Modern Matter Blog
The Citrus Garden! A Kitchen made for Dancing and Celebrating at the Kips Bay Dallas
Designed by Creative Tonic Design
Step into The Citrus Garden, Courtnay Tartt Elias’s dazzling kitchen at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House Dallas. Inspired by Italian gardens and Provençal charm, this vibrant sanctuary is perfect for embracing la dolce vita. Brass lemon trees, whimsical accents, and Modern Matter hardware transform it into a captivating haven for culinary delights and cherished gatherings.
All photography by Sargent Photography
Q: Tell us about this kitchen space
A: This year, the Kips Bay Decorator Show House was in a former office rather than a residential home. We took what was a reception room and turned it into a kitchen, which came with a few challenges! The biggest we faced in designing The Citrus Garden was that the reception room had many doors, few walls, and very little natural light—all tough to work with when designing a kitchen! We couldn't do much to change that, so we decided to add interest to the doorways with architectural molding and focused on ensuring that all of the small details in the room were exciting, bright, and popped with a light feeling!
Q: What was your overall design philosophy and how it influenced your approach to this particular project?
A: The most important part of designing a space is that it should reflect the homeowner and their unique individuality and passions! With a show house, you have to "create" that homeowner … I was inspired by the idea of renewal and enjoying the various stages of life when doing so — I could visualize the lady of the house with her kids now grown and flown, enjoying a kitchen that had once been a workhorse differently. She could relax, entertain her friends, cook for her spouse and herself, or just put some takeout on a fancy plate and dance through dinner while reminiscing about her travels through Italy and France! I think from that feeling in my mind; I was able to visualize the elements of the space — lemon trees, lattices climbing with vines, birds, and other garden creatures, and small details at every turn that evoke a memory or a feeling.
Q: What are your favorite aspects of this project?
A: Working closely with my team and seeing how the project created bonds between us all was undoubtedly a highlight for me! Designing a room in a show house is always on a tight timeline, which in and of itself is stressful, but watching my team work together to create the space was like watching a symphony come to life — truly indescribable!
Standing in the show house daily and welcoming guests was a rewarding and exciting feeling. It was so fun to watch guests walk in and see their eyes climb the latticework columns filled with citrus trees to the ceiling and then notice the plaster garden ceiling and then come back down to take in all of the details of the room! The excitement they shared with me was amazing — I don't think they'd ever seen such a unique take on a kitchen before!
Ever in color, ever in art, The Citrus Garden is where dancing, dreaming, reminiscing, pouring, and, of course, celebrating are always on the menu! Courtnay Tartt Elias
Q: How do you go about selecting the hardware for this project?
A: When I was designing this whimsical kitchen that was meant to evoke feelings perhaps even more than being a workhorse space, I turned to the only company I knew that could achieve that mix—fun and elegant but also well-crafted and durable for a kitchen—Modern Matter! I've used Modern Matter hardware in quite a few different projects, and there's a unique, one-of-a-kind feeling to it that is hard to beat! So, I started with who I would select the hardware from, and went from there.
Photography by Christiana Reckling
Q: Why did you select the Allen Appliance Pulls, Dahlia Pulls, and Dahlia Knobs?
A: When we started designing The Citrus Garden kitchen, Modern matter had not yet debuted the Dahlia Pulls or Dahlia Knobs, but what's better in a garden-inspired kitchen than flower-shaped hardware? It seemed like fate! I used the Allen Lucite Appliance Pulls on both appliances and cabinets/drawers because I loved them so much. They are bold in scale yet delicate and detailed in material, which makes a statement without hogging the stage, so to speak. The ribbed lucite was just the touch of sparkle The Citrus Garden needed.
Q: Where can we keep up with your work?
A: You can always find me on Instagram @creativetonic or my website. And if you want to have a virtual coffee and conversation with me — you can pick my brain on design, inspiration, travel, collecting, art, or anything else! — you can sign up to do that on my website, too!
Photography by Harlow & May Studios
Photography by Christiana Reckling
