Kitchen of the Week: Found Objects and Old Italian Farmhouse Charm
A homeowner and her cabinetmaker create a personal version of European-inspired comfort and simplicity
Marie Barth and her husband, Brian Forcine, brought the simplicity and warmth of an antique Italian farmhouse kitchen to their new home in Pennsylvania. “We wanted something relaxing and unpretentious,” says Barth, who has a passion for design. Working with cabinetmaker Kevin Ritter, they mixed reclaimed chestnut boards, copper grilles, simple oil-rubbed bronze hardware, European antiques, plaster walls, terra-cotta floors and salvaged pieces to create an inviting kitchen that looks as though it’s been here for centuries rather than months.
Another French antique reinforced the tone — the faux cow head on the range hood was the project’s mascot. “He inspired the entire kitchen,” Barth says. Originally, she wanted to attach it to a zinc hood, but when that proved too costly, she took things into her own hands, painting the hood to look like zinc. “I love teaching myself how to do things,” she says.
She did such a persuasive job that when her husband got home that day, he took one look and said, “I thought we agreed not to spend all that money on the zinc.” She says visitors often touch this focal point to see what it’s made of.
The backsplash and counters are Carrara marble. The piece over the range is an antique Italian fireback with a 1733 family crest.
Range: Thermador
She did such a persuasive job that when her husband got home that day, he took one look and said, “I thought we agreed not to spend all that money on the zinc.” She says visitors often touch this focal point to see what it’s made of.
The backsplash and counters are Carrara marble. The piece over the range is an antique Italian fireback with a 1733 family crest.
Range: Thermador
Ritter handcrafted the cabinets from wormy chestnut reclaimed from old beams in another structure in Pennsylvania. Both the cabinetmaker and the homeowners appreciate the character the worminess gives the wood. Barth finished the boards with tung oil and beeswax.
Originally, they tried out some brass chicken wire for the upper cabinet doors, but it proved too flimsy, and Barth thought it seemed a bit hokey. Instead, they used this woven copper grille that Ritter found.
Originally, they tried out some brass chicken wire for the upper cabinet doors, but it proved too flimsy, and Barth thought it seemed a bit hokey. Instead, they used this woven copper grille that Ritter found.
“I knew I didn’t want the typical cabinetry look,” Barth says. “I wanted it to feel more like free-standing furniture like you’d see in a European kitchen.” The cabinets have no toe kick, which helps give them the appearance of furniture. Simple oil-rubbed bronze bin pulls and knobs finish off the look. Barth mixed and matched several styles of hardware from Ashley Norton to create a look that went together without appearing too uniform.
The flooring is terra-cotta tile from Italy. After it was installed, Barth cleaned it and gave it a natural beeswax finish. “It feels really good under your feet,” she says.
The flooring is terra-cotta tile from Italy. After it was installed, Barth cleaned it and gave it a natural beeswax finish. “It feels really good under your feet,” she says.
The ceiling also kept Barth busy. The beams are new, but she gave them an aged patina by coating them in a mixture of water and lime to burn the wood; then she used a wire brush to remove some of the lime coating over several months. “It gives them a pickled, weathered look,” she says. “It’s an old-fashioned way to do it that’s very natural and easy to control.”
Barth had always wanted to display her plates — a simple white with a fleur-de-lis — so she had Ritter incorporate this plate rack. Copper accents give the room another metallic finish.
Another element that people are drawn to in the kitchen are these scooped cutout pulls. Barth stores her dish towels and napkins here, and loves the ease of the piece. The recycling and trash bins are hidden to the right.
Here, you can also get a good look at another important element in the room: the plaster walls, These were key in creating the relaxed and warm old-world feeling in the kitchen. Mahogany casement windows with latches contribute to the antique look of the new house.
Here, you can also get a good look at another important element in the room: the plaster walls, These were key in creating the relaxed and warm old-world feeling in the kitchen. Mahogany casement windows with latches contribute to the antique look of the new house.
The pot rack is a testament to Barth’s sharp vision. “It’s an old iron lamp I found lying in a salvage yard in Italy, half-buried, rusty, with weeds going through it,” she says. She knew that with a little TLC, it would make the perfect pot rack.
