Kitchen of the Week: Paring Down and Styling Up in a Pennsylvania Tudor
Jill Unruh's 80-year-old Tudor was designed by renowned Philadelphia architects Wallace and Warner, but you wouldn't have known it from the kitchen. Dark granite and other 1980s touches belied the home's style heritage, which Unruh was eager to restore.
With help from contractor Kyle Lissack, Unruh stripped the kitchen of all of its finishes and started from scratch. The new space focuses on streamlined simplicity, with the contents limited to what the family uses on a daily basis. "The more space for junk you have, the more likely it is that you'll keep it," Unruh says.
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Jill Unruh, her husband and their 2 young sons
Location: Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Contractor: Kyle Lissack, Pinemar
Size: 308 square feet
Simple subway tile covers the entire back wall from floor to ceiling. Even the range hood is wrapped in drywall and tiled over. "I didn't want the eye to see all this stainless steel," Unruh says.
The tile makes for easy cleaning, particularly around the cooking area.
Backsplash: Daltile; range: Wolf; countertops: statuary marble; cabinetry: custom by Pinemar
Despite the kitchen's spaciousness, Unruh and Lissack limited themselves to minimal counters and cabinets. This simple approach to storage prompted Unruh to get rid of all unnecessary items.
The open shelves are painted a custom navy blue to add dimension to the neutral room.
Unruh keeps her most-used items on display for easy access; everything else is tucked away in cupboards and the mudroom pantry. Pullout shelves next to the refrigerator store after-school snacks; the sliding function makes it easy for the kids to find what they need without getting in the way of dinner prep.
Sink: Cotswold, Just Sinks; wood countertops: edge grain maple, Grothouse Lumber; flooring: flat-sawn white oak; faucet: Waterstone; refrigerator: Sub-Zero
The kitchen cabinetry used to loop all the way around the kitchen, leaving just a small spot for a 30-inch oven. Eliminating the cabinetry in this corner created room for a little workspace with appliance garages and an area for a Wolf range.
This nook on the back wall once opened to a servant's staircase to the second floor. But the steps were so steep and narrow that Unruh knew her family wouldn't use them. So she and Lissack closed off the top of the staircase and replaced the door at the bottom with a custom bar. The cupboard beneath opens to reveal the steep original stairs, which the family uses for bar storage.
Wine cooler: Liebherr
Additional navy-blue shelves and clear glass jars allow Unruh to keep everything at hand and evaluate what she's using on a daily basis. "I always want to see where my inventory is at," she says.
The breakfast nook gets plenty of light from two new windows — one of the few structural changes made to the kitchen. Storage space under the banquette holds winter boots and gear, so they don't crowd the adjacent mudroom. The custom zinc-topped table, vintage bar stools and coffee-sack pillows complement the kitchen's warmer elements.
Table: Groundwork; clock: Restoration Hardware
This snack station across from the breakfast nook has a microwave drawer and two refrigerator drawers for condiments and drinks. The location makes it easy for the children to grab something to drink while doing homework at the table, and for the family to access condiments while they're eating.
Refrigerator drawers: Sub-Zero
