Fitting the Frig

~Chapter Four: The Big Squeeze~

Renovating an historically significant home can be difficult since often times people feel a sense of stewardship rather than a sense of ownership of such properties. Finding the right balance between charm and function usually boils down to sacrificing one thing to gain another. In this chapter of our kitchen saga, my client struggles with removing a “pass-through” that was originally designed to expedite service between the formal dining, breakfast room and the kitchen

Photos shown- clockwise from top left:

1. The Before photo shows the kitchen with 1960’s cabinets from a previous owner.  The kitchen footprint and the counter “pass-through” are original to the house.  My clients wishes were to: keep the pass-through, retain as much counter space as possible, widen the entry between the pantry and the kitchen and have it look like it was original to the house.

2. Framing: The new entry being built which eventually becomes an arch.  General contractor, Gerry Kuebler and his crew created several “mockups” of the new refrigerator using large sheets of cardboard. This was invaluably helpful for my clients to feel the space and eventually they decided to eliminate the pass-through in favor of a more spacious entry area.

3. Drywall: The new arched doorway set on an angle, widens the passage from the kitchen creating better traffic flow through the pantry to the formal dining areas

4. Install: New custom cabinets being installed. Although the length of the counter length is less than it was before, we created useable surface by designing the microwave into the upper cabinetry.

~Finished photos will be posted in the Photo Gallery of my website very soon…so stay tuned~

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Every Stove should find it's Niche

~Chapter Three: Romancing the Stove~

One of the challenges in designing this kitchen was finding the space to add a center island and additional counter space with stools for casual dining.  The existing kitchen and laundry room were to remain as two separate rooms.  Since we were not building an addition to the kitchen, we had to figure out a way to accommodate these design goals.  After extensive consultation with an engineer and approval by the Preservation Board, it was decided to remove the chimney which enabled us to move the stove two feet. This gave us enough room to create the center island.  We needed to leave some wall to the left and right of the stove.  The original pantry is located behind and to the left and the chase which feeds plumbing and wiring to the second floor is on the right.

What you see in these photos (clockwise from top left) is: 1) the stove against the chimney wall in the original kitchen, 2) the chimney dismantled looking from the kitchen into the laundry room, 3) the new space for the stove as seen from the dining area and 4) the fabrication of the new arched entry into the kitchen from the pantry adjacent to the arched stove niche. Reclaimed hickory flooring being installed is from Pioneer Millworks in Farmington, NY

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