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2017
THE KITCHEN ISSUE
Welcome I so love my country kitchen.
It’s the best of all worlds: for cooking and baking, for potting, arranging, even gift wrapping—it’s the right space in just the right place for all my roll-up-your-sleeves projects. The best time to be there is when there’s a crowd and, happily, that’s often. The camaraderie of cooking with family and friends, the togetherness and the laughter— to me, that’s the real flavor of a meal! It seems like we Country House lovers have that in common, our crush on the kitchen, knowing it's the heart and the hub of wonderful moments large and small. After all, spending time in a friend's kitchen can be as happy-making as spending time in my own! So I thought ... why shouldn't we spend our time this issue in several lovely Country House kitchens among many great friends? I hope you, dear reader and fellow Country House lover, find them as warm and inspirational as I do. Let's go Country House kitchen-hopping together! Love,
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NORA MURPHY Founder and Editor in Chief THE KITCHEN ISSUE 2017
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CONTENTS NORA MURPHY COUNTRY HOUSE style early spring 2017
WELCOME 2 GRAPHIC APPEAL 8 SIMPLE BEAUTY 24 LIGHT AND AIRY 44 HEART OF MY HOME 62
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inspiration
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© 2017 Nora Murphy Country House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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2017
THE KITCHEN ISSUE
Nora Murphy Founder and Editor in Chief
Criana Web Producer
Carol Hubner Art and Features Director
Darryl Arbesman Duanne Simon Nora Murphy Contributing Photographers
Deborah Golden Copywriter/Copy Editor
Aida Kiernan Robyn Szarka Roos Styling Assistants
All design, photography, and copy on NoraMurphyCountryHouse.com is original, produced year-round at Connecticut Country House and on location.
For more Country House Style inspiration visit our website: NORAMURPHYCOUNTRYHOUSE.COM & our blog: CONNECTICUTCOUNTRYHOUSE.COM THE KITCHEN ISSUE 2017
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Country House
KITCHENS
Whether your kitchen's in a home from the 1700s, 1800s, 1900s, or beyond, it's never too old—or too new!—for a Country House perspective. Let's take a tour together.
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"We didn't do much to the kitchen," Collin confides. "It's amazing what a can of paint can do!" (To be fair, they also: replaced the appliances, sink, faucet, lighting, and cabinet hardware; removed wallpaper; and put up this gorgeous handmade tile from Klaff's.) "We wanted almost a service kitchen feeling – like the downstairs kitchen in an old house."
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Graphic Appeal Collin Robison and Trent DeBerry are Texas natives whose love of family and good food have kept them grounded and centered in their pursuit of the Country House lifestyle. These passions come to life throughout their home (the oldest part of which dates from 1790), and, naturally, in the kitchen! Collin, a talented interior designer with a gift for blending old and new, worked his magic on this wonderful old/new space. THE KITCHEN ISSUE 2017
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The mix of French bistro chairs with a Saarinen table is so unique and so Collin.
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Left: The fireplace is original to the old home, along with its beehive oven and that little cabinet on the right. "We're not sure what it was meant for," Collin laughs, "but it's where we keep our wine." Before they moved to their Connecticut home, Collin and Trent split their time between a loft in an old factory New Rochelle (decorated in midcentury style) and an older, Victorian home in the Hudson Valley. The table came with them from loft, the chairs from their weekend home. Above: They've had the hand so long, they don't remember where it came from! The spoon, Collin shares, is "probably from the Elephant's Trunk." (A wonderful weekly flea market in New Milford, CT.) THE KITCHEN ISSUE 2017
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The clock, a modern take on a cuckoo clock, is Italian. "It was the one thing I really wanted for the Hudson Valley house," Collin reminisces. Trent got it for him for Christmas. The plates on the mantle (with images) were a wedding gift to Trent's grandparents made by his great-aunt in 1945; the butter molds and silver are also from his family. THE KITCHEN ISSUE 2017
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"I'm a huge black-and-white freak, so of course I had to go for my contrast," says Collin of the striking dark grout. The tile is handmade with a wonderful surface texture; it's clear when you see it in person that this is not machine made.
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The island was a happy accident: The base is an antique flower box that Collin and Trent brought with them from their Hudson Valley home. The butcher block top was in the garage of this house when they moved in! It fit, Collin oiled it, and there it is. "There's a point in every project when your to-do's are long and your funds are short. Time to get creative!" It couldn't look more like it was meant to be. 16
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"The kitchen has pretty good storage, but things filled up quickly." Collin already had the cart, an antique from Hiden Galleries in Stamford, CT, and put it to great use for their dishes and other essentials. "I love that we can see everything and it's all so accessible. Being from the South, tea is big for us, so there's a lot of tea on the top shelf."
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Wood elements–butcher block countertops, the island, the pine floors–keep this high-contrast room warm and friendly. 20
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Collin Robison is an interior designer servicing both residential and commercial clientele. www.collinrobisondesign.com Collin says, “For me, the Country House vibe is comfortable and laid back with no pretense. Our house is filled with objects and furniture that have unique stories. I like mixing old and new items as well as high and low— these juxtapositions add to the vibe. Ultimately, we want our home to be a place where Trent and I, and our friends and family, gather to create memories—a place that transports us away from the rest of the world if only for a while.”
