Kitchen of the Week: Renovated Space Nods to a Storied Past
A designer modernizes the kitchen in a 1906 Seattle home while maintaining its old-fashioned feel
This 1906 West Seattle home, once known as Totem Place, has a storied history. When avid collector Joseph Standley had it built, he was the owner of Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, which was (and still is) located across Elliott Bay. According to local history, Standley wanted his home to be as much of an attraction as his business already was. Multiple totem poles on the house and in the gardens, along with other follies and sculptures around the home’s extensive grounds, were a big part of the allure.
The larger property has been parceled and sold off since Standley’s time. Today, the current homeowners are enthusiastic gardeners who dedicate a lot of effort to maintaining its beautiful landscape. They also open up the property for garden tours, something Standley surely would have approved of. However, their focus on the outside of the house had left the interiors a bit neglected. To remedy this, they hired interior designer Judith Wright Sentz to help. She had the kitchen taken down to the studs and added modern conveniences while maintaining a classic look that fits with the historic home.
The larger property has been parceled and sold off since Standley’s time. Today, the current homeowners are enthusiastic gardeners who dedicate a lot of effort to maintaining its beautiful landscape. They also open up the property for garden tours, something Standley surely would have approved of. However, their focus on the outside of the house had left the interiors a bit neglected. To remedy this, they hired interior designer Judith Wright Sentz to help. She had the kitchen taken down to the studs and added modern conveniences while maintaining a classic look that fits with the historic home.
After: The stunning original window now serves as a focal point. Wright Sentz emphasized it by adding an arch and dentil molding. She also used the aforementioned depth to create an alcove all around the window, setting the cabinets back into it.
To play off the stained-glass window elsewhere in the kitchen, Wright Sentz designed leaded glass doors for some of the cabinets. They were fabricated by a craftsperson who lives in the neighborhood. “We knew we wanted places for my client to show off her glassware collection,” Wright Sentz says. She added LED rope lights inside the cabinets to illuminate them. It’s a move collector Standley likely would have appreciated.
Also shown in this photo is the beautiful coffee machine. It has its own dedicated water line, and the cabinets around it house all the necessary coffee accoutrements.
To play off the stained-glass window elsewhere in the kitchen, Wright Sentz designed leaded glass doors for some of the cabinets. They were fabricated by a craftsperson who lives in the neighborhood. “We knew we wanted places for my client to show off her glassware collection,” Wright Sentz says. She added LED rope lights inside the cabinets to illuminate them. It’s a move collector Standley likely would have appreciated.
Also shown in this photo is the beautiful coffee machine. It has its own dedicated water line, and the cabinets around it house all the necessary coffee accoutrements.
To maintain the old-fashioned feel of the house, Wright Sentz stuck with a classic palette. The countertops are soapstone, the backsplash is white subway tile, and the custom inset cabinets are Shaker style. All the brass in the room on the plumbing fixtures and cabinet hardware is unlacquered, so the patina it will develop over time will lend a sense of age. “My client told me that the brass we used throughout the house is definitely showing a patina already and she loves it,” Wright Sentz says.
While the white farmhouse sink and brass faucet have classic finishes, the details on the sink’s apron and the silhouette of the faucet are updated and fresh.
The new cabinet color, Sherwin-Williams’ Comfort Gray, appears different in some of these photos due to the ways the photographer captured the natural light and different artificial lighting schemes. “This is a very muted, true green in person,” Wright Sentz says.
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While the white farmhouse sink and brass faucet have classic finishes, the details on the sink’s apron and the silhouette of the faucet are updated and fresh.
The new cabinet color, Sherwin-Williams’ Comfort Gray, appears different in some of these photos due to the ways the photographer captured the natural light and different artificial lighting schemes. “This is a very muted, true green in person,” Wright Sentz says.
Browse white farmhouse sinks in the Houzz Shop
Before: Underneath the kitchen’s other window was a desk area that was well used. “One of my clients is a community organizer,” Wright Sentz says. “She likes to entertain and she’s a member of the garden club. The house is often on the garden tour.” Providing more space for prepping, storing and serving was an important part of the plans. This meant moving the office area to a guest room upstairs.
After: Wright Sentz replaced the desk area with additional cabinet storage and countertop space. She placed more leaded glass cabinet doors in this area, tying it to the stained-glass window and the leaded glass cabinet doors on the other wall.
Previously, the cooktop was in the island and had a bar-height countertop surrounding it. The designer replaced it with an updated and more functional island. The new counter has a smooth curve on the seating side. “My client’s daughter loves to cook with her. The island is a great spot to have extra space for her to help,” Wright Sentz says.
She also added scalloped edges to the countertops. They bring a bit of flair that nods to the detailed craftsmanship of Arts and Crafts homes. “This was a fun little detail to make happen,” Wright Sentz says.
The area seen through the opening leads to a bathroom. Wright Sentz reconfigured it in a way that allowed her to steal some space from it to create a pantry.
Previously, the cooktop was in the island and had a bar-height countertop surrounding it. The designer replaced it with an updated and more functional island. The new counter has a smooth curve on the seating side. “My client’s daughter loves to cook with her. The island is a great spot to have extra space for her to help,” Wright Sentz says.
She also added scalloped edges to the countertops. They bring a bit of flair that nods to the detailed craftsmanship of Arts and Crafts homes. “This was a fun little detail to make happen,” Wright Sentz says.
The area seen through the opening leads to a bathroom. Wright Sentz reconfigured it in a way that allowed her to steal some space from it to create a pantry.
After: With the room’s 9-foot ceilings, Wright Sentz knew she had to find the right shape for the range hood and use it to draw the eye up. “This is from Vent-A-Hood, but you can design your own by picking the metals you want,” she says. “They had exactly what we were looking for.” The black metal and straps lend a 100-year-old look and tie into the black soapstone countertops.
The fridge remained in approximately the same place. However, the designer chose a panel-ready model to blend it in with the cabinetry.
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The fridge remained in approximately the same place. However, the designer chose a panel-ready model to blend it in with the cabinetry.
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Hiding behind the cabinet fronts are organizers for things like cookie sheets and a corner pullout. The toekick in the island pulls out to reveal the dog’s bowls.
The floors are original to the house. Wright Sentz had new pieces woven in around the island, which has a different footprint than the existing island had. She had all the floors in the house refinished as part of this project. A vintage Oriental runner adds warmth to the floor.
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The floors are original to the house. Wright Sentz had new pieces woven in around the island, which has a different footprint than the existing island had. She had all the floors in the house refinished as part of this project. A vintage Oriental runner adds warmth to the floor.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
Double French doors in the dining room open to the kitchen. Now it’s a view worth admiring.
Dining room wallpaper: House of Hackney
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Dining room wallpaper: House of Hackney
See more of this house
More on Houzz
Read more kitchen stories
Browse kitchen photos
Hire a kitchen remodeler
Shop for kitchen products
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple, their two teenagers and their dog
Location: Seattle
Size: 200 square feet (19 square meters)
Designer: Judith Wright Sentz of Judith Wright Design
Before: The house has Arts and Crafts architectural style. The stained-glass window seen here is original to the home, and maintaining it was important to the owners and Wright Sentz. The rest of the kitchen? Not so much. Note how deeply recessed into the wall the window is — the next photo will show how the designer took advantage of that.
“The kitchen had probably last been renovated in the 1970s,” Wright Sentz says. “It was shabby and dated, and it was time to let it go.” The scope of the project also included fully renovating three bathrooms, as well as doing cosmetic refreshes and buying new furniture for other rooms. The designer and her clients created Houzz ideabooks to share inspiration images.
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