VERNON DRIVE FIRST FLOOR RENOVATION
ABOUT THE PROJECT
This stunning, cohesive kitchen and dining area started as several small rooms, hallways, and a large closet that were not being utilized. The house itself is a vintage home that has had several additions surrounding the kitchen, leaving it small and dark, with poor traffic flow to other areas of the home.
The homeowners are a young couple who like to entertain, they shared with us a wish for a light, bright kitchen and modern that was functional, easy to take care of, and had a large island.
We opened up the small dining room to the kitchen, and eliminated a hallway and large, unused closet to make a single kitchen area. The doorway to the back porch was moved to improve traffic flow, and new windows were inserted in the wall to the adjoining screen porch to provide light and a focal wall.
We mixed and matched vintage details with modern finishes and forms to design a space that felt at home in an old house, but was modern in sensibility. Original hardwood floors were repaired and stained to match the rest of the home, and we carried the original arched door opening profile into the coffee bar area.
Custom white oak inset door cabinetry from Arrow cabinetry wraps the kitchen area, while the island cabinetry is painted in a beautiful taupe color. Special organizational touches included in the cabinetry include, pull out step stools so that the homeowner can reach the uppermost cabinets, spice pullouts on either side of the range, hidden storage in the kickplates, custom plate and utensil storage in the drawers, and a special coffee drawer with a built in knock box and organization for coffee and tea supplies.
A 48 inch Wolf range anchors the focal wall, with a custom zinc hood and stunning quartzite countertops and backsplash. The large island with farmhouse sink seats 6, with a special spot with a built in plug for the homeowners computer. The coffee bar features a zelige tile backdrop, with open shelving between two cabinet storage towers with antiqued mirror in the doors, while pantry cabinets with pull out shelves wrap either side of the refrigerator floor to ceiling. Hardware, faucet, and lighting all incorporate black with gold accents- we utilized large black bar pulls in the kitchen, and juxtaposed them with tiny gold knobs on the dining cabinetry.
The dining area features white oak and black custom cabinetry, with a special graduated drawer dresser with French legs anchoring the window wall. A gorgeous black and gold pendant from Currey and Co hangs above the table, and painting from local artist Joyce Werwie Perry brings a touch of sophistication and Pittsburgh into the room.
This renovation also included updates to the home office adjacent to the dining room, where we painted wood paneling a dark glossy blue, exposed original slate flooring, and added custom cream linen window treatments with a geometric border. Heated new black slate flooring and new windows have turned a summer porch into a three season room, and we reworked the mudroom entry to include blue custom storage cabinetry for coats and shoes.
