Kitchens

"Everyone who visits speaks of the warmth created by the timber lining boards and the interest of the raked ceiling in the kitchen,” says homeowner Sarah.

Black granite from Atlantis Tile & Marble frames the island in the vaulted kitchen, which Allegra and Bill envisioned as an open volume. IKEA cabinets and a Whirlpool fridge are wrapped in pieces of birch plywood individually cut by cabinetmaker Joe Corsi with a CNC machine and glued into sections. The sconces are from Restoration Hardware and the pendants are from Schoolhouse.

Architect Erik Churchill of BLDGWORKS and his brother-in-law, contractor Bill Henry of Field Modifications, teamed up to remodel a late ’70s home outside Philadelphia for Bill, his wife, Allegra, and their sons. The house is near family, including Erik and Allegra’s parents, Tasha Stonorov and Michael Churchill. “We knew it would be a challenge,” says Allegra, “but the opportunity to be close to my parents in a place that could display Bill’s skills and Erik’s design made it irresistible.” Cedar planks wrap a new 900-square-foot extension.

The home’s galley kitchen features cherry cabinetry and a concrete counter and backsplash—tying in with the concrete wall in the living room.

The kitchen-cum-dining area is an open space that facilitates gatherings, working from home and lets people behind the counters communicate with others outside easily.

One of the home’s three pavilions includes an open-concept kitchen and living space, which the family uses to cook and entertain.

Quartz countertops and two-by-eight-inch subway tile with tan grout (on the backsplash) complement the tone of the birch cabinetry and ash shelves in the kitchen.

"The home is about 1,500 square feet, but I knew I wanted to devote a lot of that to a large kitchen and living space,

The kitchen showcases stainless steel counters created by Tyler, a metal fabricator. The greenery from the outdoors pours in through the large windows, creating connection between the interior and the exterior.

The main floor of the home features a living, dining, and kitchen area all in one place. "I think we went through 10 different teal paints before we landed on this one for the cabinets,

The home is off a gravel road beside a stream, and features a front and back deck. The angles of the home allow for sunlight to reach far into the interiors.

Flush concrete flooring continues from the kitchen and dining area into the backyard garden, allowing the spaces to easily unite as one.

The clients have a large collection of indoor plants, and 4 S Architecture designed a scheme with plenty of spots to display plants, from the deep windowsills to the semi-recessed extractor above the island that features an integrated shelf. “We had originally specified a fully flush extractor system, but they are very expensive,” says architect, Julia Hamson. “We went for one that is semi-recessed, so was cost effective but still has less visual impact than a dropped extractor.”

The new kitchen features green kit kat tiles, a terrazzo-effect rubber floor, white cabinetry, and cherry wood veneered cabinets. The client originally wanted teak cabinets, but 4 S Architecture recommended using cherry wood instead as it is more sustainable but has the same warm tones as teak. “We couldn’t get behind teak as a product so we used FSC certified European cherry that has less air miles than American cherry,” explains architect Julia Hamson. “The client was really pleased with the result.”

The remodeled kitchen offers a whole corner of glass, and continues as a backsplash beneath the new cabinetry.

The kitchen remains mostly untouched, but the design team added new cabinetry around the refrigerator. “We changed the light fixtures over the island,” Janusz says of the Dutton Brown pendants. “We used simple shapes like squares and balls. We repeated globe light fixtures throughout, so you see them in the kitchen, the dining room, the laundry room, as well as up the stairs.”

With white polyurethane joinery and polished concrete floors, light bounces around the small space.