Kitchen of the Week: Classic Style in Wood, Wallpaper and Marble
A designer transforms a couple’s cluttered galley into a timeless space with elegant finishes and improved storage
Unable to move walls in their South Philadelphia row house, this young couple struggled to figure out what to do with the 135-square-foot shotgun-style kitchen. For starters, the large appliances stuck out, and numerous small appliances littered the countertops. An open metal shelving unit added to the cluttered look. The cabinets were mismatched, with some of them having been found on the street by previous homeowners. The floors were worn down. And a ceiling fan provided insufficient lighting.
Wanting to maximize storage and create a luxurious look in a classic style that would fit their home, the couple turned to designer Sean Lewis. He stripped the kitchen back and created beautiful custom cherry cabinets and drawers in a rich honey stain. He paired those with light gray marble-look quartz countertops and unlacquered brass hardware for an instantly timeless look. White-and-gray marble checkerboard flooring, historical print wallpaper and simple white square backsplash tiles elevate the classic style, while new appliances, hardworking storage components and lighting situate the space in the modern era.
Wanting to maximize storage and create a luxurious look in a classic style that would fit their home, the couple turned to designer Sean Lewis. He stripped the kitchen back and created beautiful custom cherry cabinets and drawers in a rich honey stain. He paired those with light gray marble-look quartz countertops and unlacquered brass hardware for an instantly timeless look. White-and-gray marble checkerboard flooring, historical print wallpaper and simple white square backsplash tiles elevate the classic style, while new appliances, hardworking storage components and lighting situate the space in the modern era.
After: Lewis stripped the kitchen to the studs and eliminated most of the major components. “There were strange bulkheads and soffits,” he says. “Whoever previously renovated it put drywall over the old walls. That’s why we had to take it down to the studs.”
Lewis swapped the locations of the sink and dishwasher with the range and moved them all closer to the picture window. “The homeowners love to people-watch out the window and wanted to enjoy the natural light from the sink and range,” he says.
New custom Shaker-style inset cherry cabinets in a honey stain give the couple classic style and hardworking storage, including an appliance garage on the right that helps keep the light gray marble-look quartz countertops uncluttered. “White painted cabinets are bright and trendy, but I think the all-wood cabinetry lent itself to the classic feel they wanted,” Lewis says.
The 12-by-12-inch honed marble tiles in white and gray add a checkerboard pattern to the floor. “A checkerboard floor is a classic look and adds fun to a space,” Lewis says. “Doing it on a diagonal like that also enlarges the space visually.”
Wallpaper in green hues wraps portions of the room. The print is based on an 1876 design and features clusters of snake’s head fritillary flowers. “It adds a historical touch and definitely makes the kitchen feel older and more original to the home,” Lewis says.
Three industrial-style flush-mount light fixtures in aged brass and polished copper (with opaque white glass shades) improve the lighting and add style. The kitchen also includes LED recessed ceiling lights that were digitally removed from these photos by the photographer to help highlight other details.
Wallpaper: Snakeshead in Forest/Thyme, Morris & Co.; countertops: Montblanc, Caesarstone; flooring: honed checkerboard marble in Snow White and Tundra Grey, 12 by 12 inches, Altura Stone & Tile
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Lewis swapped the locations of the sink and dishwasher with the range and moved them all closer to the picture window. “The homeowners love to people-watch out the window and wanted to enjoy the natural light from the sink and range,” he says.
New custom Shaker-style inset cherry cabinets in a honey stain give the couple classic style and hardworking storage, including an appliance garage on the right that helps keep the light gray marble-look quartz countertops uncluttered. “White painted cabinets are bright and trendy, but I think the all-wood cabinetry lent itself to the classic feel they wanted,” Lewis says.
The 12-by-12-inch honed marble tiles in white and gray add a checkerboard pattern to the floor. “A checkerboard floor is a classic look and adds fun to a space,” Lewis says. “Doing it on a diagonal like that also enlarges the space visually.”
