Washington, DC

The long time owners of a gracious old residence in one of Washington, DC’s loveliest neighborhoods came to us with the architect’s plans already approved for construction of a major addition. While the kitchen more than tripled in size, most of the new space was dedicated to a large family room, with the doorway to the dining room and double doors out to a new patio leaving less area than the original footprint of the previously inadequate kitchen. Compounding the challenge, the requirements included a grand La Cornue range and hood, wine bar, and island seating for six. And it had to feel classical with an English country manor ethos.

The solution that emerged was to conceive of the kitchen as an extension of the family room, with a central cooking hearth flanked by a built-in tall appliance and storage armoire at one end and hutch-as-wine-bar at the other, connected by asymmetrically balanced functional corner alcoves. The island is conceived as a kitchen worktable, with furniture elements and details scaled in proportion to its expansive size. The designer’s signature “Stanford” series cabinetry is used throughout, including the adjoining mahogany butler’s pantry. As elegantly casual as it is functional, here is a new room that settles comfortably into its beloved family home.

Designed by #JGKB. Photography by Keiana Photography.