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Kitchen Tour: A Dark Extension on a 1920s Home is Reborn
Replacing wraparound dark wood with fresh white and green has made this once-gloomy 1970s addition almost unrecognisable
This Spanish Colonial home in California dates from the 1920s and has quite a history, including being the residence of J Robert Oppenheimer during his time at the University of California, Berkeley. However, the home’s dark kitchen didn’t share that history – it was added onto the back of the property in the 1970s.
The homeowner, who loves to cook and host her grandchildren, looked to Houzz to find a designer when she was ready to renovate. She found Anne Norton of AND Interior Design Studio, who came up with a plan that would lighten the space and tie it in with the rest of the historic architecture.
To see more great projects where the homeowner found their professional via Houzz, take a look at our Born on Houzz series.
The homeowner, who loves to cook and host her grandchildren, looked to Houzz to find a designer when she was ready to renovate. She found Anne Norton of AND Interior Design Studio, who came up with a plan that would lighten the space and tie it in with the rest of the historic architecture.
To see more great projects where the homeowner found their professional via Houzz, take a look at our Born on Houzz series.
The arched entrance seen here is an architectural element that’s repeated throughout the home. The entrance to the kitchen beyond had had a squared off doorway fitted when the extension was added in the 1970s, so Anne created an arch to echo the other doorways.
The dining room and the other original rooms had high ceilings, but the kitchen extension had a low, flat ceiling covered in dark wood.
The dining room and the other original rooms had high ceilings, but the kitchen extension had a low, flat ceiling covered in dark wood.
Before Photo
“The kitchen had a much different look than the rest of the house,” Anne says. “It had been strongly influenced by the School of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley in the 1970s. It was very dark, it had post-and-beam architecture, and it had a low, flat, wood-covered ceiling.” You can glimpse the original squared-off opening to the dining room on the left.
The cabinets were dark-stained Douglas fir; the wood on the ceiling had a dark stain, and the floorboards were dark. “The layout was good, but there wasn’t enough storage,” Anne says. “We also wanted to upgrade the cabinetry with doors and drawers that were easy to open. The goal was to modernise the kitchen while making it feel as if it was part of the original architecture.”
The cabinets were dark-stained Douglas fir; the wood on the ceiling had a dark stain, and the floorboards were dark. “The layout was good, but there wasn’t enough storage,” Anne says. “We also wanted to upgrade the cabinetry with doors and drawers that were easy to open. The goal was to modernise the kitchen while making it feel as if it was part of the original architecture.”
While Anne kept the extension’s original footprint and its windows and skylights intact, she looked to the ceiling to help her tie the space to the rest of the home.
First she turned to a structural engineer to help remove the post-and-beam structure. Two new large steel beams were installed to hold up the roof. This allowed Anne to raise the ceiling to almost 3m at the highest point and add a curve to it that was inspired by the arches in the rest of the home. “Raising and curving the ceiling was the most important thing we did,” Anne says. She centred the range cooker and extractor fan on the curve.
With the other elements in the kitchen lightened up, Anne kept the dark floorboards. “I’m a big believer in, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’” she says. A Middle Eastern rug adds lightness. “I like the way the soft pale oranges in the rug juxtapose with the green cabinets,” she says. “It brings a lot of dynamism to the space.”
First she turned to a structural engineer to help remove the post-and-beam structure. Two new large steel beams were installed to hold up the roof. This allowed Anne to raise the ceiling to almost 3m at the highest point and add a curve to it that was inspired by the arches in the rest of the home. “Raising and curving the ceiling was the most important thing we did,” Anne says. She centred the range cooker and extractor fan on the curve.
With the other elements in the kitchen lightened up, Anne kept the dark floorboards. “I’m a big believer in, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’” she says. A Middle Eastern rug adds lightness. “I like the way the soft pale oranges in the rug juxtapose with the green cabinets,” she says. “It brings a lot of dynamism to the space.”
Another important element that ties the kitchen to the rest of the home is the hand-plastered finish on the walls. “We kept the materials in the kitchen simple and honest to let the architecture of the curved ceiling bring the drama,” Anne says. This includes the soft sage green on the cabinets, leathered black granite worktops and marble metro tiles.