Wallpaper in green hues wraps portions of the room. The print is based on an 1876 design and features clusters of snake’s head fritillary flowers. “It adds a historical touch and definitely makes the kitchen feel older and more original to the home,” Lewis says.
Three industrial-style flush-mount light fixtures in aged brass and polished copper (with opaque white glass shades) improve the lighting and add style. The kitchen also includes LED recessed ceiling lights that were digitally removed from these photos by the photographer to help highlight other details.
Wallpaper: Snakeshead in Forest/Thyme, Morris & Co.; countertops: Montblanc, Caesarstone; flooring: honed checkerboard marble in Snow White and Tundra Grey, 12 by 12 inches, Altura Stone & Tile
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The new 36-inch stainless steel dual-fuel range has five burners and an electric oven. A 36-inch stainless steel hood with antiqued brass trim hangs above. “I think the style goes well with this older home,” Lewis says. “This hood also has a nice height to it, so it allowed me to bring it up to the molding of the cabinets.”
Lewis sourced antique glass for the new glass-front upper cabinets flanking the hood. “Because we weren’t doing lots of upper cabinets, the glass helps reflect light around the room,” he says.
The cabinets have unlacquered brass pulls in two sizes and coordinating knobs.
The backsplash is 6-by-6-inch bright white ceramic tiles with light gray grout, providing a bright and clean backdrop that allows the wood to stand out.
Lewis created an opening in the wall, partially seen at left, that connects the kitchen to the home’s front hall and brings in views of a brick wall.
Vent hood: BlueStar; range: Bertazzoni; cabinet hardware: Charlie Collection pulls in unlacquered brass, 4 and 6 inches, by Alno, and Massey knobs in unlacquered brass, Rejuvenation
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Lewis sourced antique glass for the new glass-front upper cabinets flanking the hood. “Because we weren’t doing lots of upper cabinets, the glass helps reflect light around the room,” he says.
The cabinets have unlacquered brass pulls in two sizes and coordinating knobs.
The backsplash is 6-by-6-inch bright white ceramic tiles with light gray grout, providing a bright and clean backdrop that allows the wood to stand out.
Lewis created an opening in the wall, partially seen at left, that connects the kitchen to the home’s front hall and brings in views of a brick wall.
Vent hood: BlueStar; range: Bertazzoni; cabinet hardware: Charlie Collection pulls in unlacquered brass, 4 and 6 inches, by Alno, and Massey knobs in unlacquered brass, Rejuvenation
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Before: This look at the range side of the former kitchen shows the hodgepodge of open cabinets — some of which previous homeowners had brought in from the street — and shelves, bump-outs and odd angles. The open wire rack shelving unit in a niche at the end of the room stuck out awkwardly.
After: Lewis removed the bump-outs and cleaned up the angles to create this clean and tidy new sink area. He uncovered a brick chimney during the process, but it turned out to be two small chimneys with a gap between them. “Not a brick chimney worthy of being exposed,” he says. Instead, he covered the chimneys with thin brick cladding to create the desired effect.
The brick works with the cabinets, open shelves, wallpaper and glass-front doors to create an eclectic yet timeless mix of elements.
A new 24-inch stainless steel dishwasher sits to the left of the sink. A paneled double trash pullout is to the right.
Lewis also replaced the former bulky radiator with a more modern flat-panel unit. “We were trying to maximize the space and make sure the dishwasher could open,” he says. “One of the things I like to do with older-style homes with radiators is to make them functional and not just give heat for the kitchen. This one offers a place to hang kitchen towels in front of it, so they can dry.”
Radiator: Sloane white horizontal single flat-panel designer radiator, Hudson Reed
Stash It All: Know the 3 Zones of Kitchen Storage
The brick works with the cabinets, open shelves, wallpaper and glass-front doors to create an eclectic yet timeless mix of elements.
A new 24-inch stainless steel dishwasher sits to the left of the sink. A paneled double trash pullout is to the right.
