cabinets

No cooks in this kitchen.

Published on January 4, 2021January 4, 2021 by branchville19232 Comments

When the house was built, there was a basement “summer” kitchen, complete with 48 inch soapstone sink and dumbwaiter to the first floor. With stone walls and iron windows, this space is still pleasantly cool in the summer.

The current kitchen (located on the main floor), features knotty pine cabinets most likely added in the 1950’s. When the house changed hands in 1990, a refresh of the kitchen included pre-finished oak floors, state of the art appliances (for the time) and an island with white ceramic tile and grout.

In the five years since we moved in we have completed numerous projects, some pretty (floors & interior painting, Butler’s Pantry restoration, mudroom/laundry room and exterior painting) and others not so pretty (window restoration, heating and air conditioning systems, roof, etc).

Today, after much planning and preparation we begin the kitchen!

Next: The plan and progress.

Pictures taken moments before demo (green tape to approximate location of new cabinets):

Easier said than done.

Published on March 9, 2019March 19, 2020 by branchville19231 Comment

Space planning is simple once demo is complete, or so we thought . . .

Now for a problem solving exercise:

Square shaped room (almost) with three interior doors (bathroom, hall and bedroom), one exterior (access to area above screened in porch) and two windows. Hmm. Conventional closet solutions make use of small, well defined areas with lots of wall space. Not exactly the Branchville 1923 scenario.

The original plan was to use cabinetry similar to that from the mudroom renovation. The possibilities were gorgeous and endless, but created a space more specific and costly than desired. After extensive internet elimination (the hours of internet searching only to eliminate possibilities, not resulting in solutions), I stumbled upon a local expert to help.

Closet Factory, a national company, with a locally owned branch sent a designer to the rescue. While the company primarily works with modern materials (melamine, etc.), their local craftsman were willing to create a solid wood alternative in order to achieve our main goal, a modern functional space with the look and feel of an original feature.

The proposed plans:

Next: A colorful dilemma.

The (im)perfect pair.

Published on February 9, 2017February 20, 2017 by branchville192311 Comments

Now, standing in the finished space the process seemed simple. In truth there were numerous iterations to determine the ideal state. Anything is possible with an unlimited budget and a clean slate. Modifying an existing space with modern amenities without creating the feel of the “new” part of the house is borderline miraculous.

Siburtek and Limekiln Studios are a husband and wife team who themselves own an older home. They understood and appreciated the 1920’s attributes and worked with great care and expertise to maintain the character and quirkiness while creating a functional and beautiful space.

And they were patient. Very patient. I like the details and wanted input on all decisions. The result- a paired laundry space and mudroom in a creative and highly functional way. On budget. It is a miracle!

Every last detail & resources:

Inset cabinets to mimic those in the Butler’s Pantry. Porcelain knobs from Rejuvenation are period relevant and the right scale. This Kohler porcelain sink and faucet with pull out spout is both beautiful and functional. Laundry stains and dirty hands beware!

The countertops are wood finished in a walnut stain. The school house pendant (another period reproduction) is from Capital lighting– the look we wanted at a very reasonable price!

All the paint is Benjamin Moore: cabinets are White Dove, ceiling is Polar Ice and walls Rodeo.

Radiant heat was added to the floor- dreamy on a snowy day.

To maintain the feel of an enclosed porch we chose incredibly durable Italian porcelain tile that looks like slate, but won’t stain with the dirt and salt the troops track in. Another budget friendly choice.

A bench with lots of room underneath for shoes, boots and whatever else gets dropped here. Pillows were made from Serena and Lily shower curtains. Yes you read that correctly- canvas shower curtain material is durable and significantly less expensive than fabric by the yard. Plus no stress if they get stained or damaged!

We left the original siding (remember this was once a porch) to maintain the authenticity and story of the house, then added lots (and lots) of hooks for hats, jacket and bags. Found these vintage 1920’s heart hooks on Etsy.

Last but certainly not least shelves for everything we need from hats and gloves to beach towels! The open space below- room for the piece de resistance and splurge- a 1920’s reproduction laundry cart! On it’s way from Rejuvenation this gem will revolutionize the laundry process (or atleast keep the dirty clothes from being dumped on the floor). Told you this was imperfect!

Next: a discovery.

A pantry without a butler.

Published on January 8, 2017February 28, 2017 by branchville192313 Comments

The doors rattle upon opening and closing. There must be glass beneath the paint and stenciled flowers. Seems strange to paint over glass. No, just old wood said the painter.

As it turns out there was glass beneath, gorgeous 1920’s wavy glass. One more coat of paint over those pantry doors and their original state would have been lost forever.

So began a labor of love. We had a fixed bid for painting therefore any extra projects belong to me or in this case a team effort shared with my fabulous friend and former house 3 neighbor (she volunteered- I swear). Using paint remover (be sure to use outside) and razor blades we scraped and scraped. And scraped.

With restored original hardware (thanks to my Dad), fresh paint (thanks to my Father-in-law), and some amazing period wallpaper selected by Molly Hirsch Interiors the roaring 20’s are back.

If only there was a butler to enjoy this.

The original state, process and finished product below:

Lots of original facets including sink, faucet, countertop, light fixture, cabinetry and hardware.

Hidden below years of paint- glass cabinet doors!

Original hardware polished and ready.

The cabinets are painted the same color as the Dining Room- Benjamin Moore Blue Note (more on paint colors here) and completed with a 1920’s archival print wallpaper Schumacher- Featherfest.