Practical Design, Period Appeal
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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
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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
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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
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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
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A snack bar doubles as a homework station for Daniel, 10, and twins Ariela and Belen, 8.
Pendants: Schoolhouse Electric
Architectural Details
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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
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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
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Grooves in the soapstone create an integral drainboard; they’re graded to encourage water to run into the basin.
Farmhouse Sink
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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
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Wine storage built in under the counter keeps bottles at the ready (and corks moist) for when the couple entertains.
Floorplan Before
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The freestanding stove and refrigerator had no adjacent counter space; a butler’s pantry added two extra doorways.
Floorplan After
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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