Crafting a Kitchen

Redesign sends old home’s kitchen back to its roots

SHoRtLy AFtER MoVING INto HER home on West Plum Street in 1984, Deidre Justice sensed that something about the house was awry.

Upon further investigation, she discovered that the kitchen and dining room had been swapped from their original locations.

The house, an American Foursquare built in the early 1900s, was part of the American Craftsman era of design. When Justice bought the home, it still possessed many elegant, original features – such as pocket doors and a bay window – but they were hidden behind kitchen counters and appliances.

By the time she retired from her job as an art teacher for Westerville City Schools,

Justice had pulled together enough money to restore the house to its original layout.

“(I’d) been saving my pennies for 27 years,” says Justice.

In the course of planning the renovation, Justice decided to give her kitchen a sophisticated facelift that would provide cohesion among all the rooms.

Justice looked into various design options, but she found a compatible vision in Angela Bonfante of Upper Arlingtonbased Angela Bonfante Kitchen Designs. In May, the two teamed up with Cornerstone Remodeling of Marysville to take on the project, and the vision soon became a reality.

The kitchen now features old-fashioned push-button light switches and a Carrera

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marble countertop, as well as custom quarter sawn oak cabinets made by Richard Booth of Lewis Center. Every aspect of the design was chosen to represent the Craftsman era

“If I was going to put the kitchen back the way it was, I thought I ought to make it of the era,” says Justice. “I’m a purist when it comes to things like that.”

While most of the remodel’s elements are vintage, the kitchen also features LED cabinetry lights – both underneath and inside. The cabinet doors have windows designed to feature Justice’s collection of McCoy pottery.

“We have incorporated a lot of interesting storage options,” says Bonfante, referencing the unique display.

While Justice and Bonfante are pleased with the finished product, they admit it wasn’t always smooth sailing. The project wrapped up in early September, two months behind schedule. But as the team

Highlights such as push-button light switches, a Carrera marble countertop and custom quarter sawn oak cabinets give Deidre Justice’s kitchen a look reminiscent of the American Craftsman era in which it was built.

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$35fortheGeneralPublic was working on a small addition to the back of the home, it ran into some unstable foundation. Bonfante took it in stride, saying it’s just a part of the job.

“You can always anticipate a delay,” she says.

Fortunately, Justice’s new kitchen was still finished in time for the Home Improvement Showcase put on by central Ohio’s chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. Justice’s home was one of 16 featured on the tour, Sept. 29-30.

Justice was pleased to be featured, but agrees with Bonfante’s assessment that the new kitchen has given her an even greater gift by making her kitchen more inviting.

“It’s all about bringing your friends and family together,” says Bonfante.

Rose Davidson is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@ cityscenemediagroup.com.

By Alex Wallace