Kitchen of the Week: Row House Refresh Adds Vintage Character
A designer repaints cabinets, replaces hardware, adds marble and textural tile — and donates discarded items for reuse
Becky Harris
September 15, 2022
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
This Washington, D.C., row house had been fully renovated recently. Unfortunately, the result was a bland modern farmhouse style that conflicted with the home’s Victorian-era provenance. The new homeowners, parents of three young children, had lived in England and California before this move. When they hired interior designer Sara Swabb, they wanted her to incorporate inspirations from both places. “They wanted a modern European feel with some of the earthy elements they loved in California, and nods to the home’s Victorian history. I needed to strike a balance between these things,” Swabb says.
While the homeowners originally wanted to rip out the kitchen and replace it, Swabb saw potential in what was there. “They had the budget to do a full gut renovation, but it was just so much more sustainable to repurpose the cabinets and appliances. I knew we could make it work, and it saved them a lot of money,” she says. The strategy was to give the kitchen a heavy refresh, incorporating natural materials, new moldings, a beautiful blue color and nods to the Victorian era.
While the homeowners originally wanted to rip out the kitchen and replace it, Swabb saw potential in what was there. “They had the budget to do a full gut renovation, but it was just so much more sustainable to repurpose the cabinets and appliances. I knew we could make it work, and it saved them a lot of money,” she says. The strategy was to give the kitchen a heavy refresh, incorporating natural materials, new moldings, a beautiful blue color and nods to the Victorian era.
Photos by Stacy Zarin Goldberg
Kitchen of the Week
Who lives here: A family of five
Location: Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
Size: 220 square feet (20 square meters)
Interior designer: Sara Swabb of Storie Collective
Before: The new kitchen in the old home did not suit the homeowners’ personalities or the vintage of the house. However, the layout functioned well for the family of five.
Kitchen of the Week
Who lives here: A family of five
Location: Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
Size: 220 square feet (20 square meters)
Interior designer: Sara Swabb of Storie Collective
Before: The new kitchen in the old home did not suit the homeowners’ personalities or the vintage of the house. However, the layout functioned well for the family of five.
After: Swabb got to know her clients’ style thoroughly before starting design work, through a questionnaire, meetings and the swapping of inspiration photos online. She knew the homeowners loved blue, and refreshed the cabinets with Farrow & Ball’s Oval Room Blue. She also replaced the farmhouse-style hardware with more era-appropriate aged brass handles and pulls. This required filling and sanding holes in order to change the sizes and placements of the hardware.
She also suggested an antique Turkish rug for the room. “I love antique rugs. They are so durable, and using them is sustainable,” she says. The rug lends a sense of age to the room.
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She also suggested an antique Turkish rug for the room. “I love antique rugs. They are so durable, and using them is sustainable,” she says. The rug lends a sense of age to the room.
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While she talked the owners into saving all the existing appliances, she changed out the vent hood. The new hood is custom with a plaster limewash finish, bringing in some of that earthy California texture her clients love. Items like the existing vent hood, faucet, cabinet hardware and countertops were donated to charitable organizations for reuse in other homes.
The existing backsplash was clad in a flat, oversize subway tile. To bring in an earthy element like the ones her clients had loved while living in California, Swabb suggested hand-formed, hand-painted terra-cotta tiles from Clé. She mixed square and rectangular shapes to create a unique pattern.
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Hire a local tile professional
Before: The peninsula was clad in reclaimed wood on two sides. It looked odd and out of place. The end of the cabinet run next to the back door had the same finish.
After: Swabb replaced the reclaimed wood with a custom fluted surround painted to match the cabinetry. Rattan counter stools add natural texture.
New light fixtures made of milk glass and antique brass nod to the Victorian era. “I wanted to add the hand-finished element of the antique brass on these fixtures to the room,” she says.
This photo also shows the back wall of the kitchen. “We changed out all the door hardware from brushed nickel to antique brass,” Swabb says. While the coved trim was existing, part of the whole-house renovation included adding other new trim to the walls, doors and windows. She had this millwork and the door painted to match the cabinetry and extended the backsplash up to the ceiling.
Browse counter stools in the Houzz Shop
New light fixtures made of milk glass and antique brass nod to the Victorian era. “I wanted to add the hand-finished element of the antique brass on these fixtures to the room,” she says.
This photo also shows the back wall of the kitchen. “We changed out all the door hardware from brushed nickel to antique brass,” Swabb says. While the coved trim was existing, part of the whole-house renovation included adding other new trim to the walls, doors and windows. She had this millwork and the door painted to match the cabinetry and extended the backsplash up to the ceiling.
Browse counter stools in the Houzz Shop
The new countertops are honed marble. “I love to use the natural material of marble. Because my clients had lived in Europe, they appreciated the beautiful patina that happens with use,” she says. “Also, we’re in Washington, D.C. We are surrounded by marble!”
Before: The window had an odd 1-by-6-foot piece of flat trim over it. “It just looked weird,” Swabb says. And the window treatment did not add any style.
After: “My clients wanted a moment of beauty by the window,” Swabb says. She was able to use the existing kitchen sink but replaced the faucet with a brass one that has an integrated pull-down sprayer. This feature was on her clients’ must-have list. She also gave them a beautiful new linen-blend window treatment. “The horizontal stripes help to visually elongate this wall,” she says.
Shade: Tidal Line by Victoria Hagan in Sand, The Shade Store
Shop for a brass kitchen faucet
Shade: Tidal Line by Victoria Hagan in Sand, The Shade Store
Shop for a brass kitchen faucet
After: The fridge and food storage are along this wall. “These clients like to leave their small appliances out, and this microwave area was a good spot for the toaster oven,” Swabb says.
Another detail worth noting is the tiled portion of the floor. “They have three little kids and a dog, so they needed some flooring where they could put wet things,” Swabb says. She cut in a black-and-white tiled area here and did something similar in the same tile at the front entry. “This is a timeless pattern in a timeless color palette,” she says.
Another detail worth noting is the tiled portion of the floor. “They have three little kids and a dog, so they needed some flooring where they could put wet things,” Swabb says. She cut in a black-and-white tiled area here and did something similar in the same tile at the front entry. “This is a timeless pattern in a timeless color palette,” she says.
Now the backsplash extends above the microwave. Covering the exposed walls in tile elevated the look of the kitchen and made it cohesive.
Not sure where to start on your home project? Click here to learn the basics
Not sure where to start on your home project? Click here to learn the basics
The dining area is open to the kitchen. Swabb added new moldings and light fixtures in here for a cohesive, more historic look. The furniture works well for everyday casual meals as well as more formal dinners.
See more photos of this whole-house renovation
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See more photos of this whole-house renovation
More on Houzz
Read more kitchen stories
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Hire a kitchen remodeler
Shop for kitchen products
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Nancy Gannon, Farrow & Ball’s Oval Room Blue
Kitchen looks great and unique compared to before! I would worry about fluted anything with kids, my kids would get crap all over it and I’d be down on my hands and knees cleaning out food and playdoh with a toothbrush.
@HU-151572459 if the cabinets are already installed in place, professional painters can spray paint them without removal.
Of course, they'd need to properly prep by degreasing/washing, lightly sanding surfaces, etc.