Lewis also replaced the former bulky radiator with a more modern flat-panel unit. “We were trying to maximize the space and make sure the dishwasher could open,” he says. “One of the things I like to do with older-style homes with radiators is to make them functional and not just give heat for the kitchen. This one offers a place to hang kitchen towels in front of it, so they can dry.”
Radiator: Sloane white horizontal single flat-panel designer radiator, Hudson Reed
Stash It All: Know the 3 Zones of Kitchen Storage
An elegant bridge faucet in an unlacquered brass finish coordinates with the cabinet hardware and the classic style of the kitchen.
A pair of floating cherry shelves above the sink offers display space for collectibles and plants. “It breaks up all the cabinetry,” Lewis says. “It also allowed us to expose more of the wallpaper.”
Faucet: Perrin & Rowe Georgian-era bridge kitchen faucet with side spray, House of Rohl
A pair of floating cherry shelves above the sink offers display space for collectibles and plants. “It breaks up all the cabinetry,” Lewis says. “It also allowed us to expose more of the wallpaper.”
Faucet: Perrin & Rowe Georgian-era bridge kitchen faucet with side spray, House of Rohl
A 24-inch smart convection microwave drawer oven sits to the lower left of the new countertop appliance garage. Lewis purposely kept the lower cabinets pulled off the wall to add more counter space in front of the appliance garage.
A tall cabinet to the right of the appliance garage is a full-depth pantry cabinet with pullouts.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
A tall cabinet to the right of the appliance garage is a full-depth pantry cabinet with pullouts.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
Before: Here’s a look at the former kitchen showing the mix of angles and protruding appliances. Notice the white fridge at the end sticking out. Pocket doors connect the space to the dining area. “They wanted to keep the pocket doors and some separation from the dining room,” Lewis says. “Some previous homeowner had removed the casing that removed some of the character.”
After: Lewis rehabbed the pocket doors and added a custom dark stain. “We also replaced the track and rehung them because they were not really functional before,” he says.
A new 36-inch French door refrigerator sits nearly flush with the new cabinetry.
A new 36-inch French door refrigerator sits nearly flush with the new cabinetry.
Before: This floor plan of the former layout shows the fridge at the lower left, with the dishwasher and sink above it. The radiator is at the top, below the picture window. On the right side, the range sat against a bump-out, creating awkward angles. A baker’s rack sat oddly in the niche at the top right. “They wanted to keep the same footprint,” Lewis says. “We considered a peninsula to give them a spot to sit, but in the end the galley footprint made the most sense.”
After: This floor plan of the updated kitchen shows how Lewis kept the fridge in the same location but swapped other components. The range is now on the left wall. The sink and dishwasher sit opposite. The picture window stayed in the same place. The trash pullouts, microwave drawer and appliance garage are labeled along the right.
“I love that we created so much historic charm to a historical home that had lost so much of its character,” Lewis says. “We created a kitchen with a huge amount of storage, but it also feels open and bright.”
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“I love that we created so much historic charm to a historical home that had lost so much of its character,” Lewis says. “We created a kitchen with a huge amount of storage, but it also feels open and bright.”
More on Houzz
Read more kitchen stories
Browse kitchen photos
Hire a kitchen remodeler
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A young couple and their dog
Location: South Philadelphia
Size: 135 square feet (13 square meters)
Designer: Sean Lewis of Airy Kitchens
Before: Visual and physical clutter defined the former kitchen. Large appliances stuck out and smaller ones covered the countertops. An open metal shelving unit at the rear kept bowls and dishes in plain sight. “It was a strange setup of storage,” Lewis says.
A wallpaper border and a ceiling fan that provided the only artificial light in the kitchen seemed oddly out of place. The fridge, dishwasher and sink sat along the left wall, the range on the right, leaving little countertop space.
The homeowners wanted to preserve the pocket doors, seen partially in the foreground, that separate the kitchen and dining room, as well as the large picture window that brings in natural light and a street view.