Date:  June 1, 2023  |   Story: Virginia Brown  |   Photography: Rett Peek  |   Styling: Stephanie Maxwell Newton  |  

Designer Julie Enfinger brings a fresh vision to a friend and colleague’s kitchen

When Ginger and Brian Quinn were ready to update their kitchen, they knew just who to call: Julie Enfinger, an interior designer at Little Rock’s Cobblestone & Vine. As an employee of Cobblestone & Vine herself, Ginger was sure her friend and coworker would be up to the task while incorporating some of the contemporary elegance the store is known for.Upon first viewing the kitchen, Julie noticed bronze hardware and heavy light fixtures coupled with a wooden island surface made the room feel weighted. “We really wanted to brighten, refresh, and lighten the space to make it more cohesive with the house,” she says.

Since the kitchen is open to other rooms, all painted cream, updating the wall color wasn’t an option. Instead, Julie focused her attention on the cabinets, painting them a coastal blue. “I wouldn’t have had the confidence on my own to take that bold move,” Ginger says of the choice. To accentuate the effect, Julie had the trim over the range hood painted as well.

Ginger also wanted to update their “high maintenance” butcher-block kitchen island with a new quartzite countertop. “They like to entertain and need a durable space,” Julie says. “This material is strong and heavy, but beautiful and light.”

For the backsplash, they chose a tile called “Artistic Reflections” from Marazzi in Artic White. “It’s not a plain subway tile. It has a natural texture with different variations an comes in 20 and 10 inches, so it’s more unique,” she says. The designer also created a custom tile inlay above the cooktop “to add a little bit of interest.”

Finally, Julie helped Ginger replace dark bronze accents—namely the lighting and hardware—with warmer metal tones. “It’s a little simpler and more modern,” Julie says. The Quinns’ existing acrylic barstools were recovered in a white, easy-to-clean faux leather, and accessories from Cobblestone & Vine complete the look. “I never got overwhelmed, and it was a fun project,” Ginger says. “It feels so much brighter and cleaner; I love it.”

“The kitchen feels so much brighter and cleaner, and it has a little more of a zen feel to me.”
—Ginger Quinn, homeowner

FUN WITH TILE
A blue-and-gold custom tile design above the range adds interest to the subway tile backsplash. “Julie created that artistry,” Ginger says. “She has such a gift for creating beauty.”

BRIGHT LIGHTS
“I wanted to update it to make it more my style,” Ginger says of the lighting over the island. They replaced the existing chandelier, a heavy bronze style, with a linear lantern from Visual Comfort in Antique Gold.

BLUE HUES
A cream paint color in the rooms connected to the kitchen created a barrier to repainting the kitchen walls. Instead, Julie opted to update the cabinets with “Dockside Blue” from Sherwin-Williams, which complements the existing blue accents in the Quinns’ adjacent living area.

HARDY SURFACE
“Azura Bay” quartzite, a white natural stone with gray veining, replaced the woodblock surface on the island. “The natural pattern goes great with the blue in the kitchen,” Julie says. Plus, the material is much easier to maintain and keep clean.

Design Resources
Contractor Best Builders Interior design Julie Enfinger, Cobblestone & Vine Accessories, art, fabrics, furniture, and lighting Cobblestone & Vine Countertops Pacific Shore Stones Hardware PC Hardware Paint Sherwin-Williams Tile The Tile Shop and Southern Interiors