Kitchen of the Week: Nods to History in a Renovated Farmhouse
A designer thoughtfully updates a 19th-century kitchen and improves its layout for a young family
This 1800s farmhouse in Dover, Massachusetts, had lots of original charm but also had undergone several renovations over the years. The homeowners, parents of two young boys, needed help adapting the kitchen to work with their 21st-century lifestyle. “I would describe my clients’ style as traditional but clean and unfussy,” interior designer Jeanne Barber says.
The existing kitchen was generously sized but had a lot of wasted space. For the new layout, Barber considered things like improving the traffic flow between rooms, accommodating gatherings and creating a way for the young children who live here to grab drinks and snacks in a spot outside the work triangle. She aimed to blend modern conveniences with traditional elements, and she did so skillfully, giving the kitchen what she calls “mood and soul.”
The existing kitchen was generously sized but had a lot of wasted space. For the new layout, Barber considered things like improving the traffic flow between rooms, accommodating gatherings and creating a way for the young children who live here to grab drinks and snacks in a spot outside the work triangle. She aimed to blend modern conveniences with traditional elements, and she did so skillfully, giving the kitchen what she calls “mood and soul.”
Before Photo
After: Barber removed the kitchen desk and eat-in areas and made this side of the kitchen the main prep and cooking area. She centered a range alcove on the wall to serve as the focal point. A new large island serves as an eat-in space and prep surface. It contains a 36-inch sink and a dishwasher.
Barber had worked with these homeowners before, so she already had a solid understanding of their lifestyle, as well as their trust. “Working with them had given me insight into how they live,” she says. “This is an active and sporty family without pretension, and the kitchen had to reflect that.” Style-wise, the new design mixes old and new, updating the kitchen to suit the historic home.
Understanding the family’s lifestyle was important when designing the layout and choosing materials. “I knew they weren’t afraid of a little upkeep like oiling soapstone or keeping glass cabinets organized, but also that they didn’t like a lot of fussiness,” Barber says.
Cabinet color: Edgecomb Gray, Benjamin Moore; range: Aga; faucet: Brizo; sink: Kohler
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Barber had worked with these homeowners before, so she already had a solid understanding of their lifestyle, as well as their trust. “Working with them had given me insight into how they live,” she says. “This is an active and sporty family without pretension, and the kitchen had to reflect that.” Style-wise, the new design mixes old and new, updating the kitchen to suit the historic home.
Understanding the family’s lifestyle was important when designing the layout and choosing materials. “I knew they weren’t afraid of a little upkeep like oiling soapstone or keeping glass cabinets organized, but also that they didn’t like a lot of fussiness,” Barber says.
Cabinet color: Edgecomb Gray, Benjamin Moore; range: Aga; faucet: Brizo; sink: Kohler
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The homeowners wanted to maintain the exterior wall and its windows and doors, left. This is the door the family uses to enter the house, so Barber had to consider that traffic flow when reconfiguring the layout. She placed the island accordingly, leaving open routes to the hallway off the other end of the island and to the dining room behind it.
The large island and a better connection between the kitchen and dining room turned the kitchen into a great spot for gathering. It’s a casual space that works with the family’s lifestyle and looks like it was layered over time, working beautifully with the home’s traditional style.
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The large island and a better connection between the kitchen and dining room turned the kitchen into a great spot for gathering. It’s a casual space that works with the family’s lifestyle and looks like it was layered over time, working beautifully with the home’s traditional style.
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The range wall has a Vermont Danby marble backsplash. Barber recommended tongue-and-groove paneling on the backsplash around it. “The tongue and groove is a nod to country houses, and it also allows the range backsplash to take center stage,” she says. “Also, its verticality accentuates the high ceilings.”
The designer tucked niches around the sides of the range, making it easy to grab items like oils and seasonings. The cabinets that flank the range have brass grilles. “This is a great way to add a textural element to a kitchen,” Barber says. “I like to use a tight weave to hide anything that might look a little messy inside.”
The counter stools bring in an updated touch and mix of textures and patterns. “These stools are great. They are teak with woven backs,” Barber says. “I used a wipeable faux leather on the seats and a Peter Dunham performance fabric on the backs.”
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The designer tucked niches around the sides of the range, making it easy to grab items like oils and seasonings. The cabinets that flank the range have brass grilles. “This is a great way to add a textural element to a kitchen,” Barber says. “I like to use a tight weave to hide anything that might look a little messy inside.”
The counter stools bring in an updated touch and mix of textures and patterns. “These stools are great. They are teak with woven backs,” Barber says. “I used a wipeable faux leather on the seats and a Peter Dunham performance fabric on the backs.”
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
“I used a mix of beige-y gray paint and walnut in here, which gives the kitchen a little bit of a country feel,” Barber says. “A super-white kitchen would have felt too modern. I like to give kitchens some mood and soul.”
The cabinets are inset Shaker style. “These are very simple and clean and fit the historic house,” Barber says. The countertops are soapstone, a material that’s appropriate to the home’s era. The black pendant lights with mirrored shade interiors nod to the midcentury era, lending a layered-over-time look to the space.
The tall walnut cabinet has a freestanding furniture look that also nods to historic kitchens. “My clients like uncluttered counters, and this gave them a good place to conceal small appliances,” Barber says. The panel-front refrigerator was a good fit for a historic home.
