Kitchen of the Week: Warming Trend in a 1920s Georgian
The previous kitchen in this 1920s Georgian house was cold. Not just chilly because of the expanse of tile on the countertops and floors, but downright drafty thanks to a poorly insulated addition on the back. While the layout worked adequately enough for this Atlanta family’s lifestyle, it wasn’t quite the entertainment hub the Manhattan transplants imagined. And its dated style didn’t fit with the more traditional style in the rest of the home.
“This is a very formal and symmetrically balanced 1920s house,” explains designer Courtney Rogers of Renewal Design-Build. “The kitchen needed a certain amount of formality while also encouraging relaxation.”
BEFORE
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple who had their first child just before construction started
Location: Ansley Park neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia
Size: Approximately 500 square feet (46 square meters)
Generally the layout worked for the homeowners; it just needed some tweaks. They liked the eat-in area, the window over the sink and the island as a hub that included the cooktop. All of these elements were incorporated into the remodel.
The eat-in area along the back was an earlier addition that wasn’t properly insulated. There were also structural problems: The floor was as much as 5 inches off level.
AFTER: The renovation created a tighter envelope along the back, with added insulation and air sealing. Ducts were relocated to increase energy efficiency. After leveling the floors, the design team added new wide-plank red oak floors, which flow with the rest of the flooring in the house.
New butter-yellow walls warm up the space visually. “The clients chose a cooler gray palette for the cabinets and countertops, so the wall color brings in the warmth,” says Rogers.
The new island is larger and incorporates counter seating, so that others can keep the cook company. Coffers in the ceiling help make sense of the structural beams, which previously divided the room into odd quadrants that didn’t jibe with the layout at all.
“The desk area was hogging up valuable space that they wanted to use for entertaining,” Rogers says. The designer replaced it with more storage and a countertop. A longer farm table was made, lending a more relaxed feeling to the space. The table will serve the growing family well for meals and homework.
See more of Kitchen of the Week: Warming Trend in a 1920s Georgian
Kitchen of the Week: Warming Trend in a 1920s Georgian
