Kitchen Walk 2016 Gallery

By moving the garage door of this River Forest corner Italianate Revival, the homeowner was able to re-engineer the driveway and extend the house to add a new dining room, more functional kitchen space, and master suite with rooftop deck. The transitional design of the kitchen suits the busy family of five’s daily routine and the mix of metals and finishes highlights their eclectic style.  A Carrara marble-topped island is the centerpiece, with pull up seating, a prep sink and plenty of work space.  The kitchen is open to adjacent family and breakfast rooms for casual entertaining.  Open shelving alongside the deep copper sink is practical and allows the influx of light from the South windows.  Special care was taken in lighting selections, with three conical pendants over the island, and perforated brass sconces and a chandelier with gold foil-lined shade in the adjacent breakfast area.  The recessed butler’s pantry with natural grain walnut cabinetry is an elegant transition to the formal dining room, providing plenty of storage, and serving as a hidden bar and snack station. Arched doorways make a smooth transition in the new space, and original doors and windows are repurposed throughout. A new powder room and mudroom are a few steps down at the back door.

After 25 years in this 1892 Oak Park farm house, the homeowner-designer reconfigured her existing kitchen space to give it a more urban feel, while maintaining true to the home’s Victorian style. She opened the kitchen to the living room, creating a more functional, circular flow through the house.  Modern touches are bold, but feel authentic with a cool palette and incorporation of vintage details.  Deep blue cabinets are fixed with oiled bronze pulls and set off by white subway tile, whose red clay body subtly shows through, adding texture.  Light streams in the large single pane that replaced the classic pair of double-hung windows over the range. A vast cherry hutch stores dishes, cookware and pantry items behind seeded glass. Glass containers for bulk food items give the cabinet visual interest and add a rural effect.  A rectangular island allows pull-up seating for four and mimics the crisp lines on the modern stainless hood. An all-fridge tower includes bio-fresh technology, to keep all sorts of produce fresh for weeks.  Frozen goods are stored in an under-counter freezer. Relocating the back stairs enabled the addition of a bright breakfast table under a single orb pendant. White cabinetry with crystal pulls repurposed from the old kitchen provides additional storage and hides a beverage fridge.

The original 1980s kitchen in this homeowner-designer’s three-story townhouse was dark and the old laminate surfaces were deteriorating. Using clean lines, with a focus on natural materials and quality lighting for warmth, she accomplished a bright, mid-century aesthetic, while sticking to a budget. The smooth profile of the cabinets are emphasized by omitting hardware. Upper cabinet doors are painted bright white, while base cabinets are rift cut white oak, creating warmth with the natural vertical wood grain. The linear mosaic backsplash in a mix of honed and polished Carrara marble tiles adds texture and horizontal contrast to the vertical lines of the cabinetry. Work surfaces are white anti-microbial quartz for easy maintenance and a clean, spacious look. Large rectangular porcelain tiles in a soft grey are neutral and make for easy clean up. Modern space-saving conveniences, like the slide out hood and fan, maintain a sleek line without scaling back on functionality. Under-cabinet recessed LED strip lighting is economical and goes virtually unseen. The recessed fixtures in the ceiling are cone-shaped, to mimic soft, natural lighting and reduce glare. A fun artichoke pendant fixture hangs off-center over the island dining area, that seats six. This project included the renovation of an adjacent powder room.

By lightening the palette and increasing the floor space of a dark, outdated kitchen, the homeowners of this 1920’s Oak Park Victorian were able to infuse a modern bistro style, while creating a more functional space for their three growing sons.  The general layout was maintained, so as not to conflict with the original inlaid framing in the oak floor. The narrow center island was custom built with a beautiful cherry surface, thick legs, and open shelving and basket storage beneath, giving it the illusion of a separate piece of furniture.  The walls are painted a cool taupe to offset the quartzite counters and light grey cabinets. Leaded antique mirror panels on the narrow built-in subtly expand the feel of the space.   A dual-level counter behind the sink was simplified to standard height, creating additional space in the dining area, while still allowing for four pull-up stools for quick meals, a snack or homework perch.   The adjacent dining area comfortably seats six and features a large globe chandelier with chrome chain accents.  The pretty built-in hides a handy technology dock, dedicated storage drawers for each family member, and a locked bar and beverage fridge for entertaining of all ages.  The back mud room includes a roomy double closet and a bank of storage cubbies.

Winner of the 2015 Historic Preservation Award, this home is located in Oak Park’s Frank Lloyd Wright-Prairie School of Architecture Historic District. The back-of house remodel capitalized on the existing home’s character while providing better function and flow. The increased space required for the enlarged kitchen and mudroom was housed in an addition echoing the language of the front porch so that the entire house flows visually. The remodel also included the master and children’s bathrooms. Interior woodwork was selected to match the quarter-sawn white oak of the existing house. A new stained glass lay light was designed, using motifs from other stained glass in the house, to illuminate the family table. Kitchen surfaces are in warm tones and textures, with shades of black, brown, celadon and deep red. Classic green Craftsman tiles are used as a backsplash, with each family member having chosen two accent tiles. If you look closely over the deep red Ilve range, you can find owls, dragonflies, flowers and lobsters incorporated into the design.

