Meet Kesia Barone, Orsa Design
Orsa Design was started in the midst of a pandemic, a time when increasingly more people began to realize the importance of an intentional home. Founded by Kesia Barone, the name Orsa is the feminine of bear in Italian, paying homage to the birthplace of Kesia’s father. It also references the Kermode (spirit) Bear, that is the provincial mammal of British Columbia, where her family has roots and where she spent part of her upbringing. Bears, and their symbolism have played a large part in Kesia’s life and she hopes to bring much of that into her work.
Kesia talks about design style and her recent Kokeena project.
Tell us about your journey so far.
I worked for some wonderful local firms for about seven years, while doing some freelance design on the side. In 2021, I decided to start my own business, and was lucky to have been connected to the Rose family through a friend, making the Rose Kitchen (more about that project below!) one of the first projects out on my own.
Throughout the design process, I was able to build wonderful relationships with the clients, the builder, and Kokeena, helping to make the transition to running my own company so much more enjoyable than I could have imagined. Since then, I’ve been busy working on a range of residential and commercial projects in Portland and the Gorge, and am always looking for more opportunities to work with Kokeena again.
Can you walk the reader through the Kokeena/Rose Kitchen project?
I found there weren't as many challenges as I’d expected, given the age and style of the house. Although it was a smaller space to fit everything the client needed, she had a clear vision of what she wanted, and since Ikea boxes fit perfectly (it would have been a slightly more difficult and expensive job if we had to do custom boxes), Kokeena made it so easy to find the styles and colors she wanted for cabinets. She wanted to bring a slightly more contemporary feel to their beautifully maintained Victorian home, utilizing some color and vibrant hardware and fixtures.
Given the small area and existing plumbing, we were limited in what could be rearranged, but we moved the fridge and range to allow for better access to the pantry, as well as giving a more efficient usability of appliances. We also extended one of the counters, pushing the bar a bit further into what was previously unused space. Across from the kitchen was a sitting area that wasn’t being used and the client wanted an area for the kids to have a desk, along with more storage. There was a box enclosing ductwork, protruding from the floor, so we utilized that for a built-in desk, as well as adding more built-ins along the wall for added storage.
What non-Kokeena materials and design did you use for the kitchen?
The main non-Kokeena materials were the Ikea boxes, serving as the base for the kitchen layout, as well as the quartz countertops. We wanted the blue Kokeena fronts and the wood shelves and boxes to be the visual priority, so we kept the counters white, with some dark veining to pull from the blue fronts.
You and the contractor did quite a few custom things on this project—can you provide some details?
We wanted to utilize the space above the upper cabinets for open storage, and Kokeena was very helpful in helping us bring that vision to life in a unique and beautiful way. We were able to tie that detail to the open wood shelves, warming up the entire space. The other space that took some customization was the desk area, as previously mentioned, especially around the awkward ductwork sticking out from the floor.
Why do you like working with Kokeena?
Working with Kokeena was so easy as a designer, especially with the excellent communication. It seemed like everyone there was invested in the project and when there were minor adjustments, they were on top of it, helping to ensure this project was completed to a high standard. I also love the variety of choices in styles and colors, and the wood grain panels are unbelievably gorgeous! The advice I would give to anyone considering using Kokeena is to go for it. I’m pro-Ikea when it comes to their kitchen cabinet boxes, but to have the ability to elevate the finishes, and to create custom pieces to match, is a game changer.
