What started as a pinprick leak in the tubing of the refrigerator’s ice-maker — a problem that initially seemed minor enough to fix with a fan and some drying — turned into a full-scale kitchen remodel.
After 14 years in the charming, slightly funky house in Professorville, the owner had already taken care of the most demanding upgrades: repairing the foundation; replacing knob-and-tube wiring, plumbing, roofing and a broken water heater; repairing holes in the floor; and replacing and fixing windows.
The century-old home had the kind of quirks that made it appealing and also made updating it a challenge.
The kitchen redo was always in the back of her mind, until the floor damage from that slow leak forced immediate action.
“I liked the kitchen, but it was difficult to use,” the owner said, noting the lack of countertops. “I wanted to maintain the period pieces, charm. I liked the quirkiness,”
Kitchen designer Kirsten Flynn said “There was a long wish list for a small kitchen. We did more than four floor plans, prioritizing and reusing all the cabinets, and having a seating area …”
Flynn’s goal was to maximize what they could get from that wish list.
To make more space, they knocked down a non-load-bearing wall that led to a pantry. Storage spaces were discreetly added to the sides of a sideboard that was designed to mimic the original piece that had been part of the 1920s kitchen; other slide-out spice racks frame the range, which is now a CAFÉ induction stove with double ovens.
GOAL OF PROJECT
Remodel kitchen to all-electric, replace damaged flooring
Year house built: 1920
Size of home, lot: 1,460-sq-ft house (4 BR, 2 BA) on around 7,000 sq-ft lot
Time to complete: About a year (including design)
All the new appliances are electric, including the CAFÉ refrigerator and Bosch dishwasher.
Moldings echo shapes found inside and outside the house. Cabinets are slightly less deep to accommodate the existing skylight.
“We wanted quirky, but not weird,” the owner said.
The owner’s father was English, so she was used to a more unfitted kitchen, with pieces of furniture that didn’t necessarily match rather than a wall of built-in cabinets. “I was looking for that vibe,” she said.
“We didn’t want the room to look like a historical reproduction,” Flynn said. They soon settled on two colors (yellow cream and dark blue), along with wood. For the backsplash behind the range, the owner opted for hand-painted Delft tiles, a style of blue-and-white ceramic tile that originated in the Netherlands, by Dutch Tile Company. The tiles were customized to include a rendition of her cat, along with the “oxhead” corners in blue with polychrome centers.
For wallpaper, the owner said she wanted “something simultaneously calm and cheerful, spritely.” Some of the 15 samples she perused “looked like fireworks instead of flowers,” she said. Finally, she chose a Herbarium print featuring botanical illustrations of pressed plants, leaves and flowers from Schumacher’s Boråstapeter collection.
RESOURCES
Design: Kirsten Flynn, Sustainable Home Interior Design
Contractor: Humberto Barrios, BWB Builders, San Jose
Tile: Dutch Tile, Inc.
The water-damaged floor was repaired and topped with eco-friendly, 12-inch, black-and-white squares of Marmoleum, a natural linoleum.
The owner was deeply involved in the design process and had strong opinions about where to put her resources. She splurged on $1,500 light fixtures over the sink, while balancing them with $200 Pottery Barn ceiling lights.
“Everyone knows that doing a significant room remodel will be expensive, if it’s not prefab,” the owner said. But, “still on a daily basis, it thrills me.”
Asked if there was anything she should have done differently, she said she wished her trash bin was full height — something she called “insanely minor.”
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