Shop the Look: Rebel of Design

Author:Lindsey Shook

Reggae royalty Cedella Marley fashions her traditional kitchen into a modern masterpiece

As Bob and Rita’s firstborn child, Cedella Marley traveled the globe from an early age with her sibling music group—Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers—experiencing the most fascinating people, places and cultures. Now, as a mother, ambassador to Jamaica’s women’s soccer team, author, entertainer and designer, it’s fair to say that her creativity knows no bounds.

Known for her celebrated fashion line—Catch a Fire—along with her success as a cookbook author with the release of Cooking with Herb: 75 Recipes for the Marley Natural Lifestyle, Marley’s keen understanding of design coupled with her love of cooking were driving factors when redesigning her own kitchen. “Design across many categories has always been a passion of mine,” says Marley. “My love of combining colors, materials and structure in fashion has easily translated to interior design.”

The kitchen inside the family home she shares with her husband and three sons formerly featured handcrafted wood cabinets and lush stone and metal details that were elegant but heavy and traditional. “I knew I wanted to take the kitchen in a more modern direction while maintaining some of the original details,” she says.

She enlisted ItalKraft to transform the cabinetry and set the tone for the remodel. “We pulled inspiration from hues found in the existing stone countertops,” she says. Medium oak and matte-black fronts are now blended with rows of steel and grid-cut glass uppers that are illuminated from behind. Marley incorporated a selection of Brizo’s matte black faucets and a coordinating pot filler to complement the existing copper hood and sinks while enhancing the desired modern feel. “My sons love the main kitchen faucet now,” she laughs. “The design is cool, and the durability is perfect for our busy family.” For the finishing touch, she grounded the mixture of copper, wood and black hues with neutral plaster walls and pops of blue found in the barstools and tufted breakfast banquette. “I think it’s important for a home to grow with you,” she says. “And now we love our kitchen so much, we hardly ever want to leave.”