The cabinet profiles are flush inset with simple lines and hardware. They’re also modern, with lots of inserts and features such as spice pullouts, an integrated dishwasher, and bin-recycling pullouts. They have full-extension door and drawer slides, meaning they extend out from the cabinet the full length of the slide when opened, not the typical 75%.
Anne chose Benjamin Moore’s Carolina Gull paint for the cabinets, bringing in a soft, nature-inspired colour. The hardware is oil-rubbed bronze. “It will patina over time,” Anne says. This will lend a sense of age that matches other details in the home.
The cabinet profiles are flush inset with simple lines and hardware. They’re also modern, with lots of inserts and features such as spice pullouts, an integrated dishwasher, and bin-recycling pullouts. They have full-extension door and drawer slides, meaning they extend out from the cabinet the full length of the slide when opened, not the typical 75%.
Anne chose Benjamin Moore’s Carolina Gull paint for the cabinets, bringing in a soft, nature-inspired colour. The hardware is oil-rubbed bronze. “It will patina over time,” Anne says. This will lend a sense of age that matches other details in the home.
The Douglas fir windows were a part of the 1970s addition, so Anne added Douglas fir shelves to tie in with them. She notes that being thoughtful about small details was important. “We didn’t float the shelves,” she says. “The little supports that hold them up are an old-world technique. I think it’s these small details that make the kitchen feel authentic.”
The cabinets on either side of the cooker hood have decorative metal mesh inserts that give them a lighter feel. Also, Anne had the marble splashback tiles hand-cut into 10cm x 20cm rectangles. This gives them a stronger presence than if standard 7.5cm x 15cm tiles had been used.
The cabinets on either side of the cooker hood have decorative metal mesh inserts that give them a lighter feel. Also, Anne had the marble splashback tiles hand-cut into 10cm x 20cm rectangles. This gives them a stronger presence than if standard 7.5cm x 15cm tiles had been used.
This homeowner is a staunch kitchen table person, and the existing expanse of windows provided the perfect spot for one. The table is a Scandinavian piece from the 1800s. The built-in china cabinets to the left are original to the addition and worked well with the renovated kitchen’s architecture.
Anne wanted to create just the right spot for the homeowner’s Keith Haring subway art. “That wall where the art hangs was a wood grid of [30cm x 30cm cubbyholes] that made no sense, so we took them out,” she says. She replaced them with a plastered wall that lightened the room and gave the owner a spot to hang the beloved artwork.
The large windows overlooking the back garden were a great feature of the 1970s extension. “There is a view of wisteria hanging from a trellis, and her chickens come up and look through the windows. I always leave this house loaded up with a dozen eggs,” Anne says with a laugh.
Anne wanted to create just the right spot for the homeowner’s Keith Haring subway art. “That wall where the art hangs was a wood grid of [30cm x 30cm cubbyholes] that made no sense, so we took them out,” she says. She replaced them with a plastered wall that lightened the room and gave the owner a spot to hang the beloved artwork.
The large windows overlooking the back garden were a great feature of the 1970s extension. “There is a view of wisteria hanging from a trellis, and her chickens come up and look through the windows. I always leave this house loaded up with a dozen eggs,” Anne says with a laugh.
Here’s a closer look at the redesigned arched opening between the dining room and kitchen. Teddy seems to approve.
Tell us..
What do you like about this kitchen redesign? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Tell us..
What do you like about this kitchen redesign? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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Who lives here? A woman and her dog, Teddy
Location Kensington, California, USA
Property 1920s Spanish Colonial bungalow
Kitchen dimensions 23 sq m
Designer Anne Norton of AND Interior Design Studio
Photos by Peter Lyons Photography
The house is in a classic 1920s Spanish Colonial style and the homeowner wanted her kitchen to flow with the rest of the home’s historic architecture.
“She’s a big cook; she even likes to make her own yogurt and kombucha,” Anne says. She also loves to gather around the kitchen table with friends and family, especially her grandchildren.
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