Today’s Tradition

By Kitchen of the Month

While the architecture of this Larchmont home is quite traditional, the homeowners’ taste leans toward contemporary. How does one bridge these two, seemingly disparate, design styles?

That was the challenge facing Kelly Stewart, CMKBD, a senior designer with Kitchens by Deane in Stamford, Connecticut, who opted for Premier’s traditional Biedermeier-style frameless cabinets with a cherry veneer and an ebonized bead, black granite countertops, and complementary black hardware to do the trick. A backsplash of natural stone tiles keeps the look from getting too formal.

“We took away Biedermeier’s detailed Egyptian influences, keeping its more modern clean lines,” Stewart explains. Each cabinet’s veneer has a book match, with the grain lining up like a book in the center of the cabinet door. “We opted for what’s called a ‘figured’ veneer, which has a Tiger’s Eye-like shimmer.”

Fans of entertaining at home, the homeowners wanted to host informal gatherings in the kitchen, so creating a space that was both functional and elegant topped their wish list. The focal pint of the room is the dramatic coffered ceiling designed by Larchmont-based Robert Keller Architects. “A hanging fixture would have obscured the coffer,” says Stewart, so recessed lighting was used instead. “Everything had to play off of that ceiling because it’s so dramatic, and the hutch pieces center on the diamonds of the coffer. It may seem a subtle detail, but it was critical to get the balance right.”

To make sure the kitchen has the utmost functionality, its prep area allows space for more than a single cook, and a separate scullery area for washing dishes and disposing of trash was created. “It’s most convenient when all cleanup is done in one area,” Stewart says. Once the first dishwasher is loaded, it’s switched on and the second dishwasher, separated from the first by the sink, takes over the task. The result of all this planning? All the modern amenities in one sophisticated space.

A Wolf cooktop, topped with a custom wood hood by Premier, sits behind the island. A GE microwave and paneled Sub-Zero fridge on the opposite wall and the island’s nearby sink create a truly functional work triangle for the cook.

The granite-topped island with its Franke sink and faucet has enough space for both eating and food preparation. Behind it, a hutch provides plenty of glass-fronted cabinets to display glassware and pretty pitchers. Douglas Ruggles of Chapelle Fine Furniture & Interior Design in Closter, New Jersey, worked with Stewart on the surface-selection decisions, such as the tile and the island stools.

The butler’s pantry has contrasting Chester-styled cabinets by Homestead finished in a creamy custom paint. Glass-fronted cabinets keep china and glassware on display. The kitchen’s third sink makes the pantry the perfect staging area during parties; nearby, a Sub-Zero wine cooler keeps wines at the ready.

A refrigerator drawer by Sub-Zero stands next to double will ovens by Wolf.

The scullery area allows all cleanup to take place in a single space. A sink and faucet by Franke is flanked by a dishwasher on both sides and a KitchenAid trash compactor.