When Canadian designer Meredith Heron, known for her vibrant style and passionate approach, was looking for a range and hood pairing for her very own kitchen remodel, we were thrilled that SUPERIORE checked the boxes: iconic design for her and premium cooking functionality for her culinarian husband! More on how this great partnership came to be, in the words of Meredith herself:
1. What was the design inspiration for your kitchen?
Our kitchen had so many functional flaws, we had to tackle those first and foremost. We began by removing the cabinetry above our kitchen sink which made washing dishes possibly one of the most depressing things ever because it was so dark. Plus, my husband would complain that the dishes weren’t getting properly cleaned! (I blamed the darkness.)
My husband is the cook in the family while I handle the clean-up. Trust me, it’s safer this way. The one super annoying thing about how he cooks though is that at almost 6’1” tall he can stand in the centre of the kitchen and have his arms reach everything. Think, Inspector Gadget with the extended arms! And his style of cooking involves opening all the upper cabinets, and leaving them open. At 5’6”, my forehead is right at the door height - right in the corner. I have sustained many contusions thanks to open cabinet doors. So, it made sense to make the change to floating shelves above the sink area for dishes and glassware, and to leave open sections of cabinetry for spices and oils.
The kitchen window provides little light in the space, so once we figured out where everything would live, we opted for a white kitchen palette. I regularly debate re-spraying the kitchen a different colour though because white kitchens are a lot of work. A LOT. Marble was a must for us in our kitchen. We are devout worshipers of marble and it is on both our counters and right up to our ceiling. Take the tile up whenever possible especially in a small space. It makes the space feel far more luxurious and it helps to make it feel bigger.
What I didn’t love about our kitchen remodel in the beginning was the fact that we didn’t go with professional appliances. The ones we had originally selected were nice enough and they were functional but looks-wise…. SAD FACE.
2. You chose to include a SUPERIORE range and hood in your design. Tell us what made you come to that decision!
When we first saw the SUPERIORE range and hood selections I think I whooped out loud. I was sold at the bronze detailing. Then I saw the colour options and I think at that point my heart started racing. We had a 30” stove but we had a 6” cabinet that was rather useless. Therefore, enough space to upsize to a 36” range. I was a bit nervous at first about the size of the hood, if I am being entirely honest. Our existing one had a slimmer profile, but it was too modern for my liking. I was worried that the size of the SUPERIORE hood would feel heavy in the space but I have never been happier to admit I was SO wrong about that. We chose to mix and match our range and hood colours, which I did on purpose to better tie in with the light cabinetry. Our DECO range is Matte Black with Cream panel and bronze hardware; our DECO hood is in Matte Cream. The range is in line with our countertop, which was something I hadn’t really thought of being important but it makes all the difference in the world. The counters feel like they’ve been extended so the size of the range and hood are not overwhelming. In fact, they make the kitchen feel double in size. Without having the traditional back panel that comes for the electronics on most standard slide in ovens, the cooking space feels gigantic and spacious and all of my husband’s cast iron pans fit on the stove! (I know that was a run-on sentence but I am excited by this.) On our old stove, the handles stuck out and were always threatening to impale me.
This kitchen now screams GOURMET and is worthy of the food that my husband makes thanks to SUPERIORE. I had neighbours over on the weekend, who had their jaws on the floor as they took turns opening the oven door. It really is that impressive.
3. Tell us what your favourite part about working on this project has been?
We spent the last year restoring our circa 1856 Victorian Row House and added so many impressive details to it, from the herringbone floors to the plaster mouldings, and the SUPERIORE range and hood feel like they were an integral part of all of these decisions. We are about to add a custom brass apron sink to compliment the hardware on the stove and mirror back that some of the same luxe craftsmanship and detailing that the range and hood have. SUPERIORE has set the standard in the kitchen and everything has to measure up to it.
4. What has been your favourite meal using your new range so far?
We’ve been on a Slow Carb diet for much of the winter which meant that we had to forego my husband’s Bolognese because we couldn’t eat pasta. We then discovered Chick Pea/Lentil Pasta which was allowed and we have been getting our Bolognese on, on a weekly basis (by my request). I will never need to eat regular pasta again because the Lentil pasta is seriously SO SO SO good. The texture is fantastic too. Top it all off with some Parmesan Reggiano - it’s not only delicious but it’s fast which means dinner isn’t a burden after a long work day. My contribution to the meal, other than clean-up, is the wine selection. I’ve been dipping into our Napa Collection from a recent trip because it is worthy of the Bolognese and, more importantly, of our SUPERIORE appliances.