This article appeared in the Fall 2022 issue of This Old House Magazine.
Few folks buy a turn-of-the-century house without some appreciation for its original details. No surprise, then, that Indianapolis homeowners Kaela and Cason Cusack hoped to honor the built-in oak hutch in their circa 1895 American Foursquare’s kitchen.
Last renovated in the 1990s, the room also held an awkward angled island that hemmed in the cook, a fridge that blocked traffic, and scant storage and prep space. “We wanted to preserve the beautiful woodwork but make the room flow better so that cooking would be fun,” Kaela says.
A built-in hutch like the one in this kitchen is part of a broader trend toward having kitchen cabinetry assume the look of furniture. Constructed by a cabinetmaker and attached to the wall, a built-in hutch is more stable than its freestanding counterparts, which allows it to be built taller. It also tends to echo or match other cabinetry elements, lending a sense of unity to the room while adding variety and visual interest.
Using the hutch as the cornerstone of her vision, designer Tiffany Skilling had the piece disassembled, then scrapped the butler’s pantry behind it to extend the run of base cabinets by about 6 feet. Two-thirds of the three-door hutch was rebuilt and installed along the new wall, with the fridge nestled neatly beside it.
Floor Plans
Annexing space from a 40-square-foot original butler’s pantry and relocating appliances opened up room for more functional storage and prep space, while improving traffic flow.
- Scrapped the pantry and built a wall in line with the back of the dining room fireplace to enable an L-shaped run of cabinetry, adding about 61/2 feet of additional cupboards.
- Relocated and rebuilt the original oak hutch along that back wall, reducing its width by a third; positioned the refrigerator to its right, freeing up the route to the dining room.
- Built a wider, longer center island that has counter seating and holds a dishwasher alongside the sink.
- Moved the range to where the sink had been, closing off an interior window to allow for a vent hood.
- Replaced all the cabinets, running uppers to the ceiling to increase storage space
Two-thirds of the rebuilt hutch was devoted to the kitchen; the remaining third was repurposed upstairs as a linen closet in the main bath. The interior was updated with storage bins and rollout shelves, and it also houses the microwave—keeping it off the counter without sacrificing the hutch’s period character.
Rather than lose the character of an original wood-cased window for more cabinetry, floating shelves now traverse it. The interior window channels light from the sunroom, “and I can peek in on my kids playing while I cook,” homeowner Kaela says.
The range, formerly in the island, swapped places with the sink, and a vent hood was added, while a new white oak island was crafted to echo the original doors and trim.
“An island with just an overhang feels unfinished to me. Here the island’s chunky legs ground the piece and create impact.”—TIFFANY SKILLING, principal designer, Tiffany Skilling Interiors
The ideal counterpoint to all that wood? Clean, bright-white cabinets and touches of pale green. “Salvaging the built-in was 100 percent the right decision, and the openness of the new layout is great,” Kaela says. “We have friends over, host family holidays, and eat breakfast at the island every morning. The kitchen is now a true gathering place.”
“From what we can tell, all the quartersawn tiger-oak woodwork in the house has never been painted,” Kaela says. “We are extremely lucky!” To complement the existing casings, wainscoting, doors, and windows, the new white oak flooring was given a warm-walnut stain.
Preserving original oak woodwork—rather than painting over it—is a decision many period-home owners wrestle with. In a similar This Old House Magazine feature, homeowners faced the same dilemma with white oak wainscoting that had darkened over the years. As one homeowner put it: “Even though white paint would have been effective in lightening them up, painting over the oak never felt quite right.” The solution was to strip the woodwork and clear-coat it with a matte-finish water-based polyurethane to preserve a lighter, refreshed look without sacrificing the wood’s natural character.
Pro Tip: When adding new flooring to complement existing period woodwork, matching the grain and tone takes patience. As one This Old House Magazine renovation demonstrated, tinkering with stain colors on new wood to harmonize with original casings and trim of varying sun exposure “went on for many, many weeks.” The effort is worth it—the key is testing stain samples against the existing millwork in both natural and artificial light before committing.
Get the Look
These updated classics nail the vintage feel and offer practical advantages, too.
