Room of the Day: A New Kitchen Brings Back Old Style
An Illinois kitchen remodel combines 1900s style with modern touches
Once their children were out of high school, these Chicago-area homeowners knew it was time to redo their well-used kitchen that they felt was stuck in the 1980s. They wanted room for family and friends as well as lots of storage. And they wanted something that reflected their style and their home’s character. Interior designer Joey Leicht responded with an overhaul that combines historic details with an up-to-date kitchen that meets all their needs.
The kitchen island is a true workhorse neatly disguised as a piece of furniture. There are cabinets on all four sides, including one designed with a rack to hold newspapers and mail brought in from the adjacent mudroom. A microwave drawer and wine cabinet are also tucked into the island.
Leicht judiciously mixed colors and materials, starting with the custom cabinets. White cabinets line the walls, while the island cabinets are a rich gray. He chose to use the same gray for the stove hood, creating a focal point that ties in the island with the rest of the kitchen workspace. Quartz countertops finish the work area. “It has the look of marble but the durability of granite,” Leicht says. He chose metals — a mix of gold, silver, antique brass and polished nickel — with an eye to what would have been found in the home originally.
The homeowner worried that the bistro light fixture would be too much, but Leicht persuaded her that it would be awesome. “Everyone loves it,” he says.
Bistro light: Visual Comfort; cabinetry: StarMark Cabinets; range: Thermador; other appliances: Sub-Zero; countertop: Cambria
Leicht judiciously mixed colors and materials, starting with the custom cabinets. White cabinets line the walls, while the island cabinets are a rich gray. He chose to use the same gray for the stove hood, creating a focal point that ties in the island with the rest of the kitchen workspace. Quartz countertops finish the work area. “It has the look of marble but the durability of granite,” Leicht says. He chose metals — a mix of gold, silver, antique brass and polished nickel — with an eye to what would have been found in the home originally.
The homeowner worried that the bistro light fixture would be too much, but Leicht persuaded her that it would be awesome. “Everyone loves it,” he says.
Bistro light: Visual Comfort; cabinetry: StarMark Cabinets; range: Thermador; other appliances: Sub-Zero; countertop: Cambria
The screen hanging on the wall by the new banquette inspired the color of the chairs. Leicht says he found the artwork lying on a bed in the house and knew it would be perfect for the space.
The homeowners already had the chairs, which were spray-painted to match an accent color in the screen. A very soft vinyl that looks like leather rawhide was chosen for the chair and banquette seats.
The table’s base, with its corset-like look that is a nod to the age of the home, was spray-painted black to match the doors. Its wood top gives the space warmth and heft.
Light fixture: Visual Comfort; grasscloth wall covering: Phillip Jeffries
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The homeowners already had the chairs, which were spray-painted to match an accent color in the screen. A very soft vinyl that looks like leather rawhide was chosen for the chair and banquette seats.
The table’s base, with its corset-like look that is a nod to the age of the home, was spray-painted black to match the doors. Its wood top gives the space warmth and heft.
Light fixture: Visual Comfort; grasscloth wall covering: Phillip Jeffries
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See more Rooms of the Day
Browse the latest kitchen photos
Location: Highland Park, Illinois
Size: 500 square feet (46.5 square meters)
Year built: Early 1900s
Designer: Joey Leicht Design
Leicht started by removing a storage closet to open up the breakfast area. He found that the original brick support was still there hidden under the wall. “It’s a cool architectural detail,” he says.
Leicht took this detail a step further and added brick to the beam across the ceiling to continue the look and mark the separation between the working area of the kitchen and the rest of the space. The gray-green color on one kitchen wall further enhances the separation.
He wanted to provide a fresh and updated feel while making the room look as it might have when the house was built at the beginning of the last century. To help give a period feeling to the space, Leicht and the homeowners used seeded glass in the top upper-cabinet doors, mesh on the island cabinet doors, a cabinet-style stove hood and refurbished French doors with transoms and black trim. Leicht also went with a gray glass subway tile backsplash, which was a perfect fit for the age of the house but has a subtle contemporary twist.
Modern radiant-heated floors are finished with ceramic tile that mimics the look of parquet wood floors.
Paint: Teresa’s Green, Farrow & Ball