This remodel of a house built in 1900 included a full renovation of the kitchen. The goal for the team of Ivory & Oak was to reimagine the first floor, which originally consisted of multiple small rooms that were dark, dreary, and not ideal for an active family of five.
The team was enlisted to remodel the entire first floor, along with the basement; knowing they would also tackle the second floor in the future, they created a vision from scratch, and everything would be new.
“We opened up the space and relocated the kitchen to the family room, converted the original kitchen into a mudroom, added a pantry, and renovated the dining room,” says Nicole Viola of Ivory & Oak. “We know how important family time is — and how busy life can get — so when we build a home for a family, it’s important [that] the layout and design improve the family’s quality of life.”
She says inspiration for a project comes from the house and the client. “We ask them what they enjoy, what they want to achieve, what colors they are drawn to, and then develop ideas based on that,” says Viola. “The client requested a design that felt true to the original home: warm tones, natural wood, and a pop of color. The age of the house played a factor in many of the design elements, such as the wood beams, apron sink, traditional style plumbing fixtures, and plastered hood.”
The beams and the stone were not original to the home but were installed to look as if they were. “We always aim to add elements that feel like they should have always been there,” she says. “I knew right away that I wanted to use stone for the backsplash. The beams came later in the design, once we realized we were able to open the ceiling. We did need to install structural collar ties [to] do this, so we decided to wrap them in a rustic white oak to make the beams look original.”
“Using neutral tones and clean lines, but with lots of texture, was a large part of the design and the reason why the space feels warm but not at all dark.”
The hood was custom-designed. The team kept the shape simple but added plaster to finish it. “The idea of using neutral tones and clean lines, but with lots of texture, was a large part of the design and the reason why the space feels warm but not at all dark.”
The floor also matches the beams. “Incorporating a specific material in two or three aspects of the design creates a more custom and intentional space,” says Viola. “It just feels more put-together, such as the rustic white oak we used for the beams and the shelves, or the green cabinetry for both the island and the pantry, or the reeded glass we use for the coffee cabinet and the pantry door.”
Because Ivory & Oak fabricates all its cabinetry, the designers can customize everything, including storage components in the cabinets. “I prefer when kitchen items are easily accessible, but not sitting out on the counter,” says Viola. “That is why we design the storage based on what the client has and what they use on a daily basis.”
This client’s special requests included a place for the coffee machine, which is on a roll-out behind the glass cabinet door; a compost bin, which is one of the drawers by the sink; an appliance garage, which is in the corner of the kitchen and has a lift up front for easy access; along with many other typical storage items: a roll-out spice rack, cutting board storage, a knife drawer, a roll-out garbage bin, and a built-in paper towel bar. The kitchen also includes two mini fridges with double drawers.
In addition to the super-functional cabinets in the main kitchen area, the team also added a pantry with plenty of extra storage. “The pantry was a ‘nice to have’ but we weren’t sure it would work,” says Viola. “While working on the layout there was an opportunity to make space behind the kitchen. Given the kitchen is a decent size, we were able to take the additional space to create a small pantry, which had plenty of space for all their extra storage needs.”
Most of the storage in the pantry is open so they can easily grab items, but there is also a bit of closed storage. The team included outlets for small appliances and had a little fun with the green wallpaper to add style.
The finished design is filled with character, harkening back to the 1900s, yet has all the modern amenities you want in a kitchen today.
“There are so many features that I love. The natural limestone backsplash was something I’ve been dying to incorporate, and I’m so glad they were on board for that,” says Viola. “The contrast of the textured stone against the polished countertop played nicely together. I love the oak cabinets and I was so excited to be doing something other than a white kitchen. The plastered hood was another element that added a special touch along with the seamless apron-front sink.”
