HGTV's Galey Alix Wants You To Let Go Of Your Fears When Renovating Your Kitchen

Galey Alix has always been unconventional in how she approaches interior design. As the star of HGTV's "Home in a Heartbeat," Alix transforms her clients' homes in a single weekend. The Wall Street professional turned part-time designer doesn't allow trends to influence her designs and is a big proponent of taking risks when it comes to decor. In an Instagram post where she shares her finished kitchen renovation, Alix encourages her fans to let go of certain design rules that may hold them back.

The kitchen in her Fort Lauderdale home is a stunning open design filled with creamy white and natural wood finishes. However, it's the minor details that steal the show. "Do not be afraid to mix hardware. I have cup pulls mixed with bar pulls and it makes the cabinets instantly look more custom," Alix writes in the post's caption. "Do not be afraid to mix metal finishes. I have aged bronze, aged brass, antique gold ... it can all flow seamlessly if you just keep it in the same family tone."

Though the details of the hardware shapes and metal finishes throughout the room don't match exactly, they coordinate well to evoke an old-world feel. They also imbue the kitchen with a uniqueness that would be impossible had the designer attempted to copy trends and match styles.

Mixing finishes isn't the only risk Galey Alix took when renovating her kitchen. The space also has no upper cabinetry. "If you want to make a small kitchen feel instantly bigger, ditch ALL upper cabinets," she wrote in the caption of the Instagram post. Removing upper cabinetry opens up the space and also allows more light to shine through, creating a kitchen that feels more open and airy. It's ideal for tighter spaces or ones that don't receive a ton of light to prevent the space from feeling too cave-like. Alix suggests doing this only if you have enough storage below or have a pantry. Removing the top cabinetry doesn't mean you have to completely give up storage space in this area, though. Open shelving provides the same airy feeling while still being able to store a few items.

Another way to make your kitchen feel bigger is with the backsplash. Alix encourages fans to "run [the] backsplash all the way up to the ceiling. Always. No question." Running the backsplash, whether it's a tile or slab, to the ceiling helps draw the eye up, creating an effect that the ceilings are higher. You can highlight height even more with vertical lines. Vertically stacking tiles helps emphasizes the height of the room.