5 Kitchen Remodels We Love

annedewolf • Feb 14, 2018

There’s a reason they call kitchens the heart of the home. A kitchen is where you spend  time not just making food for yourself or others, but also where you grow your family. Kitchens are lively and full of energy when friends and family gather. They’re a calm and comforting nest after a heated discussion. They’re strong and stable when the rest of the world is chaotic. Kitchens are full of love.

Here are a few of our favorites:

Creative and Spirited

kerri-p-1909-4-1This 1909 kitchen had undergone a previous remodel in 1980. Our goal was to refine it so that it was reminiscent of a time when kitchens were just beginning to be social hubs—the 1950s. We covered the walls in subway tiles which gives it a functional feel and makes clean up easy after cooking splatters! The unique gas oven by LaCanche in delft blue, works with the family’s antiques. We added an industrial edge with polished chrome fixtures and steel open shelving. The result is something the homeowner calls “creative and spirited.”

Super Modern with Classic Architecture

One of the best parts about residential design is the freedom to mix styles and eras. We love to do this while carefully respecting the home’s history. When looking at this kitchen, you might not guess that it’s in a home built in 1909. The homeowner’s aesthetic in appliances and materials was more modern. We worked with that while keeping the open kitchen in harmony with more traditional adjacent spaces. Details like dark-hued lower cabinets tie to the original fir molding. Needing an elegant, serene space to unwind after emotionally-taxing days as a counselor, our client appreciated the clean lines and soothing colors.

French-Inspired 

quarum-1913-1-1It’s true what they say about yellow: it’s the color of happiness. Pairing this butter-cream shade with classic white subway tiles is fresh, light and makes things sunny even on a gray Portland day. Versatile Wood Products built a custom island just the right size to prove useful, beautiful and space efficient. As a nod to French Country style, we built flour bins lined in zinc and incorporated the mudroom and back porch into the kitchen. The bistro table, rattan chairs, pressed tin ceiling and decorative range hood make you feel like you’re at a boulangerie in Normandy!

Classic & Modern at the Same Time

ericstephen-wk-1925-kitchen-_2_-1How do you separate a kitchen and dining room without completely closing them off? With triple-hung windows! They can be closed to keep cooking smells and sounds out of the dining room, while the textured glass lets the light in. The combination of natural stone and a professional stainless steel oven works to bring the modern and classic styles together in this kitchen. A quartzite-topped custom island makes chopping and food prep easy. We loved making the dining room shine like a jewel with bright turquoise walls, restoring the 1925 chandelier from the original home and maximizing natural light.

Unpretentious Craftsman

Like a painting by  Dou Gerrard , the natural hues in this kitchen evoke warmth, subtlety and grace. Paying particular attention to details, we used concrete countertops on unfinished honey maple cabinetry, which feels both utilitarian and comforting. A mobile island allows for flexibility in the kitchen and an open book shelf for cookbooks keeps time-honored recipes close at hand.

What would your dream kitchen look like? What’s your favorite style and why? Which of these kitchens do you like best? Let us know in the comments below!

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By Anne De Wolf 15 Sep, 2023
Since the easiest way to know the different styles is to understand the art, fashion, science, and industry of the times when they were built, you’ll also understand how Portland’s diverse architecture has told, and continues to tell, our collective story. History deepens experience. You’ll never see Portland through the same eyes again!
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The next time you’re in the Mt Tabor neighborhood, hiking in the park , picking up plants at Portland Nursery , or ordering take out from Ya Hala , make a detour and drive up SE Belmont Street between 55 th Avenue and 58 th . Better yet, park the car and take a stroll. In the middle of the long block proudly sits the Jacob H. and Etna M. Cook House , built in 1892-93 and looking as handsome as ever. This historic home has journeyed through thick and thin, and current owner Lyrin Murphy is the reason it’s so beautiful today. Originally built as a Victorian in 1892 for Alexander and Maria Warner, it was one of several Victorians with small farms and orchards at the base of Mt. Tabor. They sold the home in 1904 to Jacob H. Cook, a local businessman and lumberman, and his wife, Etna. In 1909, the Cooks completed a major renovation of the home, transforming it into the Neoclassical style we see today. This was a trend amongst socially elite Portlanders, drawn to less-fussy, more open Colonial Revival, Neoclassical, and Craftsman designs, perhaps inspired by travels and exhibits at the 1905 World’s Fair in Portland . They often entertained in their home, hosting dance parties, luncheons, club events, and out-of-town guests. Their large-scale remodel helped push the area into upper-class status in Portland. Some prominent exterior changes were adding the main façade’s massive portico with Tuscan columns, a full-width porch and 2 nd floor balcony, and a smaller balcony at the 3 rd floor.
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