Kitchens Guide 2016
Photographs by Natalia Foto
The French Connection
Location: Brookline
Size: 315 Square Feet
They wanted to bring a touch of Paris to their Brookline Victorian.
The small, garden-level kitchen in this 4,600-square-foot 19th-century abode wasn’t exactly the family gathering space that interior designer Cecilia Casagrande had envisioned for her new home. So in consultation with the architecture firm Hacin + Associates, she relocated her kitchen to the parlor level upstairs. “It’s the sunniest room in the house and has the most gorgeous original windows,” Casagrande says.
Furnished to evoke a Parisian café, the new kitchen includes a cooking area, casual seating around an island, and a more formal dining area. “The challenge was to integrate a functional and modern workspace into a room that had large existing windows and doors, a fireplace, and Victorian trim,” says Jennifer Clapp, of Hacin + Associates. “Our design approach was to create a series of zones within the room that had distinct identities for each function.”
A custom metal hood with brass strapping, built by Indiana-based metal worker Aaron Vogler, highlights the cooking area, which also includes Lacanche appliances and handmade ceramic subway tile. Under an expansive Lindsey Adelman chandelier, the marble-topped island offers generous prep room as well as casual seating. Bold Ellie Cashman wallpaper defines the more formal dining space, outfitted with a Sean Woolsey “Haack” walnut table and a custom banquette with wool-and-nylon upholstery.
An upholstered window seat is a cozy perch for flipping through cookbooks, stored on adjacent shelving. Cabinets with brass hardware and pull-out drawers hide kitchen appliances. / Photograph by Natalia Foto
THE FACT FILE
Architect Hacin + Associates
Interior Designer Cecilia Casagrande Interiors
Carpenter Damien McNally
Appliances Lacanche “Volnay” range and warming oven, Art Culinaire; Jenn-Air refrigerator and Bosch dishwasher, both Jarvis Appliance
Cabinetry Custom, Cape Ann Kitchens
Countertop “Everest” marble, RSK Marble and Granite
Tile Handmade ceramic tile, DiscoverTile
Wallpaper “Dark Floral,” Ellie Cashman
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The Classic White | The Anti-Kitchen | The New Victorian | The Midcentury Redo | The French Connection | The Warm Minimalist
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