room reveal

We’ll get to this dramatic back kitchen later in the post. First, let’s talk arches. Specifically, the jaw-dropping stone arch that is the centerpiece of this new build home. We came onto this project after the plans had been drawn up by the architect, Derrick Architecture, and right away noticed the exterior would feature some stone accents. We knew immediately that we would want to bring this natural element indoors, as well, and worked with our very talented builder, Muellner Construction, to choose a stone with enough variety of scale, texture and color to really give this room an echo of the outdoors. The stone wraps all the way around to the interior of the kitchen, so regardless of whether the family is relaxing by the fireplace, or getting ready for dinner, the stone arch greets them. The wood beams on the soaring ceiling also help bring warmth and a coziness to this large space.

With a kitchen open to the main living areas of the home, we needed to make sure there was a happy marriage between the spaces. Carrying the stone onto the kitchen side of the arch helps achieve this, and by using a variety of natural stains and finishes and neutral elements, the kitchen serves as a dramatic focal point beyond the show-stopping arch.

We especially love the soapstone backsplash that covers the length of the space behind the range and accompanying cabinets. Soapstone is porous, and will pick up character marks along the way. But, treating occasionally with mineral oil will help keep its beauty intact as it ages. We like the way this dark piece anchors the large kitchen.

Two islands mean there is plenty of space for family and friends to gather during get togethers. The seating island — made of flat-cut white oak — is stained with a custom black stain. Stools on the kitchen side are backless to easily slide under the island when not in use. The woven leather adds a touch of texture to the kitchen. The sink island is constructed of rift-sawn oak in a custom stain chosen to coordinate with the floors and doors. Vintage art — one of our favorite accessories to add in a kitchen — helps add patina and originality to the new home. A brass Waterworks faucet and pot filler add a little flair.

What’s through those doors? On the left-hand side (besides our tripod 😉) is the mudroom and garage access, plus a craft room and powder room. Through the right-hand side door is a small office for one of the homeowners. All these rooms connect through a hallway near the garage access.

You can see the back kitchen peeking out in the photo below beyond the built-in refrigerator (full-size matching freezer is opposite, not pictured), so let’s talk about this high-drama space. (Side note: what’s the difference between a back kitchen and butler’s pantry? You’d probably get a slightly different definition from anyone you ask, but we define a back kitchen as a fully functional kitchen space. And boy, this one has it all!) Because everything in main areas of the home is light, bright and airy with lots of height and natural light, we wanted to insert a little mood into the nooks and crannies of the home. The entire space is painted in Benjamin Moore Racoon Fur, and is especially dramatic as you enter the space through a hall of built-ins displaying the owner’s collection of family heirlooms and handmade pottery. Because the owners wanted to keep the main kitchen open, with few walls, many of the appliances are housed here in the back kitchen, including ovens, extra dishwashers, and a microwave drawer. This space is also home to a coffee bar, mixer lift, refrigerator drawers, ice maker and steam oven. A library ladder makes reaching the upper cabinets a breeze. Zellige tile wrapped around the room adds a bit of lightness. Counters are the same leathered-finish aria stone marble as the main kitchen.

The main floor laundry has plenty of storage and practical touches, like the rolling hampers to make separating laundry easy. She’s a real looker, though, too, with the zellige tile backsplash, display shelves and beautiful cabinetry painted in Benjamin Moore Ranchwood.

Finally for today, the mudroom. We love designing rooms with special details for furry friends. The dogs come in and out of the yard via this mudroom, so it was important to think of them when planning the space. Built-in dog crates with custom made-to-fit dog beds lie behind mesh inserts, leaving plenty of air flow and allowing the homeowners to have occasional-use crates tucked away. A space for dog bowls is built-in to the island, with a marble backsplash to make cleanup easy. A vintage rug warms everything up.

There is so much more to this beautiful home that we hope to bring you sometime soon, so stay tuned!

It’s so bittersweet to see this project cross the finish line. We dived into the renovation on this late 19th century Victorian at the height of quarantine and other Covid-related restrictions. As did so many others, we had to re-learn our work habits, adjust our processes, pivot to new ways of doing things. Zoom meetings to review custom stain samples to be sure the island coordinates with the 100+ year old trim is never ideal, but the ways we adapted as a result have actually our made our design process and our team stronger. There is something incredibly rewarding about having come out on the other side of this project, and with an end result that just makes us so happy. Isn’t this color happy? (It’s Benjamin Moore Van Cortland, and we were giddy that our clients were fully on board with using a strong color to anchor their new kitchen.)

As with many renovation projects, our goal here was to make enhancements to this home that would improve its functionality for modern day living without losing its historic character. The young family who purchased the home felt strongly about preserving historic details and making any renovations feel like they fit the character the home.

