These clients are serious about period detail. No surprise there, considering that they study ancient cultures for a living. We spent a lot of time devising a layout that would be practical for the way they live (these people really do cook!), while honoring the historic character of their 1915 home.

The stove is a restored Wedgewood. The sink and taps are antique. A fabulous Deco-era fridge awaits restoration; it’s on the restoration shop’s schedule for December 2015.

Celadon backsplash is from Heritage Tile. Drawer pulls and cabinet latches are salvaged. Traditional hinges from Rejuvenation are mounted to match the kitchen’s original built-ins.

Not shown here is a small and seriously sturdy maple cabinet for making pastry and bread, designed based on scant evidence offered by a photo of the client’s great-grandmother circa 1906. See the cabinet–and learn to build one–in the video I made with Popular Woodworking.

For a look behind the scenes, see my blog post on this kitchen

B and I LOVE the cabinet. It looks so wonderful and the hardware looks so good with it! B particularly remarked on how lovely the grain of the wood is and I agree. …  The cabinet is so special to me because it really represents my great-grandmother and I am really looking forward to using it! It is of course a lovely piece of furniture in its own right but it also is a fantastic piece for its meaning to me as well.”–TKV