History lesson detailed kitchen remodel

When a kitchen plays an integral part in a home's circulation, it makes good design sense for it to be in keeping with its surroundings. Connections might be driven by tone or materials or, for a more cohesive relationship, echo interior details celebrated in other areas of the residence.

This traditional-meets-casual kitchen forms part of a whole-house remodel by designers Sally Wilson and John Kelsey. Working with near-gutted interiors the 200-year-old Federal house had been divided into apartments at a point in its history they repositioned the kitchen and separated off a laundry and powder room that had impinged on the work space. At this time, the rear entry of the house was also transformed, says John Kelsey.

"Essentially, we wanted the entrance into the kitchen and back of the home to have a grander, more welcoming look. To this end, we introduced pilasters flanking new French doors with a fanlight transom overhead, keeping strict Federal proportions throughout. These features are seen at the front of the home and reintroduced here in a simpler, more relaxed form."

A similar strategy was undertaken for the details of the kitchen aesthetic.

"How do you design a kitchen with full contemporary functionality and meld it into surrounds that are 200 years old?" says Sally Wilson. "For this remodel, the answer was to finish the cabinets with detailing that echoes in pared-back form the elements in the formal rooms that had been retained when most of the interior was stripped back."

As a result, the cherry wood cabinets feature mouldings, panelings and special elongated end panels that loosely repeat, in simpler form, the formal detail in the front rooms. The proportion of trims and mouldings are true to the Federal style.

Some demolition had been involved in gutting the original interiors and a leftover beam was repurposed as a ceiling beam in the kitchen, calling to mind the home's post-and-beam construction.

While the stainless steel appliances provide a shiny contrast to the matte wood surfaces, elements such as a slate country sink and granite countertops also refer back to the interiors of times past.

"Lighting, too, played an important part in the room's ambiance," says Kelsey. "Strategically placed downlights combine here with discreet under-cabinet lights to provide task lighting without shadows.

"The wrought iron chandelier over the island also references the home's age and is an eye-catching central feature."

Story by: Trendsideas