When the owners of this 100-year-old “Informal Victorian” home in Wayne first approached us about remodeling their kitchen, they, of course, wanted to update the functionality and appearance of their kitchen. Working within the existing footprint provided little opportunity to increase its work areas or storage capabilities.

The “original” 80’s kitchen had a small broken u-shaped layout into which three doors opened—one from the family room, one to the living room and one to the basement. There is a chimney chase that creates an offset in one wall run that limited the cabinet and countertop depths for approximately 36”. Large windows that transmitted a great deal of natural light were actually oversized for the proportions of the room and prohibited the use of one wall for the placement of cabinets and appliances. The lighting needed to be improved and this required the old knob and tube wiring be removed.

Positive aspects of the kitchen that we wanted to maintain were: 8½ foot ceilings, the rustic Mexican tile floor, two separate sink areas, a Subzero refrigerator, and barn board paneling in an adjoining hallway.

In designing the new kitchen particular attention was paid to making selections that were in keeping with the age and style of the house which is known as Informal Victorian or Queen Anne Victorian, not to be confused with the formal architecture of the reign of Queen Anne. Queen Anne Victorians have more of a “cottage” feel than the classic “High Victorians”, and the interiors share elements of the Arts and Crafts movement.