Kitchen of the Week: Green Walls Bring Bold Style
Energetic walls create a bright backdrop for this fun and eclectic Massachusetts family kitchen
Old homes come with a lot of character — just not a lot of modern conveniences. The kitchen in Edward and Lauren Monovich’s 1899 home in Belmont, Massachusetts, was more chopped up than a chef’s salad. The sink and refrigerator sat in a dark room separate from the range and breakfast table, while a separate mudroom and powder room disrupted traffic flow to the backyard. The couple worked with designer Andrea Morton to bring in light, color and cohesiveness, transforming the kitchen into a user-friendly space that offers better access to the backyard and has a fun retro style with lively green walls.
AFTER: Morton reconfigured the space by incorporating the former mudroom and powder room into the kitchen as a window-wrapped dining area. (A mudroom and full bath were established in the far-back-right corner space once occupied by the sink and fridge. See floor plan below for more.)
The new, elongated layout features a large, multipurpose island with a reclaimed cherry top for prepping, cooking and doing homework. The island base is composed of custom maple cabinets and drawers painted a retro yellow.
The green on the walls was inspired by vintage stoves. “I think it’s very energetic and lively and reflects our personality,” says Edward, an art professor. “We always feel it’s a waste not to use color when you have the opportunity.”
The new 36-inch counter-depth French-door refrigerator has panel fronts to match the surrounding white cabinetry. The doorway to the right of the fridge leads to the adjacent dining room.
Maple cabinets: custom by Francisco Nunes, Olive Square Kitchens; cabinet hardware: Rejuvenation; reclaimed-cherry tops on island and hutch: Longleaf Lumber; paint by Benjamin Moore: Aurora Borealis (walls) and Floral White (cabinets and trim); island paint: Radio Wave, California Paints; refrigerator: Bosch
The new, elongated layout features a large, multipurpose island with a reclaimed cherry top for prepping, cooking and doing homework. The island base is composed of custom maple cabinets and drawers painted a retro yellow.
The green on the walls was inspired by vintage stoves. “I think it’s very energetic and lively and reflects our personality,” says Edward, an art professor. “We always feel it’s a waste not to use color when you have the opportunity.”
The new 36-inch counter-depth French-door refrigerator has panel fronts to match the surrounding white cabinetry. The doorway to the right of the fridge leads to the adjacent dining room.
Maple cabinets: custom by Francisco Nunes, Olive Square Kitchens; cabinet hardware: Rejuvenation; reclaimed-cherry tops on island and hutch: Longleaf Lumber; paint by Benjamin Moore: Aurora Borealis (walls) and Floral White (cabinets and trim); island paint: Radio Wave, California Paints; refrigerator: Bosch
Morton incorporated the family’s existing stainless steel range into the updated kitchen, and paired a new farmhouse sink with the existing stainless steel dishwasher. Above the range sits a custom painted wood hood enclosure designed to match the surrounding cabinetry. The duct for the hood hides inside the cabinet above, with enough room left in the cabinet to store bottles of oil and vinegar.
Soapstone counters on the perimeter offer contrast to the wood island top. A French door leads to a backyard deck.
Pendants over island and downlight over sink: Rejuvenation; Shaws Original fireclay farmhouse sink: Rohl; sink faucet: Chicago Faucets; hood insert: Broan; wood hood enclosure: custom by Francisco Nunes, Olive Square Kitchens
Soapstone counters on the perimeter offer contrast to the wood island top. A French door leads to a backyard deck.
Pendants over island and downlight over sink: Rejuvenation; Shaws Original fireclay farmhouse sink: Rohl; sink faucet: Chicago Faucets; hood insert: Broan; wood hood enclosure: custom by Francisco Nunes, Olive Square Kitchens
BEFORE: This view shows how the range previously sat isolated next to the breakfast table, far from the sink and refrigerator in another room. The open doorway leads to the front entry. The door on the right leads down to the basement.
AFTER: This view, looking in the same direction as above, shows how Morton put the range on the other side of the room and created a new pantry hutch in its place. A combination of cabinets and drawers for storing pots and pans and the family’s trash and recycling pullouts are also in the island. Open shelves display family collectibles.
The new pantry hutch includes custom upper glass doors with inlay and a colorful backsplash featuring ceramic tiles with a metallic glaze. Two lift-up cabinets flanking the backsplash store small appliances. “Having this concentrated area of storage allowed us to have an open feel for the kitchen without sacrificing storage,” Morton says.
Multicolor backsplash tile: Art of Tile & Stone
Multicolor backsplash tile: Art of Tile & Stone
This view from the new breakfast area shows how reclaimed heart pine planks on the wall help unify the space. “We love wood and spend a lot of time in Switzerland, where mountain huts have a lot of this kind of wood shiplap on the walls and floors,” Edward says. “The inspiration came from that experience.”
Reclaimed heart pine: Longleaf Lumber
Reclaimed heart pine: Longleaf Lumber
The vintage chrome-and-Formica table and chairs were some of the couple’s first purchases after they married.
Oversize double-hung windows increase the connection to the backyard.
Table and chairs: homeowners’ own; Smithfield S modern pendant light in color Mud: Jasper Morrison for Flos; windows: Integrity, Marvin Windows and Doors
Oversize double-hung windows increase the connection to the backyard.
Table and chairs: homeowners’ own; Smithfield S modern pendant light in color Mud: Jasper Morrison for Flos; windows: Integrity, Marvin Windows and Doors
The new full bathroom sits off the dining area in part of the space once occupied by the sink and fridge. The new mudroom has a bench with pullout storage bins below, as well as cubbyholes and iron hooks that were original to the house.
This view from the backyard shows the deck off the new dining area. “A connection to the rear yard was a crucial component to this project,” Morton says.
BEFORE: As this floor plan of the original layout shows, the kitchen was chopped up, with the refrigerator and sink in a separate room, shown at the bottom left. The main space, top right, featured the dining table and range. A small powder room and mudroom, bottom right, cut the kitchen off from the backyard, bottom, and limited the amount of natural light coming into the kitchen.
AFTER: By incorporating the old powder room and mudroom, Morton created space for a new breakfast area and multipurpose center island. Moving the range to the other side of the room also allowed the relocated sink and range to enjoy a close connection. The result: “a space that in both form and function matches our personality and needs,” Edward says.
More
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Kitchen
Get inspired: Browse the latest kitchen photos on Houzz
Get started: Find a kitchen and bath designer near you
More
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Kitchen
Get inspired: Browse the latest kitchen photos on Houzz
Get started: Find a kitchen and bath designer near you
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Edward and Lauren Monovich — he’s an art professor; she’s a scientist — and their three kids
Location: Belmont, Massachusetts
Size: 241 square feet (22.3 square meters)
Designer: Andrea Morton of aMortonDesign
BEFORE: Prior to the renovation, the sink and refrigerator were located in a small space (seen here through the doorway on the right) off the main room, which featured the range and a vintage breakfast table and hutch. The doorway to the left led to a small powder room and mudroom area off a back door. This chopped-up floor plan made it difficult to prepare meals and created a confusing traffic flow for the family of five.