The New Modern
This kitchen remodel was part of a whole home makeover of this Edwardian home in Pelham. The homeowners wanted a cross between old and new, classic and contemporary, but wanted the result to fit with the original feel of the home.
For the kitchen, the team decided to change the footprint to create a larger, more functional space. “The original kitchen was much too small compared to the size of the house,” says Sarah Witkin, owner of Bilotta Architecture. “It had a small, awkward island not suited for cooking, eating, or entertaining.”
The rest of the rooms flowed gracefully into one another, thanks to the team at New York City-based Dufner Heighes, while the kitchen was cut off and boxed in. At one end, a wall separated the kitchen from a scullery, and at the other end, a sitting room wasn’t being utilized. The decision was made to expand the foot-print by removing the wall and turn the sitting room into a much more useful mudroom.
They also designed a banquette in a corner of the kitchen leading to the mudroom that can now easily seat six people. “[The corner] used to be part of the back, outside terrace, hence the exposed stonework,” says Witkin. “To maintain some of the original beauty and integrity of the exterior, we left some of the exposed stonework.”
The teams from Bilotta and Dufner Heighes wanted the cabinetry to work with the style of the exterior and the century-old millwork throughout the house, yet still be contemporary to be in line with the client’s taste. From Bilotta Kitchen & Home’s private label line, the Bilotta Collection, they selected a transitional door that has a recessed panel and a deep bevel—a nod to a Shaker-style that adds more interest. Dove White from Benjamin Moore was chosen as well as brass cup pulls and knobs for the hardware. “The classic white cabinetry and existing diamond-mullioned windows became the backdrop for the fanciful tile, stone, and furniture selections,” says Witkin.
For the perimeter backsplash and countertop, a velvety honed Jet Mist granite was chosen to make a “powerful statement.” Stone slabs were selected for the backsplash, which is a huge design trend right now. And for the island, they wanted something to juxtapose the backsplash and perimeter countertop, so they chose Arabescato Corchia, “an exuberantly patterned Italian marble with assertive strokes of gray, brown, and cream pulling the room together,” adds Witkin.
Dufner Heighes is responsible for all the furnishings that “made it such a fun space.”
“Enameled metal pendants and maple stools and dining chairs add a mid-century Scandinavian touch,” says Witkin. “The turquoise on the table base is a delightful surprise.”
The flooring pays homage to terrazzo floors popular in the 1970s, including a gray-toned terrazzo along the edges and Geotzzo field tiles made of Blanco Dolomite marble chips in the breakfast area and cooking zone. “That was the finishing touch on this fun, whimsical space—and not just another white shaker kitchen,” says Witkin.
“We really try to create a space that is as functional as it is beautiful,” she adds. “The layout of this kitchen supplies plenty of function: a large undermount main sink, an additional prep sink on the island, built-in microwave and second oven, built-in coffee maker, and a paneled wine refrigerator.” It has everything a modern kitchen could want and more.
The Team
Regina Bilotta, Principal, Bilotta Kitchen & Home
Sarah Witkin, Owner, Bilotta Architecture
Daniel Heighes Wismer and Greg Dufner, Owners/Partners, Dufner Heighes Artistic Tile
Black Beauty
This home, which is a Dutch Colonial in Bedford, needed a remodel; it was dated and had a multicolor stone flooring of red, green, and gray plus older cabinetry. Designed for a young family, the homeowners wanted to complement the architecture of the home but modernize the kitchen so it felt timeless.
“The home has a lot of windows, so we decided to go with a black kitchen cabinet color and carry that through the furnishings,” says designer Brittany Zachos of Brittany Zachos Interior Design Studio. “We used a moody color palette of black and browns, and paired that with beige to keep the home balanced.”
To make the most of the space, the team reconfigured it by removing a wall that separated the kitchen from the living space to create an open concept.
Zachos also decided to take one design challenge and turn it into an asset. “The home had a lot of existing beadboard, and it was all white,” says Zachos. “Instead of removing it and repairing most of the first-floor walls, we decided to make it a part of the design. I decided to embrace it. We didn’t want it to look traditional, so the solution was to paint it a beautiful shade of black (Black Beauty by Benjamin Moore). And it looks amazing, so we tied this in [to] the kitchen…with the black cabinetry in the same color.”
She installed wood floors to tie in with the family room and dining room, so the kitchen, which is central to the first floor, flowed with the rest of the spaces. Other finishes selected were Calcutta marble for the countertops and a walnut furniture piece as an island to add an accent to the space and break up the darker cabinets.
“My favorite element is the hood and the floating shelf,” says Zachos. “I think the marble is a strong beautiful statement and then we anchored that with a beautiful and dainty classic pendant light to bring in a bit of antique and historic details.”
A hidden gem that’s part of the design—but hidden away—is the coffee station. “We love that we were able to add the coffee station and utilize the pocket doors so it’s easy to access, but also to keep the appliances hidden,” says Zachos.
The Team
Brittany Zachos, Brittany Zachos Interior Design
The Perfect Blend
Sasha Drozdetski of Sasha Marie Interiors designed this new build in Ardsley for a fellow Rivertown mom and founder of The Lark, a modern fitness studio, and her family. The scope of the project included a kitchen and five bathrooms, and because the designer was able to start early in the building process, she took a holistic approach. “[This allowed] our talents to manifest in the final design implementation, with the grand sum of all features combining in the confluence of inflection points to create the specific design the client was seeking.”
To start any design, the team determines the overarching mood and feel of the project. They compile keywords that express the client’s desire for the space. “For this project, the keywords were welcoming, layered, modern, and family-friendly,” says Drozdetski. “The style of the completed design can be best described as modern farmhouse meets moody organic, with a blend of masculine and feminine elements.”
In this kitchen, she focused on mixed materials such as iron, concrete, oak, gunmetal, brass, marble, cane, wool, and linen. Her favorite element though is the stunning tile selections.
“The accent tile behind the kitchen hood is a stunningly beautiful geometric Carrara stone impression which although restrained, draws the eye and serves as the centerpiece of the kitchen with its gorgeous gold lattice design and black accents,” says Drozdetski.
The Team
Sasha Drozdetski, Sasha Marie Interiors
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