This homeowner lives in a historic early 1900’s Irvington home that she loves. Her goal was to update her tiny galley kitchen and eat-in nook to improve function and storage incorporating a brighter design that was reminiscent of the period of the house. We were able to rework the approach to the basement stairs as part of the kitchen space planning that allowed us to rebuild the steep old stairs for improved safety, keeping aging-in-place in mind.
To maximize the space in this small kitchen, we removed the arches at the end of the galley as well as columns, allowing more functional space and improving access to the basement stairs. This allowed us to gain a longer wall in the kitchen where we moved the paneled refrigerator to one end, increasing counter space, and added a tall pantry storage cabinet at the opposite end. This allowed a nice balance with tall items flanking a new cooktop with custom hood. By incorporating a custom spice drawer, pullout storage for pots and pans, and pullout drawers for ease of access into the tall pantry cabinet, her functional storage was increased significantly. The original arch over the kitchen sink area was kept, maintaining the architectural detail, and highlighted it with a pendant light boasting brass details which were repeated on the black and gold cabinet hardware. We incorporated a new arch in the breakfast nook in keeping with the arches in other areas of the home.
The cabinetry was a combination of painted white cabinets and quartersawn White Oak with a white/gray stain and flat sheen. The finish on the stained oak allows you to appreciate the grain of wood and works well the original dark stained flooring throughout the rest of the house. The combination together is stunning and the cooktop hood was painted white with a thick trim of the white oak bringing both finishes of the cabinetry together. In designing the layout of the kitchen cabinetry, we were able have the cooktop separate from double ovens which is one of the homeowners’ favorite aspects of the remodel. The oak cabinetry was also used and incorporated into a storage bench in the eat-in breakfast nook for cohesiveness with the kitchen. This added seating allows the homeowner to include guests for cozy breakfasts or a cocktail at the end of a long day.
The backsplash tile is 4 different sizes that were installed in a modified brick pattern. The combination of varying sized tile and the handmade glazed tile itself is a showstopper. It was taken to the crown mold around the cooktop as well as around the kitchen sink window to and following the arch. We also replicated it in the nook area of the bench wall and around the window arch.
This homeowners goal of maintaining the historical integrity of the house, while adding upgrades for function were achieved. The kitchen is now not only light and airy but with improved function, storage and the ability to socialize guests sitting in the nook. The basement stairs are now solid and safer to use as any homeowner ages.
In this homeowners’ own words: “The Corinthian team did a great job of staying true to the historical integrity of my home and I am very happy with my home and the renovation.”
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Location: Indianapolis, IN
Credits: Photography by Sara C Imagery
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