25 Old-Fashioned House Details Worth Keeping or Reimagining
The cabinets are inset Shaker style. “These are very simple and clean and fit the historic house,” Barber says. The countertops are soapstone, a material that’s appropriate to the home’s era. The black pendant lights with mirrored shade interiors nod to the midcentury era, lending a layered-over-time look to the space.
The tall walnut cabinet has a freestanding furniture look that also nods to historic kitchens. “My clients like uncluttered counters, and this gave them a good place to conceal small appliances,” Barber says. The panel-front refrigerator was a good fit for a historic home.
25 Old-Fashioned House Details Worth Keeping or Reimagining
Before Photo
Before: This photo shows the main food prep and work area on the other side of the original kitchen. To get a sense of the room’s configuration, compare the refrigerator in the photo above with the new one in the previous photo. An exterior window is in the center of the counter and cabinet area. The right side of the photo shows the original opening to the dining room.
The kitchen work area and island were compressed into this corner even though it accounted for only about half the room’s square footage. The generous size of the kitchen allowed Barber to move the main work area out of this corner to the opposite side of the kitchen and make this a special spot.
The kitchen work area and island were compressed into this corner even though it accounted for only about half the room’s square footage. The generous size of the kitchen allowed Barber to move the main work area out of this corner to the opposite side of the kitchen and make this a special spot.
After: This shot looks straight on toward the new refrigerator and counter area. The window is just visible on the right and the double ovens have been removed.
“I wanted this corner to maintain an open feeling,” Barber says. “It has a window, and I didn’t want things to feel too enclosed around it.” Accordingly, she added an open shelf outfitted with a brass rail. “I am passionate about making an open shelf run into a cabinet or a wall,” Barber says. “When a shelf’s corners are exposed, it looks less deliberate.”
She also recommended a special backsplash for this corner. “To make this area feel special and a bit separate from the rest of the kitchen, I used a zellige tile with taupe-y gold accents,” she says. “I wanted these hooks to be useful not only for pots and pans, but also for dishtowels and cups for the kids.”
The decision to locate the fridge outside the main work triangle was intentional. “With two small boys in the house, it’s in a spot where they can grab things without getting in the way of whoever is cooking,” Barber says.
The designer knew her clients wanted a kitchen that was more conducive to entertaining, so she created a bigger opening to the dining room. She was able to do this by removing the wall ovens and shortening the run of cabinetry on the right. It wasn’t photographed, but the enlarged opening begins just past the end of those cabinets.
Designers’ Favorite Ways to Use Brass in a Kitchen
“I wanted this corner to maintain an open feeling,” Barber says. “It has a window, and I didn’t want things to feel too enclosed around it.” Accordingly, she added an open shelf outfitted with a brass rail. “I am passionate about making an open shelf run into a cabinet or a wall,” Barber says. “When a shelf’s corners are exposed, it looks less deliberate.”
She also recommended a special backsplash for this corner. “To make this area feel special and a bit separate from the rest of the kitchen, I used a zellige tile with taupe-y gold accents,” she says. “I wanted these hooks to be useful not only for pots and pans, but also for dishtowels and cups for the kids.”
The decision to locate the fridge outside the main work triangle was intentional. “With two small boys in the house, it’s in a spot where they can grab things without getting in the way of whoever is cooking,” Barber says.
The designer knew her clients wanted a kitchen that was more conducive to entertaining, so she created a bigger opening to the dining room. She was able to do this by removing the wall ovens and shortening the run of cabinetry on the right. It wasn’t photographed, but the enlarged opening begins just past the end of those cabinets.
Designers’ Favorite Ways to Use Brass in a Kitchen
These long-armed sconces shed light onto the countertop. The window provides a sunny spot on the counter for placing herbs. The window treatment is a French fabric by Antoinette Poisson.
“This is a very classic historical pattern that brought in the colors my clients liked,” Barber says. “It also has a little charcoal in it that mirrors the island pendants.”
Fun fact: Barber’s great-grandparents had been the live-in driver and housekeeper at one of her client’s great-grandparents’ homes. A wonderful working relationship continues between her and her clients generations later.
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“This is a very classic historical pattern that brought in the colors my clients liked,” Barber says. “It also has a little charcoal in it that mirrors the island pendants.”
Fun fact: Barber’s great-grandparents had been the live-in driver and housekeeper at one of her client’s great-grandparents’ homes. A wonderful working relationship continues between her and her clients generations later.
More on Houzz
Read more kitchen stories
Browse kitchen photos
Find design and remodeling pros
Shop for kitchen products
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two young boys
Location: Dover, Massachusetts
Size: 320 square feet (30 square meters)
Designer: Jeanne Barber of Camden Grace
Before: The existing kitchen was divided into two parts. The prep and cooking area was on the other side of the kitchen off the right frame of this photo. You can see it below in another “before” photo. The side pictured here had a desk with low countertops surrounding it, and its main purpose was storage. The homeowners didn’t use the desk area so it was wasting valuable space. To the left was an eat-in area.
“This house has some additions, but the kitchen was part of the original home,” Barber says. “It had beautifully high ceilings but a funky layout.”
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