Kitchen Design
Kitchen of the Week
Kitchen of the Week: Sophisticated Farmhouse Style in Minnesota
A workhorse island with iron detailing and a pewter countertop is just one of the highlights of this creative space
Although the 1870s Victorian house outside St. Paul, Minnesota, is on the National Register of Historic Places, the homeowners didn’t want to live in the past. Much of the home’s interior has a modern feel, but in the kitchen, the wife wanted something different. “There was nothing about her that screamed, ‘Give me a white decorator kitchen,’” says interior designer Jacqueline Fortier. “One thing she really wanted was a kitchen that went with the house.” That meant abandoning early thoughts of a brash palette and working toward a refined take on a farmhouse kitchen design that would stand the test of time.
BEFORE: The nondescript kitchen before the remodel lacks visual interest and warmth.
AFTER: “I’m not a huge fan of islands,” Fortier says, “but they do solve some functional issues, and, in this kitchen, it does. What I try to avoid is the standard wall of miles and miles of cabinetry and countertop space.”
The 72-by-46-inch island, topped in luxurious (lead-free) pewter, is a workhorse. In addition to housing the large farmhouse sink, a pair of dishwasher drawers and the pullout trash, it offers handy counter seating.
The cooking setup is an exercise in efficiency. The stove, flanked by cabinets, is only a step away from the refrigerator, and a half-pirouette from the sink and cleanup facilities.
The 72-by-46-inch island, topped in luxurious (lead-free) pewter, is a workhorse. In addition to housing the large farmhouse sink, a pair of dishwasher drawers and the pullout trash, it offers handy counter seating.
The cooking setup is an exercise in efficiency. The stove, flanked by cabinets, is only a step away from the refrigerator, and a half-pirouette from the sink and cleanup facilities.
The freestanding cupboard is “an old piece we found literally down the street at an antiques store,” Fortier says. Since space was tight, it had to fit and be functional. It’s used as a pantry as well as to display serving pieces and knickknacks. At 14 inches deep, the cupboard allows free passage around the island, and gives an aura of age and authenticity.
The island’s hard metal framework gives way to an old-fashioned floral linen sink skirt sitting under the deep farmhouse sink. “I always try to sneak in a fabric curtain under the sink,” Fortier says. “In kitchens, you don’t have a lot of opportunities to add softness because you want the materials to be hard and functional and wear well.”
Not only does a sink skirt bring in another material to the mix, it also carries, Fortier says, “a sense of nostalgia” and is a place to add pattern. Her choice was “floral but not too Victorian,” in shades of steely gray-blue with a shot of mustard yellow on a soft white field. “It added a bit of femininity to a mostly masculine island,” she says.
Farmhouse sink: Shaws, Rohl; dishwasher drawers: Fisher & Paykel; sink skirt fabric: Camberwell Vase in citrine, Schumacher; island cabinetry: custom design by Jacqueline Fortier Design, fabricated by Zroka Cabinet and Fixture
Not only does a sink skirt bring in another material to the mix, it also carries, Fortier says, “a sense of nostalgia” and is a place to add pattern. Her choice was “floral but not too Victorian,” in shades of steely gray-blue with a shot of mustard yellow on a soft white field. “It added a bit of femininity to a mostly masculine island,” she says.
Farmhouse sink: Shaws, Rohl; dishwasher drawers: Fisher & Paykel; sink skirt fabric: Camberwell Vase in citrine, Schumacher; island cabinetry: custom design by Jacqueline Fortier Design, fabricated by Zroka Cabinet and Fixture
“The legs of the island are a style setter for the overall look of the kitchen,” Fortier says. The choice of rugged iron, elegantly curved, enabled her to add a different texture and material to the room and its clear-coated maple flooring. “Kitchens in general have too much wood in them,” she says. “Whenever I can introduce an element outside of wood, I do.”
Using the iron in such a graceful way also was instrumental “in avoiding the quintessential farmhouse country look,” Fortier adds. The iron was left raw “to take it almost into the industrial handcrafted element” but rubbed with beeswax so it won’t rust.