An addition that pre-dated our clients’ purchase of the home housed a functional, but outdated kitchen with some questionable construction. We went down to the bones, shoring up construction where needed and making some layout changes. In the new kitchen, we maximized space with cabinetry reaching to the ceilings, and a square island with plenty of room for this family who loves entertaining to prepare meals and serve and mingle with guests. Zellige clay tile, marble counters, and fixtures in a mix of metals – one of our secrets to a balanced space — all work together in harmony. Scroll for a pretty striking before/after!

We knew we wanted a “wow” moment in that cocktail room that peeks out from the edge of the kitchen, and the clients agreed. Wallpaper was an easy choice here. But instead of the tiny florals and chintz that dominate old Victorians, we went bigger, and a little bolder with the A-Street Anemone paper. It still lends that feeling of something classic and historic, but with an updated touch. Removing the existing built-ins gave the wallpaper room to shine, and opened up the space a bit.

New cabinetry in the cocktail room, painted in Benjamin Moore Soot, was constructed with a built in rail for the ladder. For storage and visual purposes, we wanted these cabinets to go all the way to the ceiling, but practicality dictated the need for an easy way to access what is stored there. Making this ladder part of the architectural details of the home ultimately saves the client time, space and headaches. You’ll notice we’ve extended those rails to the kitchen cabinetry as well, so the ladder can be moved around as needed. There is also a discreet place to hang it on the wall if that space is needed while entertaining.

Integrated wine storage and a beverage center are built into the bottom of the cocktail room cabinetry, and mirrored glass bounces light around the room, illuminating the beautiful wallpaper and other features.

Also, let’s just take a moment to appreciate this timeless century-old trim work. While researching historic details of the home, we came across a catalog page showing the different block types that were available to cap off trim pieces. The blocks in the LaGrange Home appears to be style R-1124. Would you agree?

Elsewhere in the home, we updated the guest bath and kids bathroom to capitalize on historic features, as well as maximize functionality.

We applied molding in the guest bath to enhance the classic feel of the home. Combined with elegant brass fixtures and a dark/light treatment on the walls (Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal), the effect is timeless.

The kids bath features one of our favorite hidden details: a step stool built into the cabinetry that can also still function as a drawer, but, much like the ladder in the cocktail room, gives the kids efficient, easy access to the sinks until they are tall enough to reach on their own.

The Midwest is home to many traditional architectural styles – Tudor, Colonial, Georgian, Federal, Cape Cod. The list goes on. We love designing in these homes, with their long architectural histories and great bones. But lately, we’ve had the opportunity to work with clients outside our geographical area, which opens up a whole new world of home styles to play in, ones that allow us to break the mold a bit.

This Spanish-style home in Carmel, California, is such a special example of this, and we are so excited to share photos and details of the finished spaces with you!

The project was a pretty comprehensive overhaul of the existing kitchen and butler’s pantry (featured previously here). These spaces had all the hallmarks of traditional Spanish-style homes: beautiful wood-beamed vaulted ceilings, terracotta tile flors, solid, heavy doors. We never want to whitewash out the details that make these homes unique, and this was no exception. Honoring these defining features, while also updating the home for modern living, were our primary goals.

We love a good before & after, so let’s start there.

Regular Park & Oak followers know that we are not afraid of dark cabinetry in a kitchen. You can see from the before and after that even though the original wood stained cabinetry is lighter in tone than the new cabinets – painted with Farrow & Ball Downpipe – the room feels more open and airy than it did before. One significant element in helping brighten up the room was painting the ceiling sections between each beam, and carrying that color down into the range hood, as well. We used Benjamin Moore White Dove here, and by keeping the range hood the same color as the ceiling, we were able to open up what might otherwise feel like an enclosed space.

Wanting to be intentional about honoring the Spanish-style architecture, we added a Tabarka tile backsplash to the range. Tabarka is renowned for their collections of terracotta tile that are formed, painted and glazed by hand. It was the perfect added Spanish-influenced element for this kitchen, and is a great foil for the La Cornue range top.

There are so many details to love in this kitchen, but one that may not immediately stand out, and lends so much character, are the custom reeded fronts of the Rift-Sawn White Oak island. We had an excellent Builder/General Contractor partner on this project – Masterworks Builders – and they knocked it out of the park bringing this vision to life. Take a closer look! Aren’t these gorgeous?

When you take in the full view of the kitchen, you may notice that the integrated refrigerator is not flush with the cabinetry. This is intentional, designed with architectural details that help it mimic an armoir, bringing character and warmth to the room, and making what can sometimes be a bit of an eyesore – big, metal refrigeration – into a beautiful centerpiece. Armac Martin hardware seals the deal on an elegant space.

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The hardest choices to make as a designer are in your own home. Everything is crystal clear in someone else’s space, but we encounter the same problems our clients do when tackling our own projects: emotional attachments, decision fatigue, overwhelming choices. The pool and patio at Renee’s new home were no exception. But, after much ado, they are finally complete: landscaping, furnishings, accessories…all decisions have been made and she is so excited to share it here with you. (Her kids are pretty thrilled, too.)

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