A New Kitchen For An Old House In Santa Barbara

92 comments:
This is an old house. She's 92 to be exact.
What's that saying about not teaching an old dog new tricks?
I agree.
An old house is not going to budge when it come to certain things, especially at 92.
I can't change the footprint because of set backs and the usual rules governing a historic house.
And I can't mess around much with windows or doors and why would I? 
They are all really beautiful, with old arches and screens and large french patio doors
So that leaves us with the interior walls, which I had initially thought could be moved 
and reworked to 
 enlarge the spaces visually.
Then a few weeks ago, I had a visit from a person who used to live in this house.
She was in her 70's and her daughter had recently passed away.
She wanted to see if she could find this house again 
because she and her daughter had enjoyed it here so much.  
Her parents had moved to Santa Barbara from the Midwest and had rented this house from the original owner who was then very elderly.

She remembered the house was pink with sage green trim.  
I've found traces of the old pink paint every where 
and you don't often see a pink house these days.


She recalled, rather tearfully, sleeping with her small daughter in the screened porch area off the master bedroom.
We had recently completely gutted that part of the house and
I honestly felt guilty telling her it was all different.

I made the decision then and there to leave as much intact as I could 
going forwarded to preserve what I think will enhance her old bones 
and put some spring back in her step.

Which now takes us to the kitchen:

The kitchen was remodeled at some point in the early 90's
I'm showing this photo of my Thanksgiving morning crazy woman cooking mess because I love a good "before" shot!
The tile is sort of faux Spanish and although it has held up pretty well it's really orange!
Sort of like orange sherbet ice cream...remember that stuff?!

On the opposite side is this massive old Thermadore

This was one of the first commercial grade stoves for the home chef and it's a beast.
I have repaired and cleaned every burner so it cooks evenly but there is no such thing
 as a simmer setting.
On is on and on is 18,000 British Thermal Units of hell.

Same goes for the oven,
Burnt everything.  
Tops, bottoms sides, you name it 
Me and my big girl oven, we have fried many a meal to a blackened crisp.

So she will now have a home at a local homeless shelter next week, because, well they needed a new oven and they wanted it.  
Hopefully they will have better luck with her and keep the burnt cookies to a minimum 
I've decide to use Bosch for some of the new appliances.
I like the minimalist clean look of them.
I'm also going smaller.  
I love to cook and yet I never really use more than 4 burners at once on a stove top.
So the new range will only be 30 inches wide 
which will give me more prep area on either side as well.
The stove area is inset so it will have some nice spots for open storage, spices and crocks 
and a little pot rack for a vintage copper collection

All of the new counter tops are Ceasarstone.  
I chose Raw Concrete, honed, with an 1.5 inch mitered edge detail
And yes it is counterfeit, but it looks like the real deal only better!!!
By the way....all three of these colors are beautiful.
 I'm still tossing around paint colors, like darker grays.
The kitchen walls will all be re-stuccoed and left raw 
as we have done throughout out the rest of the house
Tile will be kept to a minimum.  
All the tile is hand made and hand glazed and somewhat irregular.  
Fingers are crossed that we get it some time before the 4th of July.
Reclaimed wood, raw steel and whitewashed terracotta  are a few of the other details.
A small china cabinet will be outfitted with wire or wired safety glass
 for some additional texture.
I found these safety glass pendants at Restoration Hardware.  I love these.  
Even better was the price
Originally $890 each I scooped them up for under $300 dollars
A few trendy things like a black faucet and some brass 
hardware will probably sneak in too!

Gray and brass in kitchen design is definitely having a moment but  
in the back of my mind I want it to look at least something like it did in 1925  
and more importantly I want it to feel like an old-ish kitchen.
I'm especially fond of these classic English kitchens by Devol.
I think they look somewhat similar to what this kitchen may have looked like.
Small and compact but warm and inviting and a fun place to cook.


Demo starts next week...bring on the trash cans! 

Find me here daily on Instagram
and check out my boards on Pinterest too

xoxo












92 comments:
  1. Your home is so charming! I'll pop in to see the progress of your new kitchen. Your choices are lovely!

    xo,

    Ivy...