This classic 1920s Foursquare underwent a whole-house remodel including the addition that is home to a new kitchen, family room, fourth bedroom and master bath.  Remedies to structural issues allowed removal of a dropped ceiling, expansion of the kitchen, larger powder room, and additions of both a family room and mud room area for the busy family of four.  The client’s love for an industrial-farmhouse look influenced the design, with stainless appliances, character grade oak wide plank flooring and bright ivory cabinetry and subway tile.  A large vintage feed sign adorns one wall, while antique canisters and dishes, and whimsical original artwork appear at every turn.  A charming casual dining area is anchored by a locally-designed table, the base of which is an industrial tool, with bench seating and pull-up chairs, providing ample seating and reserving valuable floor space.  A warm-toned walnut base, leathered granite surface and substantial mitered edge give the center island the feel of a select  piece of furniture. Pull-up stools are painted lipstick red with environmentally friendly chalk paint.  A more modern take on the classic butler’s pantry, the transition to the family room is pretty with reclaimed looking terra cotta tile, a quartzite counter and glass-fronted cabinets lightly washed in grey.

A modest addition to this 1920s Oak Park home gained this family an in-kitchen eating area, family room and ample space for coats, boots, school bags and sports equipment. The illusion of more flowing space is created in the galley layout with architectural details, splashes of color and a mix of materials. Passages to the dining and mud rooms are widened, but remain distinct. Transom framing was added over entryways to give an open feel and vertical extension. Positioning windows at the axes of intersecting walkways further broadens the space. A modern version of the early 20th Century Hoosier cabinet, painted navy blue and appointed with antique brass pulls, breaks up the long space. Surfaces are studies in texture, with concrete rough-edged counters that contrast with the smooth mitered edges of the white Corian surface on the Hoosier cabinet. The polished marble tile of the backsplash shimmers in a herring bone pattern. White cabinetry is accented with vintage hardware, including iron shelf brackets and salvaged brass drawer pulls, with laser-etched stenciling of “bread,” “treats,” “hydrate,” and “et cetera” on the pantry drawers. The back door’s exterior is painted lemon yellow, and when open, provides a surprise influx of color to the bold graphic black and white stripes on the mud room wall.

The original kitchen of this 1936 Revival Tudor was dark and segmented, making family gatherings difficult.  By removing an interior stairway, relocating windows, and adding a glass door, the homeowners opened the space with direct passage to the patio for outdoor entertaining. The French Provincial design is both elegant and modern, while incorporating original Tudor details.  Anchored by an ornate French blue range, custom cabinetry is painted in a slightly darker shade, with pretty antiqued brass hardware. Surfaces are white with subtle variation in texture, including rich Carrara marble countertops and floor tiles, arranged in the brick basket weave of the home’s exterior.  An expansive island,  with sturdy cast iron bar stools is a great perch for after school snacks or homework.  The cozy window seat makes for an additional perch for children reading or grown-ups visiting over a glass of wine. A trio of leaded windows features a classic Tudor diamond pattern, repeated in the pretty wire mesh cabinet doors. A framed inset over the range breaks up the simple subway tile with diamonds and rosettes. An independent designer of high-end cocktail dresses, the homeowner added her signature bright style by papering a periphery wall with a pattern of cascading columns of blue, violet and soft yellow flowers.

This 1935 River Forest Colonial went through a full house remodel that included relocating the garage to expand the kitchen, add a great room, outdoor gathering space, master suite on the second floor and extend the basement. The design reflects the personality of the homeowners, with a sleek modern aesthetic and traditional Asian details. Exotic woods in varying finishes include American Red Gum on the island base, the breakfast bar stations, and the fireplace wall and tall Kewazinga, a decorative wood species often used on musical instruments, on the cabinets that frame the back wall. High gloss finishes, recessed ring pulls and sculpted horizontal celadon tile over the range are a nod to the homeowners’ Asian heritage. The wide island is topped with 3-inch mitered quartzite under a modern crystal drop chandelier. The breakfast area features a long glass table intimately lit by a suspended LED bar fixture.  The “La Mattina” stations that flank the table feature acid-etched brass tops and hanging cabinetry with glass doors and mirrored backs. Limiting wall cabinets allows for an influx of light and a focus on architectural details. Sound, light, temperature and security systems are accessed by a single wall command center.  The far wall of the great room includes a television mounted above the bioethanol fireplace, which does not require venting.

Old World styling meets open concept in the kitchen renovation of this River Forest Grand English Tudor.  The design includes a complex mix of details that come together and remain true to the home’s Tudor styling. Reclaimed wood beams line the ceiling over the kitchen and adjacent family room. The range alcove is reminiscent of an open medieval hearth with a large wooden beam header and is framed from floor to ceiling with a limestone surround.  Suede finish granite work surfaces, subtly grained alder wood base cabinets and a herringbone marble tile ceiling fill the area with texture. The expansive 10 foot island is topped in polished Calacatta marble with an ornate ogee edge. Staying authentic to European design, the room is void of upper cabinets and replaced by a dish dresser with open plate racks all painted in a warm Avon green. A fire clay farm sink is flanked by teak draining boards and custom leaded glass windows to match the originals found at the entrance of the home. A breakfast nook extends from the house and is bathed in light.  Artwork and collectibles depicting cattle are a nod to the homeowners’ roots in the Midwestern Plains.  An adjacent butler’s pantry features hickory cabinetry with elegant crystal pulls, storing serving ware for any event imaginable.