The large sink was another great score. “It’s an original 1930s Kohler sink,” Barth says. She found it at a salvage yard in Vermont, and it measures 56½ inches wide. She opted not to reglaze it, letting its pits and scuffs lend authentic age to the kitchen.
At first a bit intimidated by the challenges of installing the salvaged sink, Ritter says the extra work and creative solutions were well worth it. “Marie could have easily given up on it and bought a new farmhouse apron-front sink; after all, this kind of sink was usually on legs and not a part of this kind of design,” he says. “But it was so worth the extra effort — it just wouldn’t have had the same feeling if she had used something else.”
At first a bit intimidated by the challenges of installing the salvaged sink, Ritter says the extra work and creative solutions were well worth it. “Marie could have easily given up on it and bought a new farmhouse apron-front sink; after all, this kind of sink was usually on legs and not a part of this kind of design,” he says. “But it was so worth the extra effort — it just wouldn’t have had the same feeling if she had used something else.”
To the right of the sink, cabinet fronts conceal the dishwasher and refrigerator. By this time in the construction, Ritter had moved from Pennsylvania to Tennessee and was reluctant to take on this work long-distance. However, Barth knew that she needed him, trusted in him and sent him the refrigerator specs. “Sure enough, on installation day, the surround fit like a glove,” she says.
Faucet: Rohl
Faucet: Rohl
Photo by Marie Barth
Barth and Forcine wanted to share the warm and comfortable Italian farmhouse feeling with their guests. “We didn’t add a dining room in this house,” Barth says. “We knew we’d want our friends to stand around and keep us company in the kitchen while we prepared dinner, and then enjoy it at the big farmhouse table.”
Barth and Forcine wanted to share the warm and comfortable Italian farmhouse feeling with their guests. “We didn’t add a dining room in this house,” Barth says. “We knew we’d want our friends to stand around and keep us company in the kitchen while we prepared dinner, and then enjoy it at the big farmhouse table.”
Photo by Marie Barth
“It’s so important to really collaborate with a client that has a specific idea in mind — Marie had such a strong vision,” Ritter says. “I didn’t get it at first because it seemed too simple, but that utilitarian simplicity is what brings out the authenticity of the materials and the textures, and really makes you feel like you’re in the Tuscan countryside when you’re here.”
Barth and Forcine have been in the house just under four months and continue to tweak the design. These shelves are a recent addition. “These little touches warm up the room even more,” she says. It’s doubtful she’ll ever stop hitting the salvage yards and adding to the kitchen’s collected style.
More
Kitchen Workbook: 8 Elements of a Farmhouse Kitchen
Browse more photos of farmhouse kitchens
“It’s so important to really collaborate with a client that has a specific idea in mind — Marie had such a strong vision,” Ritter says. “I didn’t get it at first because it seemed too simple, but that utilitarian simplicity is what brings out the authenticity of the materials and the textures, and really makes you feel like you’re in the Tuscan countryside when you’re here.”
Barth and Forcine have been in the house just under four months and continue to tweak the design. These shelves are a recent addition. “These little touches warm up the room even more,” she says. It’s doubtful she’ll ever stop hitting the salvage yards and adding to the kitchen’s collected style.
More
Kitchen Workbook: 8 Elements of a Farmhouse Kitchen
Browse more photos of farmhouse kitchens
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Marie Barth and Brian Forcine
Location: Outside Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
Size: 675 square feet (62.7 square meters)
The large island sets the tone in the kitchen. “We didn’t want to do stools around the island,” Barth says. “I had a vision of a cool antique piece that we could stand around and talk and work.” She found just the thing in France: an early-1800s butcher block from a butcher shop. “The top is 8 inches thick, and the dips came from years of hammering meat at the butcher shop,” Barth says.
When she saw the work of Timeless Kitchen Cabinetry, Barth knew that she had to have Ritter for her job. “He was highly skilled and could think outside the box,” she says.
“We love to tie in found objects, and often we recreate them, but they really needed an antique piece here,” Ritter says. “There’s a certain authenticity you simply can’t recreate.”
Pendant lights: Conant Metal & Light