Ironwork: custom design by Jacqueline Fortier Design,
fabricated by CNC Metalcraft
Using the iron in such a graceful way also was instrumental “in avoiding the quintessential farmhouse country look,” Fortier adds. The iron was left raw “to take it almost into the industrial handcrafted element” but rubbed with beeswax so it won’t rust.
Ironwork: custom design by Jacqueline Fortier Design,
fabricated by CNC Metalcraft
The cozy nook seems meant for dining, but it was intended as an art space for the couple’s creative daughter. “That was the first idea we decided on,” Fortier says. “The way I sold it: You have this one daughter, she’s always doing projects, you don’t want her to do them on the island because then you have to clear them away when they aren’t finished to sit down and have a meal.” Eventually, Fortier figures, the nook will become a homework and computer station.
The curvy iron legs mirror those on the island, but the tabletop is soapstone. Under-seat drawers house the art supplies. The arched seat backs repeat the shape of the mudroom bench. Fortier used magnetic paint on the nook wall so the budding artist can display her works. The finishing touch: a dainty chandelier — “a little girl fantasy,” Fortier says.
Table, benches: custom design by Jacqueline Fortier Design; bench paint: Temptation, BM 1609, Benjamin Moore; magnetic paint: Benjamin Moore
The curvy iron legs mirror those on the island, but the tabletop is soapstone. Under-seat drawers house the art supplies. The arched seat backs repeat the shape of the mudroom bench. Fortier used magnetic paint on the nook wall so the budding artist can display her works. The finishing touch: a dainty chandelier — “a little girl fantasy,” Fortier says.
Table, benches: custom design by Jacqueline Fortier Design; bench paint: Temptation, BM 1609, Benjamin Moore; magnetic paint: Benjamin Moore
The cabinetry wall, with its rustic tile, open plate rack and chicken-wire cupboard, comes the closest to a real farmhouse look. The symmetrical countertops next to the stove are made of different materials. On the left is butcher block for the wife’s cooking prep work, and on the right is soapstone, a cold surface good for rolling dough, for the husband’s baking station.
The plate rack is an element Fortier particularly likes. “I always put those plate racks in my kitchens,” she says. “They are so darn functional; that’s the one thing my clients love most about them. They are great for people who don’t want open shelving but want a little character in their kitchens.”
The cabinetry, made from paint-grade maple, looks fresh and of an age at the same time, thanks to the glazed finish on the off-white painted surfaces. Fortier herself did the glazing, which, she explains, “dulls the finish, which is one of the reasons to do it. It also accentuates the moldings and hides fingerprints.”
“I always glaze my kitchen cabinets,” she goes on. “It’s softer to the touch, softer looking to the eyes. It blends well with darker countertops. It makes the kitchen more comfortable and older looking. The cabinets age better.”
The plate rack is an element Fortier particularly likes. “I always put those plate racks in my kitchens,” she says. “They are so darn functional; that’s the one thing my clients love most about them. They are great for people who don’t want open shelving but want a little character in their kitchens.”
The cabinetry, made from paint-grade maple, looks fresh and of an age at the same time, thanks to the glazed finish on the off-white painted surfaces. Fortier herself did the glazing, which, she explains, “dulls the finish, which is one of the reasons to do it. It also accentuates the moldings and hides fingerprints.”
“I always glaze my kitchen cabinets,” she goes on. “It’s softer to the touch, softer looking to the eyes. It blends well with darker countertops. It makes the kitchen more comfortable and older looking. The cabinets age better.”
The kitchen’s big splurge: the island’s hand-fabricated pewter countertop. “Pewter is pretty durable; it’s been around for hundreds of years,” Fortier says. “It’s a beautiful element to add to any space because it already has that sense of age. It takes on the character of the clients — and these clients are full of character.”
Pewter is a notoriously soft metal, but that only enhances its charm, Fortier says. “I don’t think people should be scared about how raw materials age,” she says. “That’s where the beauty of the materials comes out, when they take on the patina of the owners.” It didn’t take long for this countertop to reflect its owners. Within a month of installation, the couple’s daughter had etched “I love you” into its surface. “How can you not melt when you see that?” Fortier says.
Pewter countertop: François & Co.
