21 Century Design in Vintage Kitchen Remodel

by Sheryl Jensen

Tom and Sheryl Homan wanted to have the end result of their kitchen remodel provide them with all the conveniences of a 21st century kitchen, while still maintaining the elegance and retro look of their vintage 1907 Thomas Merritt home in the Congdon neighborhood.

The Homans were looking for more space, a better layout, and upgrades to make the kitchen more user-friendly all around. The original area of three individual separate spaces was small to begin with but the design opened it up, providing just what the couple was looking for in the remodel.

Design Expertise

Jamie Panger, the general contractor, co-designer, and co-owner at Northern Trends acknowledges, “It was challenging to work on a 100-year old home, and to combine three rooms into one larg- er space. We are really proud at how it turned out and how seamlessly the three rooms went together.”

Increasing the size of the kitchen, the design opened up a space for a breakfast nook, and still left a small back porch entrance. Some of the other challenges dealt with in the remodel included updating the electrical and plumbing to bring all of it up to code.

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Opposite: Tom and Sheryl Homan’s remodel totally transformed both the look and function of the kitchen in their 1912 house. While maintaining the vintage appeal of this Thomas Merritt home, the design includes modern kitchen upgrades throughout.

The center island, with its beautiful soapstone top in shades of black, white, and pink, is one of the room’s focal points. Another dominant element is the Red Dragon granite used on the window sills and for the backsplash behind the stove.

Right: A pop-out window is the perfect sunny spot for a small herb and orchid indoor “garden.”

Below: Cherry cabinetry and stainless steel appliances help create a clean and elegant vibe. Antique light fixtures from an 1880s train car and a mix of antique drawer pulls add to the room’s retro look as does an elegant leaded and stained glass window.

Patty Sertich and Nicole Krisak, partners at Gemini Design, were also integral to the design and lay-out of the kitchen including the selection of finishes from cabinetry to counter tops to flooring.

They explain, “Our focus was keeping the integrity of the new cabinets true to the era of the home. We also included the special personal features that both Sheryl and Tom requested. The kitchen reflects the personalities of the home owners. They were a fun and creative couple to work with and their design style and choices were phenomenal.”

Mix of Old and New

A few of the elements that make the end result of this remodel so unique are the design choices that blend old and new and those that add color and texture.

The dominant element in the room is a center island; the top of the counter is soap stone from Granite Works in an eye-catching blend of black, white, and pink. The stone was imported from India which is meaningful to Sheryl and Tom because they met in India.

One of the drawers in the island has a tin bread drawer from the old kitchen. The remodel design included a drawer specially sized to fit the old bread box.

Colorful Red Dragon granite was used for the three window sills, one of which is a pop-out window, home to a small herb garden with rosemary, thyme, sage, and orchids. The Red Dragon granite also creates a dramatic backsplash for the cooktop soaring up to the 9 and 1/2 foot ceiling. Italian Carrera marble adds elegance to the backsplashes around the rest of the room.

Some of the color comes also from the “glimpses” of brick left in place from the original kitchen’s chimney, Tom explains, “We decided to maintain some of the original brick to add interest.”

Designer Ann Gummper consulted on color choices. She recommended doing the painted part of the walls in black which Sheryl notes made everything else pop. Cherry cabinetry with under cabinet lighting also provides a color and texture richness to the room.

Use of antiques in the remodeled space adds to the retro style including lights that were restored from an 1880s train car and cast iron drawer pulls in several different complementary styles.

Tom had found a leaded and stained glass window, with rich purple and golden hues, at an antique shop. The window opening to the back porch was designed to fit the stained glass window.

They kept the original radiators and repainted them for another vintage look. According to Sheryl, “The kitchen was always ice cold.” Additional insulation with foam and upgraded windows has completely fixed that issue.

One fun addition was created with