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Ivy, please stop by! cheers, Kelley

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  2. I was so excited to see a post from you in my in box!! How fun to be able to follow along with your on your reno. Look forward to watching the process,
    Kathysue

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    Replies
    1. thanks Kathysue! you're an expert at making good choices!!! You're new house is so pretty. Hope you stop by to see how things come along ; )))

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  3. Kelly this all sounds fabulous. I believe as you do that we have to honor a houses heritage. Sometimes it is tempting to completely "basterdize" them but I think that is a disservice. I have struggled with the same things in my Spanish Colonial. How to update while still remaining somewhat true to it's heritage. It is a battle, but you have made great selections. One of these days you must stop on your way back and forth. Maybe hubby could drop you off and I would have an excuse to visit SB and take you back. I really don't mind the drive at all.

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    Replies
    1. Sounds like a plan! I think of you every time we pass through the Salinas valley. But before you visit I need to get it all finished so you're not stepping over chop saws and construction debris. Should be all done by the end of May....just in time for summer ; )))

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  4. I'm anxious to know how your Ceasarstone concrete counters hold up. Last year when I was doing research on quartz counters I discovered them & was very excited about having concrete counters without the usual issues concrete has.
    But further investigation revealed bad reviews. I was disappointed & ended up with plain white. Maybe they've gotten better in regard to staining.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Mary, thanks for the info. Concrete is very porous and will always crack so you are smart not to go that route. Ceasarstone and all of the other similar products are roughly 95% stone with the additional 5% a polymer product. The negative issues I have heard, relate more to people putting very hot pans on the surface which will burn and etch.
      Having designed kitchens with all sorts of "real"stone, all of which have issues, I'm anxious to see how Ceasarstone holds up. We lived in a wonderful condo with Caesarstone and I loved it. It is very expensive so I'm crossing my fingers.

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  5. love everything. are you keeping the same footprint of the kitchen?

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    1. Hi Lori, yes we are keeping it all the same. I really wanted to take ou the arch but everyone chimed in and said no, so I kept it. Hope you are doing great!

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  6. I literally broke into uncontrollable laughter when I read "on is on and on is 18,000 British Thermal Units of hell" ... HILARIOUS! Can't wait to see the kitchen unfold, I'm sure it's going be gorgeous Kelley!

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    1. Thank you Arti! Your place is looking awesome BTW : )))

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  7. Hi Kelley, sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for an IG posting of kitchen demo. I am in the planning stages, blue tape all over the floor, talking with contractors and getting bids. UGH! I live about 2 hours away from Ventura in the central valley and would love to visit the stoneyard you bought the soapstone from for your Camarillo home. Having an impossible time finding here. Thanks so much for all your inspiration...

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    Replies
    1. Hi Penny, soon to come on IG. We purchased the stone for our house in Ojai from Stone West I think or they may have been the fabricator. Either way there is a huge stone yard in Ventura which I highly recommend. Lots of folks from Santa Barbara LA and north go there because of the selection. It would be worth the drive. When I purchased mine they had probably 20 slabs to choose from. We used 2 slabs for the project which is about average for a kitchen. Hope that helps!!

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  8. Hi Kelley,
    I am excited to see a post from you. I too am considering a kitchen remodel on our house in Asti. So I've been living on IG and Pinterest. I want a free standing refrigerator and remembered that you did that once with a commercial refrigerator. I look forward to following along with your remodel. ~Delores

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  9. I was sent by another BLOGGER who has commented HERE!
    WE have the same gravel.........and I live in California too!
    I read another post but this darn computer wouldn't allow me to comment!ADORE the baskets by the gate!Love the bit about the BRITISH Oven.......they are not known for their cooking MAYBE THAT IS THE PROBLEM!!!!!!!!Your gardens are lovely..........especially those stone beds.I agree with YOU on the items NOT TO re-plant.AS for a kitchen remodel nothing MORE exciting!BEST of LUCK and I shall SUBSCRIBE!!!

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