Pewter is a notoriously soft metal, but that only enhances its charm, Fortier says. “I don’t think people should be scared about how raw materials age,” she says. “That’s where the beauty of the materials comes out, when they take on the patina of the owners.” It didn’t take long for this countertop to reflect its owners. Within a month of installation, the couple’s daughter had etched “I love you” into its surface. “How can you not melt when you see that?” Fortier says.
Pewter countertop: François & Co.
“A really traditional French kitchen always has blue and white tile,” Fortier says. “We automatically knew we wanted to bring that French touch into it.” The rustic terra-cotta tile, in shades of midnight blue and charcoal black on a cream field, “fit the bill.” While the overall pattern is large, the detail work is small, so the tiles don’t overpower the subtlety of the cabinetry finish. At the same time, the tile pulls together the entire kitchen palette for a cohesive look.
“All those elements came together perfectly,” Fortier says. “They all blended, and I’m not a match-matchy person. It’s neat in the end.”
Backsplash tile: Palio 1,Tabarka Studio; stove: Bertazzoni; cabinetry: custom design by Jacqueline Fortier Design; cabinetry paint: Shoji White, SW 7042, Sherwin-Williams; glazing: custom glaze using Benjamin Moore Glaze Base, Jacqueline Fortier Design
“All those elements came together perfectly,” Fortier says. “They all blended, and I’m not a match-matchy person. It’s neat in the end.”
Backsplash tile: Palio 1,Tabarka Studio; stove: Bertazzoni; cabinetry: custom design by Jacqueline Fortier Design; cabinetry paint: Shoji White, SW 7042, Sherwin-Williams; glazing: custom glaze using Benjamin Moore Glaze Base, Jacqueline Fortier Design
Another traditional touch is the open shelving above the butcher block counter, with space for a fancy tea set.
The cabinetry gives the modern refrigerator, with a pair of drawer compartments, a traditional appearance.
Refrigerator: Liebherr
Refrigerator: Liebherr
Perhaps nothing says farmhouse more than chicken-wire cabinets. “She likes chickens,” Fortier says of the homeowner. “It was a nod to her desire to have a chicken coop, or a small nod to a country kitchen, but minimally. It’s a slight intro to a different style, but it’s not in your face.” The cabinet pulls up to open and accommodates large bowls or long platters.
“Everyone comments on the mudroom,” Fortier says. While the storage bench, coat rack and cabinetry pick up the shape and hue of the art nook, the wild encaustic tile “carpet” — “organized chaos,” as Fortier describes it — expresses the wife’s love of color and pattern.
Star pendant: Visual Comfort; floor tile: Sabine Hill; cabinetry and bench: custom design by Jacqueline Fortier Design; cabinetry paint: Temptation, BM 1609, Benjamin Moore
See more Kitchens of the Week
Star pendant: Visual Comfort; floor tile: Sabine Hill; cabinetry and bench: custom design by Jacqueline Fortier Design; cabinetry paint: Temptation, BM 1609, Benjamin Moore
See more Kitchens of the Week
Who lives here: A couple in their 40s and their 7-year-old daughter; he’s a restaurateur who loves to bake
Location: Dayton’s Bluff, Minnesota
Size: 426 square feet (39.6 square meters), plus a 192-square-foot (17.8-square-meter) mudroom
Designer: Jacqueline Fortier of Jacqueline Fortier Design
This detail-packed kitchen has an iron-encased island with a pewter countertop, glazed cabinetry and a seating nook. “We were careful not to have it too farmhouse-y,” Fortier says. “It’s a city kitchen, and we didn’t want it to be country.”
The wife loves color, and, at the start of discussions, “it was going to be a lot more colorful than what it ended up being,” Fortier recounts. “We paid a lot of attention to rein in the project to not make it so wild. In the end, it is a really beautiful, classic kitchen that can last 30 to 40 years.”
Among the kitchen’s special touches, the glass pendant lights over the island have garnered many admirers during home tours and open houses. They replaced other lights that turned out to be too large. Fortier had the original bright chrome finish “knocked down to look like zinc,” then installed old-fashioned Edison-style bulbs. “I didn’t think they would get so much praise, but people love those fixtures,” Fortier says. Their not-quite-modern but not-quite-traditional look blends with the overall design.
Pendant lights: Cyan Design; bar stools: McGuire Furniture