Kitchen & Bath
Modern Meets Classic
Hyde Park homeowners updated their kitchen from a utilitarian space for the hired help to a glamorous gathering spot. A bath followed suit.
When you live in an old house, remodeling your kitchen creates a dilemma: Do you make it look its age (knowing that, historically, American kitchens were as glamorous as bean soup) or do you go modern? David and Kate Scott chose modern, but with a classic twist.

Now, dark wood cabinets, bamboo floors and CaesarStone countertops complement the rich materials used throughout their 1908 Hyde Park home, built by a lumber baron.

Originally, the house probably shed its elegance in the kitchen like a cardigan sweater. David says the baron’s family likely had a cook. Unlike today, guests didn’t hang out in the kitchen, so it probably wasn’t as beautiful as the rest of the home. By the time the Scotts bought the house, the kitchen had been redone to include a gas fireplace (where an old stove might have been). They wanted to keep that.

Their architect at that time told them they could either keep the fireplace and have a mediocre kitchen, or lose it and build a room they loved. “He ignored what we wanted to do and came back with the right answer,” David says. The room was gutted.

The Scotts’ remodeling company, Brown Restoration, Inc., leveled the ceiling and floor, which had settled through the years. They removed an interior wall and added an island, where the sink is located. This opened up the room, which David says had been partitioned so much that it looked like a rabbit’s warren. A stovetop, with a stainless steel hood, replaced the fireplace; a double oven is on a separate wall.

Wendall Gartman, production manager, says the exterior walls that make up three sides of the kitchen presented a bit of a challenge. They are brick covered with plaster, so channels had to be chiseled through in order to run the wires, unlike in newer walls, where wires run through hollow space.

The remodeler, along with interior and architectural designer Lisa Schmitz, were mindful of making the kitchen fit in with the rest of the house. They kept the old windows, interior doors and even the radiator. Brown Restoration custom milled the trim to replicate what originally was in the kitchen.

Other features are definitely modern: can lights, stainless steel appliances, mosaic limestone tile above the stove, and the cabinets — though dark like the wood throughout the house — are streamlined in the contemporary style. The custom cabinets were built to accommodate the Scotts’ kitchen inventory — from plates to appliances. And the countertops are a little higher than in some homes because David and Kate are both tall.

Wendall says the modernity works. “It’s such an elegant home; it needed an elegant kitchen,” he comments. “Modern seemed to fit.” The homeowners agree. “It flows really well,” David adds.

Making Light of the Master Bath
The bath also was remodeled in a modern but warm style. Soft but plentiful light and white-with-a-hint-of-pink limestone tile make the room glow like a bedside lamp. “I try to do colors that are warm so they’re flattering to the skin,”  Lisa says.

For the ceiling, she used halogen can lights, which make the glass and tile sparkle. To offset the whiteness of the bulbs, she employed incandescent linear lights beside the mirrors above the sinks. This combination is flattering to both the room and the people in it. Squares of light also softly illuminate the shower/spa. Lisa did this to bring the back wall forward because the room became very long after the laundry room wall was removed. Substituting a spa for the never-ending cycle of dirty clothes is many people’s dream. But in reality, nobody in their right mind would do away with a second-floor laundry room. Rather, it was moved just a bit. (Now it also houses the steam unit for the shower.)

The bath is separate from the shower, creating a luxuriously spacious feeling.

Reinventing Luxury
In many old houses, kitchens and baths were utilitarian. Today, they are a refuge from a busy world. In these rooms, homeowners want luxury. And they are finding it in new styles. For instance, the lumber baron used oak floors throughout the house.

The Scotts chose bamboo, because of its springiness and easiness on your feet while you’re cooking. But it seems the turn-of-the-century baron would approve of the classy new kitchen.  “He spared no expense,” David says. “We were trying to capture some of that.”

Remodeling Resources
Contractor/Framing & Trim: Brown Restoration, Inc.
Interior Designer: Lisa Schmitz Interior Design
Lighting Design: Henderson Engineers
Lumber: Owen Lumber Company
Sheetrock: Juan Mata Drywall
Paint: Sherwin Williams
Countertops: Top Master Inc.
Appliances: Viking
Kitchen/Bath Tiles: Nationwide Floor & Window Coverings, Steve Knox Gallery
Hardwood Flooring: SVB Wood Floor Service Inc.
Glass & Mirrors: Westport Glass
Heating & Cooling: Neal Harris Heating & Air Conditioning
Plumbing: D&D Plumbing
Plumbing Fixtures: Kohler
Electrician: Joe Ketchum Electric LLC
Bathroom Vanity: Royal Fixtures