Kitchen of the Week: Warm Historic Style in New England
A designer creates a sense of age and history in an 1860 Greek Revival home on Boston’s South Shore
This family’s Greek Revival home in Hingham, Massachusetts, was built in 1860. But the kitchen had undergone a renovation that had stripped away any trace of the home’s history. “It was very important to these homeowners to honor the house and bring the historic feeling back,” says their interior designer, Judith Whalen. She used a warm color palette and nodded to history through materials and design elements.
“This is the holiday house. They host every Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter for their extended family, and every Fourth of July they have a huge parade-watching party,” Whalen says. “But while they love to host large groups, they also needed the kitchen to work when it was just the four of them.” She laid out the kitchen with a cooking and prepping zone separate from the cleanup zone.
In this family, the husband is the main cook and they like to eat almost all their meals in the kitchen together. Seating options include counter stools at the island and a kitchen table with a built-in banquette.
In this family, the husband is the main cook and they like to eat almost all their meals in the kitchen together. Seating options include counter stools at the island and a kitchen table with a built-in banquette.
The previous kitchen had an oversize black-and-white checkerboard pattern on the floor. Whalen brought in maple hardwood to match the floors in much of the rest of the house. She also matched the millwork in the kitchen to the home’s original millwork. Other elements that nod to history include oil-rubbed bronze hardware and lighting and cabinet doors with raised panels.
“We wanted the banquette to also serve as a spot where they could really nestle in,” Whalen says. She bookended the bench with cabinetry to provide backrests. “The blinds provide some privacy without diminishing the light and keep this a cozy little nook during the winter,” she says.
Cabinets: Alpine White finish, Wood-Mode
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“We wanted the banquette to also serve as a spot where they could really nestle in,” Whalen says. She bookended the bench with cabinetry to provide backrests. “The blinds provide some privacy without diminishing the light and keep this a cozy little nook during the winter,” she says.
Cabinets: Alpine White finish, Wood-Mode
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Glass cabinet doors with muntins coordinate with the windows and give the homeowners a place to display favorite things. Lower cabinets and drawers below the bench provide additional storage. A local craftsperson made the kitchen table with wood reclaimed from elsewhere in the house.
Maximus rectangular chandelier: Currey & Co.
Maximus rectangular chandelier: Currey & Co.
Whalen set up a cooking corridor within the large kitchen. It’s easy to prep at the island, which has a sink. The range, double ovens and fridge are all close together. “These clients value quality and stability and chose to invest in top-tier appliances,” Whalen says. “They didn’t want to have to replace or repair them five or 10 years down the road.”
Just past the fridge is a butler’s pantry. It connects the kitchen to the dining room and provides a service area and elegant bar.
Just past the fridge is a butler’s pantry. It connects the kitchen to the dining room and provides a service area and elegant bar.
A spice drawer is within easy reach of the range.
The backsplash is classic 2-by-6-inch winter white subway tile. “It has a warm tone and is handmade, so it has an undulating look,” Whalen says.
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The backsplash is classic 2-by-6-inch winter white subway tile. “It has a warm tone and is handmade, so it has an undulating look,” Whalen says.
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“We set up the storage so that everything needed to prep, cook and pack up a meal were all within the cooking corridor,” Whalen says. The island holds cooking tools, baking sheets and pans, mixing bowls, storage bags, tinfoil and containers for leftovers or packing lunches.
“It’s important to keep everything someone will need to complete a task within a few steps,” Whalen says. “This way they aren’t bothering others who are working on other tasks.”
Browse counter stools in the Houzz Shop
“It’s important to keep everything someone will need to complete a task within a few steps,” Whalen says. “This way they aren’t bothering others who are working on other tasks.”
Browse counter stools in the Houzz Shop
The designer purposely located a cleanup area off to the side of the room. Under the windows is a 30-inch sink, large enough for a roaster or a lobster pot. Underneath the counter she placed the trash compactor and dishwasher. Dish cabinets are within easy reach. “I like to keep the cleanup area off a kitchen island. No one wants to sit at an island and look at a mess,” she says.
“We needed the vent hood to coordinate with the cabinetry and to look like it has lived there for quite a while,” Whalen says. “The tiny corbels speak to a Colonial-style fireplace they have in another room.”
Now the kitchen feels like it belongs in the home. “These clients really wanted to do their due diligence to bring the house back,” Whalen says. “It was very important to them.”
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Now the kitchen feels like it belongs in the home. “These clients really wanted to do their due diligence to bring the house back,” Whalen says. “It was very important to them.”
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of four
Location: Hingham, Massachusetts
Size: 325 square feet (30 square meters) plus a butler’s pantry
Designers: Judith Whalen of the Design Studio (interior design) and HC Design (architecture)
The existing kitchen had style that looked straight out of the movie Beetlejuice. It was bold, stark, streamlined and not at all appropriate for a Greek Revival house. The kitchen remodel was part of a large remodeling project that encompassed much of the house. HC Design completed the architecture and navigated the approval process with the local historical commission.
Whalen used a warm color palette and chose materials with a vintage feel. “We avoided anything that was too on-trend, because that will become dated. We looked to what the house needed,” she says. “We didn’t want this to be a bright white box. And while gray is great in California, Florida and Texas, it can feel cold in New England. We have a lot of gray days, so it’s tough to live with here.” Instead, Whalen chose a warm sandy beige paint from Benjamin Moore’s Historical Collection for the walls and ivory for the cabinets.
She used Ivory Fantasy granite with a leathered finish for the countertops. “This is a great old-school piece of stone that is tough as nails. We knew it would have to stand up to science projects and the holidays,” Whalen says. “We wanted a stone that has been around a long time. Quartz doesn’t belong in this house, and while soapstone is historic, it would have been too dark in here.”
The pendant lights over the island have seeded glass. Their irregular shapes recall onion lanterns, which are commonly seen on the exterior of historical homes in New England.
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