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KITCHEN AND BATH IDEAS
FAMILY HEIRLOOM
WIDE-OPEN SPACES AND OLD-FASHIONED GRACES EQUIP A GRAND OLD HOME'S KITCHEN FOR A NEW GENERATION.
By Heidi Tyline King
November/December 2006
It is one thing to fall in love with a historical home, but quite another when you're already in love with a modern look. Such was the case with Andrea and Charles Young, Chicago professionals who embraced loft living until their household grew from two to five in 32 short months. The couple were searching for a new home when Charles stumbled upon a lovable Georgian in the city's historic Kenwood district. "It had good bones and was large enough without being overwhelming," Charles says. "I knew it could be a great place for our family to really take in these early years and make good memories."
Smitten by the century-old home's character but not its cramped kitchen, the couple enlisted architect Cathy Osika to reconfigure the space for a family. They didn't want to sacrifice the home's vintage appeal, but they did request the kind of open, airy spaces found in lofts.
Working with general contractor Jim Kastenholz, Osika knocked out an exterior wall, added on to the side of the home, and eliminated two existing butler's pantries, an old-fashioned icebox, and a narrow hall.
"Because they had lived in a loft, the Youngs were accustomed to keeping the rooms as wide-open as possible," Osika says. "Yet we couldn't just do a massive big box." To divide the space but retain an open feel, she separated areas with built-ins rather than walls and added volume enhancing windows and French doors.
"Luckily, for the way the family lives and entertains, setting up areas within the room gives them flexibility for each member to be doing something different yet still be in the same room," Osika says.
At one end of the kitchen, a banquette for casual dining and homework is flanked by a desk and a hutch that doubles as a buffet for parties. At the other end, the range and surrounding cabinetry are recessed into the wall opposite an island with additional seating.
"From listening to music on the computer at the desk to eating at the banquette, we wanted it all right here, especially since this is where we spend about 70 percent of our time as a family," Charles says. "Functionality is what our architect did so well."
To blend the home's classic Georgian features with the couple's more contemporary tastes, Osika created vintage framework energized by fresh, modern choices. The cabinetry is classic white with beaded accents, moldings are elegant Georgian style, the range backsplash features rich marble, and the floor is dark-stained oak. However, appliances are stainless-steel, as in the sink - a modern take on the farmhouse shape, paired with sleek faucetry. The island top is a thick slab of today's stone-surfacing, and the hutch backsplash is contemporary glass tile.
"We used classic materials so the details could be more modern," Osika says. "After you have the layout and space designated, it is important to make sure that the connection between old and new os always maintained. The follow-through is the success of this story."
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Resources: Architect: Cathy Osika, AIA; General Contractor: Jim Kastenholz; Cabinetry: Krzysztof Jagoda; Range: Wolf Appliance Co, LLC.: Hood: Best by Broan; Refrigerator: Sub-Zero Freezer Co, Inc.; Microwave: Panasonic USA; Dishwasher: Miele, Inc.; Sink: Franke Kitchen Systems Division; Faucet Tara Classic: Dornbracht USA, Inc.; Island Countertops: Caesar Stone; perimeter countertops: marble, backsplash: Azul marble, banquette backsplash: Glacier glass tile: Stone Source Midwest; Overhead Lights: Urban Archaeology; Cabinetry Hardware Nouveau: Top Knobs USA, Inc.; Door Hardware: Baldwin Hardware Corp.; Paint: Clay-Beige - Benjamin Moore & Co.; Barstools, banquette pillows: Pottery Barn; Banquette Cabinetry: Blueberry Millwork; Banquette Table: Herendon; Chairs: Room & Board; Fabric: Donghia Furniture/Textiles, Ltd.; Sconces: Visual Comfort; Rug: Sea Grass - Stark Carpet Corp.; Trays, Pots, Vase: Crate & Barrel; White Towel: Restoration Hardware; Wine: Trader Joe's; Pewter Collection, Pewter Buckets: Barney's Chelsea Passage; Mortar & Pestle: Willams Sonoma; Blender: Bed, Bath & Beyond; Oil Can, Vase: Marshall Field's; Herbs, Flowers: MCA Farmer's Market.
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