LANCASTER, PA Asked to revitalize an outdated kitchen as part of
the 2004 Decorator Showhouse, Linda Webb and Robert Hogg knew that
a flexible and timeless design was the only way to go. After all,
the home a 1925 classic revival house certainly stood out compared
to other “typical’ designs of the area, and the husband-and-wife
team wanted the kitchen to stand out, as well.
“The house was perfect for the project, but it included a very
outdated, ’70s-style kitchen,” Webb explains.
The kitchen features a contemporary and transitional design
theme. It comes complete with a media center, ample storage and a
flexible color scheme based in natural tones.
“As far as layout, we probably took it back more to what it was
like in its original form. But, we also did all new wiring and
plumbing,” Webb says, adding that smart home technology was
integrated, as well.
But, she is quick to note that “it is a very practical kitchen,
especially if you are doing a lot of entertaining [which is the
case with this kitchen].”
Webb continues: “The traffic flow is great because you are right
there; you can service the dining room for formal entertaining or
you can go out either direction if you are entertaining in the
yard.”
Webb adds that although she and her husband who are co-owners of
Classic Quarters, also based here have participated in the
Decorator Showhouse for the past 25 years, that did not prevent
them from encountering new design challenges with this project.
“This house was owned by a single father and it would have been
inappropriate for us to do something overly feminine or create
something that did not appeal to his senses,” reports Webb. “At the
same time, we wanted it to be a marketable kitchen in the event
that he chose to put the house on the market.”
She believes that “the blending of the old and the new and the
adding of bright color make the kitchen unique. We wanted it to
have enough personality, where you didn’t feel like you were
walking into a neutral setup.”
Island in the Stream
A focal point of the kitchen, Webb notes, is the stunning center
island. It features a unique oval shape, Zodiaq countertops and
eye-catching columns, which were installed to reflect the home’s
exterior.
“We had a local fabricator do the island, and they did a nice
serviceable edge for it that had a real good look and feel to it,”
she states. “He cut the corners and made that end a true oval to
give us the maximum overhang and ample clearance. There’s about 26
inches of overhang there. It’s a big, wide oval end that gives you
some flexibility for many to sit.
“The Zodiaq [countertops] really brought life to the room. The
[countertops are done in] an espresso color with some gold flecks,
which is played up by the golden colors of the wall,” she remarks.
“The coloring seemed neutral enough that it allowed for color
change in the room.”
To ensure a consistent feel to the kitchen, the butler’s pantry
and sink area also feature Zodiaq countertops, as does a desktop
found in the media area.
What’s in Store
According to Webb, one of the main elements of the design is the
use of storage space. Specifically, she cites Plain & Fancy’s
maple Shaker beaded inset doors and drawers which are found
throughout the kitchen and butler’s pantry as enabling the
client to easily store decorative items, china and cookware.
“In the butler’s pantry there’s a double-deep overhead cabinet
that’s open,” she reports. The cabinet allows the user ease of
storage for glassware straight from the dishwasher.
“The entire room is surrounded by 24-inch deep cupboards that
have doors that match the
kitchen,” Webb notes. There is another cupboard with folding
doors that has the washer and dryer behind it, complete with
storage above and below.
“In the kitchen, we used very simple shelf storage, because
there was so much of it,” she offers. This helped Webb keep costs
down. “With that many cabinets in appropriate places, you don’t
have to boost [the client’s budget] by adding expensive interior
fittings to allow for pull-outs,” she explains.
Webb also reports that the storage drawers and doors featured in
the cooking area complement the stainless steel dishwasher, 30″
black electric cooktop, 27″ stainless microwave convection oven and
42″ side-by-side stainless steel refrigerator, all from
Jenn-Air.
Color cues
For Webb, the linen finish of the cabinetry, as well as the
Zodiaq countertops, enabled her to explore interesting color
combinations. “We tried to keep the cabinetry neutral, yet we
didn’t hold back with the walls. We were trying to do it in a
flexible manner, so if blue happened to be your color, you were
free to use it,” she says.
Webb also points out that the Jenn-Air downdraft oven is
complemented by the backsplash, which features coffee bean tongue
and groove board “with a slight sheen to it.
“The coloring that we used on the wall that golden coloring was
also complemented by the coffee bean color in the backsplash, which
was then matched to the trim. That is where we drew our color,” she
concludes. “We finished by painting all of the hallways that were
adjacent to that room to visually tie the kitchen into the rest of
the house.”
Media Frenzy
Keeping with the contemporary design theme, Webb and Hogg turned
the kitchen into an “all-in-one media room,” according to Webb. “We
used a flat-screen TV along the one wall that was tied into the
computer system so it could be used for video games or computer
programming. The office area is what runs that TV, which is located
across from what we used as a dining area.”
She adds, “There is also a built-in console table that features
a ledge with a flat-screen TV attached to the wall above it. The
media system in the back butler’s pantry powers that entire
area.
“We have a company that we deal with that does smart house
wiring, media systems and home theaters and he prepared that for
this project,” she continues. “[With all of the technology in the
kitchen], it became almost a one-room living environment.”