Practical Design, Period Appeal
It’s tried-and-true advice: Live in a space for a while before you remodel it. For Alicia and Craig Collins, waiting a long while (11 years!) seems to have paid off big-time. The couple put up with the shoddy galley kitchen in their 1930 Spanish Revival–style house for over a decade.
Bad enough were the worn cabinets and awkward layout, but the room also lacked the kind of details found throughout their home, which has arched doorways, wrought-iron work, and an art-tile fireplace surround. Alicia, an avid cook, craved a top-notch range, and with the family having grown to include three children, they needed more food storage. Kitchen designer Dana Jones’s solution delivered both without adding on. By incorporating a butler’s pantry—just one cabinet and a swinging door between the kitchen and the dining room—she gave the room an extra 50 square feet, allowing for more counter space, a snack peninsula, two sinks, an alcove for the pro-style range, and a double refrigerator-freezer.
Pictured: Annexing the pantry allowed for a longer countertop with two sinks and a breakfast bar, and a 60-inch refrigerator.
Faucets: Kohler.
Sinks: Rohl.
Fridge: Liebherr
Refrigerator pulls: Top Knobs
Architectural Accents
But as much as they like their new conveniences, the Collinses also love the new kitchen’s old-style architectural details: two cascading archways that mimic an original in the entry hall, era-appropriate triple-arched casement windows, and painted scrollwork. Says Craig, “We finally have a kitchen that measures up to the other parts of the house.”
Kitchen Before
The old bare-bones kitchen led to a butler’s pantry at one end and a hall outside the laundry at the other.
Stove Alcove
The stove alcove, set off with a cascading arch and hand-painted tile mural, highlights the showpiece range.
Homeowner Tip: “Stay flexible. We originally planned a tiled floor but decided to keep the original fir when it was uncovered under layers of linoleum. The tile ‘rug’ we designed became our stove backsplash,” says Craig.
Range: La Cornue
Range hood: Broan-NuTone
Dishwasher: Miele
Mural Tile: Tierra y Fuego
Snack Bar
A snack bar doubles as a homework station for Daniel, 10, and twins Ariela and Belen, 8.
Pendants: Schoolhouse Electric
Architectural Details
New architectural details, such as the curved brackets beneath the upper cabinets and the pull-open casement windows, suit the Spanish Revival style of the 1930 house.
Built-In Hutch
A built-in hutch on the way to the breakfast room features a plate rack, beadboard back panel, mahogany serving counter, and cascading-arch detailing. Upper shelves keep Alicia’s cookbooks within easy reach.
Cabinets (custom): Crest Woodworks
Soapstone Drainboard
Grooves in the soapstone create an integral drainboard; they’re graded to encourage water to run into the basin.
Farmhouse Sink
The farmhouse sink is a period-appropriate choice, and its deep basin conceals dirty dishes. The arched casement windows’ soapstone sill is both handsome and practical.
Sink: Rohl
Faucet: Kohler
Subway tile: Ken Mason Tile/BCIA
Cabinet knobs and pulls: Restoration Hardware
Windows (custom): JT Windows
Wine Rack
Wine storage built in under the counter keeps bottles at the ready (and corks moist) for when the couple entertains.
Floorplan Before
The freestanding stove and refrigerator had no adjacent counter space; a butler’s pantry added two extra doorways.
Floorplan After
The kitchen now opens up to the dining room via a wide arch; it has a long counter and small breakfast bar. The range alcove lines up with the fridge for a clean look.
1. Annexed the butler’s pantry that led to the dining room, removing one wall and creating a wide archway in the other. This made space for an extended counter and breakfast bar on one side and a 60-inch fridge on the other.
2. Replaced the windows with identical sets of triple-arched casement models that echo arches throughout the house.
3. Added more arches. The doorway to the adjacent hall got a simple Roman curve; the alcove for the range got a cascading arch.
4. Built in a hutch with a serving counter along the entry to the breakfast room.
Designer: The Kitchen Consultant
General contractor: Bob Kaplan, Kaplan Construction