Kitchen Renovation – Wood, White and Slate

This is a 1930s house, and it had many of the things you’d expect from a house of that vintage – a lack of insulation in parts; a small, galley-style kitchen; and a layout that doesn’t quite work with the way we live in our homes today.

Sherry-Lynn and her husband, who recently moved back to St. John’s after several years away, were renting a house while they looked for something to call their own. They looked at this house several times, attracted by the home’s exterior and the indoor parking, but the inside of the house kept pushing them away. If only the house didn’t have so many walls, they thought.

But maybe it didn’t need all those walls? The couple visited the house yet again with a contractor, who assured them that yes, they could remove some walls and make the modifications they wanted.

The result is a stylish, beautifully appointed contemporary home inside a classic shell, featuring a kitchen by Modern Millwork and Cabinetry built on the homeowner’s desire for a gender-neutral colour palette and a large island.

The island has a white countertop with a sapele-stained birch eating bar. With dark counters around the perimeter – reused from the previous kitchen incarnation – the white really stands out. The sapele colour is carried through the house, appearing in the dining/living area ceiling beams and a wood wall containing the stairs.

The backsplash is natural, untreated slate laid in a herringbone pattern. The floor is also slate, but with a treatment.

Extra storage is hidden under the seating side of the island, with no hardware to get in the way.

The metal surfaces throughout the kitchen are a champagne bronze in a contemporary style.