Collection by Moira Anderson
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“The kitchen is really the heart of the home,” says the owner. “It feels very special to us.” An extra-long island hosts everything from children’s homework sessions to “cooking parties,” such as when the owners have friends over every year to make apricot jam from fruit picked in the yard. The placement of the cooktop means the cook can be working and there’s room for people to help, or mill about easily, inside and out. “We'll open the big doors and dine on the deck, and have appetizers on the island,” says the owner. “I'll still be cooking in the kitchen and never feel like I've left the party.”
Interior designer Heidi Lachapelle chose unfussy furnishings with clean lines. “Nothing should feel decorative or unnecessary,” she says. “We looked for things that would age beautifully to speak to the wabi-sabi concept.” The oak daybed is by Bautier, the indoor/outdoor rug is by Dash & Albert, and the trapezoidal cushions on the concrete bench nod to similar ones that the wife saw at Georgia O’Keefe’s home and studio. The Scandinavian-inspired fireplace throws heat from two sides.
A floor lamp nearly eight feet tall anchors the seating area in the living area. Ceilings that are 12 feet tall at the highest point help the room feel expansive. “We needed to find a way to define different areas in a relatively tight space,” Lachapelle says. It’s the clients’ first experience with an open floor plan. “We raised our kids in an old Victorian, and the farmhouse we live in now is chopped up into tiny rooms save for the studio we just added,” the husband says.
Modern Windsor chairs by Hay surround an oak extension table by Ethnicraft. “You flip a lever and it gets larger,” Lachapelle says. The original plan called for a center island, but the owners wanted the flexibility of a table they could also use as a prep surface. The oak cabinet behind the sofa is on casters for additional utility. “We can even use it outside,” the husband says.










