastella Cattana that I found at Sofia Zefi’s Milan gallery shop to transport me abroad.