Eclectic, Rustic and a bit Steam Punk
Claremont

Our initial conversations with the homeowners for this remodel revolved around opening the kitchen to the dining room, updating the kitchen and addressing the large distance between work surfaces in the original galley kitchen. Through our Design Build Analysis process, we worked with the homeowners, addressing their issues and concerns to design the kitchen of their dreams.

Initially, the homeowners wanted a “farmhouse chic” style for their kitchen, however, after a deep dive into their inspiration board, we discovered their love for a more turn-of-the-century industrial Chicago feel.  Cooking and entertaining family and friends is essential to the homeowners, so the kitchen needed to be functional, and the centeral point for all their gatherings.

For inspiration, we used the words of Frank Lloyd Wright, who wrote, “The hearth [fireplace] is the psychological center of the home”, the gathering place of the family. Today, that “hearth” is the kitchen. Drawing inspiration from traditional brick fireplaces, we bordered the cooktop and hood with old Chicago-style brick that frames the matte black metal backsplash and Shou Sugi Ban surround of the hood, creating our reinterpretation of the hearth, the center of this family’s home,

We updated the old and gave it a modern spin while maintaining the feel of a relic from the past, by creating contrast between the industrial and the crafted in our use of the steel, brick, and soapstone, contrasting with the walnut cabinets, reclaimed wood flooring and hand-trawled Venetian plaster. One of the best examples of this was to update and build an apothecary cabinet as part of the backsplash. The homeowners shopped at architectural salvage stores for knobs, personalizing the drawers of the apothecary. The richness of the walnut apothecary and cabinets is carried into the bar top which is made of end grain cubes of walnut. Chrome-plated machined handles on the walnut cabinets perfectly complement the stainless-steel appliances adding to the industrial versus hand-crafted feel. The chrome and black rubber of the pot filler and sink faucet contrast and accentuate the smooth finish and warm feel of the copper sink.

Another area of design is in the material selection at the thresholds.  Between the stone in the foyer and the porcelain tile in the kitchen, is a walnut threshold, but between the foyer and living room, we used reclaimed barn wood. In the kitchen, we connected the reclaimed barnwood flooring to the tile in the kitchen with rusted corten steel threshold with stainless steel screws.

As with all our projects, there is a desire to bring the tactile qualities of the materials to the forefront, such as rough/smooth, cool/warm, old/new. The texture of the flooring, whether in shoes or barefoot, transmits sound and feel, and texture and temperature differently as you move from space to space. Similarly, the glass-like Venetian plaster transitions into the reclaimed wood flooring, and the rough brick landing on the smooth soapstone creates a sensation to the touch. These sensations, along with the visual play of light on textures, help create a rich and inviting space. 

photos by: Megan Bob Photography