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Kitchen Detail
The Classic Group updates a 1930s kitchen that is both functional and fits into the home's original design.
Text by Nicole Maranhas | Photos by Eric Roth
The Classic Group designs a dream kitchen perfect for catering large parties as well as a place to enjoy morning coffee and views of the gardens.
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Set back from a wooded lane in Wayland, Massachusetts, this 1937 Colonial Revival is enchanting for more than its classic beauty. Designed by Boston architect Eleanor Raymond, noteworthy for doing work with vernacular forms as well as for being one of the few female architects of her time, the house is both rare and elegant in its simplicity—something the homeowners have known since they bought the house in the 1980s.
They were less enchanted with the small utilitarian kitchen, designed during a time when kitchens were used solely for cooking. Regarding the repeated attempts to update the flooring and wallpaper, "We kept trying to give it face-lifts," say the homeowners. As the years passed, the couple longed for a gathering space where they could entertain family and friends. They found The Classic Group, a design-build firm in Lexington that specializes in historic restoration and renovation, to create a contemporary kitchen that would fit with the home's vernacular sensibility.
The new kitchen feels as though it has always been part of the house. Expanded by 7 feet, the room is an inviting open space. A sunny breakfast nook overlooks the gardens, replacing a screen porch that once stood at the end of the terrace. Details borrowed from elsewhere in the house seamlessly blend old and new. A shed roof above the addition and breakfast nook was inspired by the roof of an enclosed porch formerly adjoining the family room. Beadboard ceilings incorporate a motif found throughout the house, while simple window casings and door openings mirror their original counterparts. For the exterior, white-painted cedar shingles match the original siding.
The centerpiece of the kitchen is a custom-built island, topped with polished granite and surrounded by bar stools for informal dining or chatting with the chef. "Originally, we wanted the island to contain the stove, but when we saw the sketches, we all agreed it chopped up the space." The stove stands against the exterior wall, while the sink and dishwasher are housed unobtrusively in the island. A second sink and commercial dishwasher beneath a wall of glass-door cabinets can accommodate large dinner parties.
Kochman Reidt + Haigh created the traditional custom cabinetry. "We didn't want the kitchen to look like a museum," say the homeowners, "but we wanted something that would fit with the house." Simple frames with flat recessed-panel doors offer a fresh take on the original style. The furniture bases on the cabinetry flanking the stove are detailed with decorative cutouts in place of standard toe-kicks. Instead of a factory finish, The Classic Group hand-painted each cabinet on-site with as many as 10 coats for durability as well as the look of an "old school" paint job, complete with brushstrokes.
Kochman Reidt + Haigh designed cabinet interiors with equal care. "We work with homeowners cabinet by cabinet, drawer by drawer, to understand how they are going to live in their kitchens," says Bob Clinton of Kochman Reidt + Haigh. Here is a kitchen in which every item claims a home of its own: Knives fit neatly into custom slots; teacups are snug in cubbies. Bottom cabinets feature sliding drawers or swing-out shelves so that no corner is wasted. A roll-out pantry turns a narrow space into an inconspicuous storage center. With everything out of sight, the countertops remain uncluttered and ready for use.
For the interiors, designer Nancy Barrett Eadie collaborated with the homeowners to select finishes and furnishings that evoke a sense of warmth. "We started with the island, choosing an interesting granite," Eadie says. Next, they searched for just the right lights to cast a glow over the rosy stone: French ceramic weighted pendant lamps in coral red boast spectacular shape and color. Animal etchings on the creamy tile backsplash recall the home's wooded surroundings. In the breakfast nook, coppery birds nestled among the arms of the chandelier play off the backsplash tile and the bronze hue of the outdoor fountain. Black countertops are honed granite to mimic the look of soapstone, allowing the island granite to shine.
The homeowners opted for a travertine stone floor, which is durable and practical for pets. Eadie suggested laying the stone in a random pattern to create an easy flow between the kitchen and breakfast nook, a slightly imperfect effect that adds to the warmth of the rooms.
In addition to installing central air and radiant heating in the house, The Classic Group also transformed a second porch into a year-round conservatory and created a terrace in view of the kitchen to provide a graceful transition between the house and landscape, a picturesque sweep of gardens cultivated by Sue Whitcombs. Overall, the new spaces preserve the harmony of three fields—interior, exterior, and landscape—for which Raymond was known.
"They thought about every detail so carefully," say the homeowners of The Classic Group. The team even set up a temporary kitchen in the dining room—complete with protective walls, flooring, appliances, and a sink—to ensure the homeowners would not be inconvenienced during construction. "I'd heard these horror stories about people cooking in their bathrooms with hot plates," says one of the homeowners. "I even had a view of my gardens."
The final result is undoubtedly one that would have pleased Raymond, not only because the renovations carry the imprint of the original house but also because she believed first and foremost in designing homes to reflect the needs and lifestyles of the homeowners. Watching the home bask in the late morning sun—wisteria framing the pergola above the terrace, breakfast windows opening to the fresh air, a dog cheerfully barking in the kitchen—one gets the sense of a family truly at home.
Nicole Maranhas is a freelance writer who lives in Chatham, Massachusetts.
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