When we began this kitchen renovation in an historic home, the refrigerator was in front of the window to the left of a fireplace, the range was freestanding on the dining room wall, storage was very limited, and the only counter space was flanking the sink. There were 4 doorways into the small space--one to the dining room, one to the front hall, a third to the back staircase, and a fourth onto a small enclosed porch. In other words, there was little room to maneuver!
We explored putting an addition on the house, but budget constraints made that unattractive. We also considered eliminating the back staircase to create more wall space, but the homeowner did not want to lose its' charm. The new plan evolved from the discovery (based on blueprints from 1913!) that a previous owner had turned the old cooking hearth into the fireplace. By returning the cooking hearth to its original function and using space in the enclosed porch for pantry and freezer storage, we were able to solve multiple problems and create a well appointed kitchen without making any structural changes. The red stain on the maple cabinetry was color matched from an old book cover, and the back splash inside the chimney was created by a local tile artist.
*This project was completed while at Spyglass Design in Hopewell, NJ.
