1904 Historic Dutch Colonial Kitchen Renovation

1904 Historic Dutch Colonial Kitchen Renovation

This California empty-nest couple envisioned their 1904 Dutch Colonial in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood as their forever home. To make that possible, they needed to modernize it for hosting their parents during extended stays and entertaining friends while preserving its historical character.

Resident：Empty-nest couple

Location：Capitol Hill, Seattle

Size：22㎡, expanded from 16.4㎡

Style：Historic Dutch Colonial & Modern Minimalist

 Before: The 177-square-foot kitchen, last updated in the 1980s, had awkward angles that made it difficult to work in. An overbearing soffit, dated black granite countertops and honey oak cabinets that blended into the wood flooring added to the problem. “The kitchen had an outdated plan that was counterintuitive,” Larson says. Out of view, a staircase and powder room further disrupted the layout.

After: Larson demolished the former kitchen, removed the sink wall and built new walls, and added 63 square feet to the footprint. She relocated the dining room to the addition and turned the former dining room into a guest suite. The doorway in the back corner connects to the new dining area and front entry in the addition (see below). “Knowing the clients were going to have the relatives in the house staying with them, it was clear the kitchen had to be at the heart of the house with easy access from the guest suite,” she says.

The warm, inviting kitchen is anchored by a nearly 7-by-3-foot cherry island, painted Symphony Blue by Benjamin Moore, with a butcher block top rubbed with mineral oil. “They cut on it and make a lot of food on it,” Larson says. The perimeter countertops are off-white quartz.

White upper cabinets and those surrounding the wall ovens brighten the kitchen, as well as a white range hood and walls. “We talked about how a mix of wood, white and blue would make the kitchen feel rich and not dated or cramped,” Larson says. Brushed brass faucets at the main sink beneath the cherry-framed windows and the island prep sink, along with matching cabinet hardware and other brass accents, add warmth.

Above the range, custom blue and white ceramic peacock tiles reference the home’s Dutch Colonial style. “These alternate with delicate flower tiles and create a pattern that is historical and modern at the same time,” Larson says. “The backsplash also coordinates with the cobalt blue range and island.”

Two pendant lights with clear glass globes encircled by slender brass rings illuminate the island. The kitchen also has LED ceiling lights, removed from these photos by the photographer to highlight other design details.

Before:These stairs interrupted the kitchen layout, with a powder room to the right and a stainless steel refrigerator flanked by tall glass-front cabinets to the left.

After: Larson redirected the staircase and added a new wall to support the range and wall ovens. She transformed the former powder room into a walk-in pantry, while a new bathroom sits off the kitchen out of view.

The kitchen opens to the new dining room in the addition, with the transition marked by cherry trim and built-in shelves topped with quartz that provide buffet space. “The glass cabinets above can be opened from the kitchen,” Larson says. “They allow light into both spaces.”

Here is the other side of the dining room, showing the home’s new front entry and added mudroom. Three large stained-glass panels depict a tree-filled landscape. “At night the house just glows,” Larson says.

Before: This floor plan shows the former kitchen’s awkward angles, with the staircase and powder room (top right) disrupting traffic flow. The sink sat in the angled cabinet corner at lower right. The door across from the powder room was the former front entry.

After: Rerouting the staircase (top), adding an addition (bottom) and building new walls streamlined the layout and created space for a central island. The former powder room became a walk-in pantry to the right of the new range area. “I think I was able to meld a functional reworking of the spaces of the house with a kind of jewel box approach to the kitchen,” Larson says.

Core Brand Advantage

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