Out with the ’70s, in with the Modern-Historic

From admin on August 9th, 2010 in Seattle

Around its 105th birthday, a Capitol Hill kitchen gets a backward/forward design change.

The 1905 home after renovation

How do you take a century-old treasure of a house out of its ancient entrapments, and add the beauty of modernity—all without compromising the age-old appeal of the dwelling place? It was the challenge for a Capitol Hill family whose beloved home had a kitchen that was stuck in the ‘70s, hiding the skeleton of a house built in 1905.

The Johnson Partnership, a Seattle renovation specialist, was called to the site. The goal, explained Ellen who led the project, was to make the kitchen bigger, more comfortable, while at the same time “trying to preserve its historic feel.” Anyone who has dinked around with hammer and drywall in a house as old as this one knows that mighty challenges lurk behind that deceptively simple statement.

The 1970s kitchen before renovation

Not a firm to back down from the challenge, the kitchen renovation project became a family affair. As they selected cabinets, flooring, wall colors, deco and furnishings, the family reminisced on their upbringing and used those memories to infuse the kitchen with the reality of their childhood.

The plan worked. Now, imbued with modern comforts but sustained by historic design, the kitchen matches the designer’s goal exactly—a design that integrates with the house and preserves the historicity of the dwelling. At the same time, it offers all the appeal of a modern kitchen—and then some.

Source: Seattle Homes