Kitchen Design
Kitchen of the Week
Kitchen of the Week: Creativity Shines in Seattle
Clever floor stencils and reused materials keep this Seattle kitchen true to its 1917 roots
Despite its modern patterned floor and bright orange backsplash, this kitchen has some surprisingly traditional roots. Built in 1917, this Seattle home previously had only one owner, who had done minimal updates over the years. Although the clients didn't want to keep the rusted metal cabinetry or barely functioning stove, they still wanted to honor the home's history. Designer Laura Zeck used salvaged materials, dressed up the original floors and framed found art to combine the past with the present in this warm and beautiful design.
Kitchen at a Glance
Location: Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, Washington
Size: 200 square feet
Kitchen at a Glance
Location: Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, Washington
Size: 200 square feet
The kitchen bar area — complete with a zinc countertop — had been an adjacent sunroom. The custom maple ply cabinetry design, fabrication and installation cost about $11,000. The cutouts on the kitchen's storage drawers echo the cutouts on the shelves.
Faucet: Karbon Articulating Faucet, Kohler; sink: Franke; cabinetry: custom by Mike Miller Construction; dishwasher: Fisher and Paykel
Faucet: Karbon Articulating Faucet, Kohler; sink: Franke; cabinetry: custom by Mike Miller Construction; dishwasher: Fisher and Paykel
The wood for the open shelving was found in the home's basement — another tribute to the house's history. Before refrigerators became home mainstays, the basement held a larger refrigerator with individual lockers and shelves for the members of the small fishing community the house is in. These open shelves once sat inside the lockers.
Next to the L-shaped countertop, a short hallway with a swinging door helps separate the kitchen's mess from the rest of the house. The floral wallpaper inspired the stenciled pattern on the kitchen floor.
The pantry shelf to the right of the refrigerator makes use of the refrigerator doors found in the basement, too.
The zinc bar top cost $850, so the clients opted for a more budget-friendly option on the other countertops. Salvaged slate chalkboards, found at Seattle's ReStore for $5 per square foot, were wet sanded, fit with a custom stainless steel edge and finished with linseed oil.
Refrigerator: Liebherr
The zinc bar top cost $850, so the clients opted for a more budget-friendly option on the other countertops. Salvaged slate chalkboards, found at Seattle's ReStore for $5 per square foot, were wet sanded, fit with a custom stainless steel edge and finished with linseed oil.
Refrigerator: Liebherr
The original fir floors have a beautiful honey color, but there were some very damaged sections. The homeowners liked the floor's patina but wanted to distract from the ruined parts. After the first coat of finish, Zeck painted large stenciled sections onto the floor in the same light gray as the walls, then put on two more coats of finish.
Range: Blue Star; hood: Vent–a-hood