Chimney Knoll Update #3 - Design Plans & Mood Boards
Thankfully, we are now entering the finishing stage of Chimney Knoll, so there are many exciting design updates to follow! We are nearing the completion of the procurement process (almost all materials have been ordered) and the beginning of the fine tuning and finishing stage. It’s been a labor of love, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t completely thrilled the end is near because that means the designs get to come to fruition!
When we set out to renovate Chimney Knoll, we always wanted to keep the 1940s historicity in tact as much as we could - and there was much to love about our little bungalow. We had several nods to the art deco movement with the brass, ziggurat-inspired door hardware with crystal knobs, the arches throughout the place, and colorful bathroom tile. Our trim reads colonial, likely inspired by the rise of patriotism during the pre-war movement. And true to a bungalow, we had tons of natural light, a big and wide porch, and functional one-story living without a foyer (a true bungalow does not have a traditional foyer unlike other home styles of an earlier era). The small kitchen, the lack of a master suite, and laundry in the basement however: all fixable while still giving a wink, a nod, and a nudge to the historic nature of the home.
Read more below, and I’ll walk you through a preview of the finished rooms to come via the mood boards our firm designed.
The Kitchen
Chimney Knoll Kitchen mood board
While the original kitchen was quite small, it was filled with charm. There were glass front cabinets everywhere, upper cabinets with corbel brackets, and adorable butterfly hinges on the cupboard doors. It was a classic bungalow kitchen with flush inset shaker cabinetry - albeit, it could have been in better shape and unfortunately needed to be updated to suit modern kitchen needs. Nevertheless, it still inspired the craftsman cottage theme for the final kitchen design.
When looking for kitchen inspiration in a historic home, it can be helpful to flip through books that feature designs of that era. Bungalow Kitchen by Jane Powell was one of many books for kitchen inspiration along with The Perfect Kitchen by Barbara Sallick, cofounder of Waterworks, and Creating a New Old House: Yesterday’s Character for Today’s Home by Russell Versaci. We compile our inspiration first and then start to track common throughlines or themes to then map out the design specifications for the room.
I always knew if space was an issue, I would be willing to keep a dining room and sacrifice a kitchen table for an oversized island. I am a seasoned and regular cook, and counter space to me is more precious than even oven size. One can never have enough prep space. Thankfully, our original kitchen had a depth of about 13 feet, which is a rather deep depth for a kitchen of its era and allowed just enough space to include an island. I love islands because I can get prep space and eat-in dining space in one furniture-inspired piece. I had always envisioned busting out the back wall and including an island in this kitchen just to have enough dining space to eat breakfast and lunch in the kitchen should we not want to eat those meals in the formal dining room (who wants to eat breakfast and lunch in a formal dining room unless it’s a formal luncheon or brunch?).
There are also some elements I always specify for a kitchen that we were sure to include. For example, I always ensure to fit a minimum of a 36 inch range in a home - anything smaller and its belongs more in an apartment or condo than a single family home. Additionally, we like to ensure the microwave is tucked away in some manner - whether it’s in a pantry closet, an appliance garage, a microwave drawer built into cabinets, etc. - but NEVER above the range. We want to ensure we have adequate ventilation with a hood vent above a range for both style and function. If possible, I like to have a sink under a window or at least with some sort of long-range view to prevent a closed in feeling when doing dishes.
Rather than strictly adhering to the work triangle, from here I like to map out my “zones” for food prep - where am I getting my coffee, ensuring the trash is near the dishwasher and sink, creating a beverage section for wine and cocktails, do I have all my utensils and spices near the oven in addition to enough counter space to set down a hot pan, etc. Function comes before all else in the kitchen and helps mold the layout, and then picking the finishes is the fun part. Likewise, I want to think about my elevations - similar to wanting to see a bed when you first walk into a bedroom, I like having the range and the hood vent as the first visible element in a kitchen.
Which leads us to the Chimney Knoll kitchen finishes - and boy are they beautiful. I knew I wanted green cabinets on the outer perimeter, a wood furniture style island, a matching wood bell shaped hood, unlacquered brass hardware, brass Duncan pendants (this was a popular lighting style in the 1940s), and some sort of light colored natural stone counter top. We sampled probably 10 different green paint colors to avoid a Kermit-the-Frog green while still avoiding an overly powdery grey-green. The rest of the selections came together rather seamlessly, as I had an idea of certain vendors I wanted to work with in addition to the materials. In the mood board, I made sure include some of my blue accessories too, like my steel blue Kitchen Aid mixer, to envision the final kitchen plans.
It’s hard to pick a favorite element for this room - as a regular cook, kitchens are my most fun room to plan and design!
The Master Bathroom
Chimney Knoll Master Bath mood board
I knew I wanted a tub under a window in the master bathroom - how lucky am I that we just so happened to position that window right in front of the giant holly hedge on the north side of the house! It’s the ultimate privacy, and you feel wrapped in nature.
The common through line when pulling inspiration for the master bath was a furniture style, walnut stained freestanding vanity among lighter stone floors and shower with very tall mirrors. A few iterations of this plum, calacatta viola theme bathroom were ideated, and ultimately we stuck with beautiful simplicity of letting that calacatta viola shower tile stand out. We wanted to keep things feeling warm and not sterile, so we chose vintage brass plumbing fixtures.
I am most excited to see the tub installed with the moravian star pendant floating above it, as I keep imagining the most glorious baths there.
The Laundry Room
Chimney Knoll Laundry Room mood board
The minute I laid eyes on these green Electrolux machines, I knew two things: 1) these beauties are my selections for washer and dyer and 2) I want a preppy girly pink laundry room. From there, I knew I wanted to mimic the tongue and groove in the kitchen with bead board style laundry cabinets, and I wanted to give a wink and a nod to laundry baskets with a wicker semi flush mount basket light. Cafe curtains compliment a laundry room well to add some softness without totally blocking natural light (you need natural light to be able to see even better to clean clothes!).
The whole room is a small but mighty workhorse that I cannot wait to see come together.
These three rooms, the kitchen master bath, and the laundry, comprise of the biggest changes coming in the weeks ahead. I think the designs will start feeling real to me when that hood is officially installed and the tub has been set.
Tell me, what are you most looking forward to seeing installed?