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Collin's Kitchen Decorating Snippets
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1. The breakfast nook is still kitted out with the original cabinets and hardware. 2. A gift from a dear friend and former neighbor: A handcrafted memento from a circus in Calais, France. 3. Jonathan Adler storage jars: "Love, Hate, Joy, and Anger – so, whatever you want to put in your food!" jokes Collin. 4. The antique drawer pulls were found in Hudson, NY. The cabinet paint is Benjamin Moore Space Black 2119-10. 5. The open cart is great for storage and it's on wheels, too! 6. A set of butter knives has hand-forged handles that look like fiddlehead ferns. "I love a contrast, where the beauty of one piece brings out the beauty of another. Like, I'd use these with a more modern plate." 7. The shine of the glass and the metal lids is a wonderful complement to the character of the old wood cart.
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Simple Beauty Marta Eriquez, the Senior Director of Style and Interior Design at Ethan Allen, is the ideal editor. Her aesthetic is always less is more. Never one to rush into a solution, she knows what the right thing is and she holds out for it. “Close enough” is not in her vocabulary! So of course, her kitchen renovation reflected this pureness and honesty. No clutter—just the essentials.
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Gent ent etum sitiam doluptatio quaspici to to omnimin ulloribus iduscius es as eaquis aut ea solessit odipis sum fuga. Opta dolorit everuntum fugiani scitatur? Quis simporiti tem. Ovid qui apit exces eosaepu daesciet hillati cum quistrum volendis
The big, deep, Kohler stainless steel farmhouse sink is the centerpiece of the kitchen. “It needed to be special,” says Marta. “It was my splurge.” Mike Tenk, a friend and master craftsman, designed and built the bracket-foot baseboard for the sink cabinet. THE KITCHEN ISSUE 2017
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Pre-renovation, the cabinets were honey pine with copper hinges and wooden knobs. Farrow & Ball “Old White” paint, nickel hinges, and metal knobs from Restoration Hardware updated this charming kitchen. Bold crown molding replaced small cove molding—huge improvement!
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The Brazilian soapstone slab was plotted out to best show off its beautiful veining.
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Hideaway storage is key to keeping the kitchen clutter free.
A classic: Old ballast bricks make up the floor. "I love their history. I also love that they're indestructible," Marta confides. 34
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Left: Cheerful Morning Glory Yellow Stoneware from Bennington Pottery fills Marta's cupboards, collected over the years on ski trips and summer visits with her parents. Above: A simple glass pendant light from Restoration Hardware has clean lines and retro charm in addition to obvious function. THE KITCHEN ISSUE 2017
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A mix of old and new: The Bosch induction range / convection oven and a nifty wine fridge offer modern convenience while the humble designs and tactile appeal of Treenware add warmth and character. THE KITCHEN ISSUE 2017
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The fixture is a reproduction of a ship's chandelier. "The center would be weighted with sand so it would remain somewhat steady while the boat was out at sea," Marta explains. "It was made when we built the house by the late Richard Scofield, the founder of Scofield Lighting, then in Chester, Connecticut."
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Marta Eriquez Marta's home, a reproduction built in 1983 called Bow House, showcases her design philosophy. Its simplicity is refreshing. With handmade bricks in the four fireplaces, blown glass windowpanes, and wide floorboards, the house invites you to step across the threshold—and back 300 years. The details are that true, the feeling that authentic. But Marta's home is no museum. It’s well lived in and loved. It speaks with understated elegance, sophistication, and Marta's voice— a natural, effortless expression of Marta's Country House vibe.
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Marta's Kitchen Decorating Snippets
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1. A Bosch induction range, which heats cookware while keeping the cooking surface cool, “is pretty fabulous,” Marta says, “and the convection oven feature roasts a chicken really quickly.” 2. Marta loves the lustrous patina that these Treenware pieces have developed over years of daily wear. "I like to think we add to their beauty every time we use them." 3. The faucet is stylish function at its best. The independent sprayer even has a pause button to stop and start the water! 4. At the center of it all, an eighteenth-century tavern table from Brimfield. 5. Just twelve inches wide, this Danby Silhouette wine fridge holds 27 bottles. 6. Brazilian soapstone countertops. 7. A hand-carved whale from Nantucket adds a touch of whimsy.
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The kitchen cabinets were all custom built by master craftsman Chris Zanard, who also happens to be a friend of the family. In an older house, where measurements aren't always true, custom helps to make the most of a space and in Maria's case, ended up being more economical than buying and installing from a large home improvement store. The paint is Benjamin Moore White Dove. "It's my go-to white color," says Maria. "It's creamy, not stark." 44
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Light & Airy Maria and Doug McLennan took full advantage of the available natural light when renovating their country kitchen. Maria says, “I love the light—no matter what time of day! Because the kitchen is so open, it keeps moving around. Morning light streams through the mudroom windows and onto the kitchen table, and by afternoon it’s coming through the dining room.”
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In the eating area, a 19th century Canadian cupboard stands out against subtly colored walls painted Benjamin Moore Gray Wisp. ​The chairs are all Brimfield finds. "The host chairs were so tattered, but I loved the spindles and the shape of the back," Maria recalls. A trip to a local upholstery shop got them back in order. The bird engravings came from an auction that followed the closing of the Silvermine Tavern, a Connecticut landmark for nearly a century.
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Maria has a knack for mixing forms, colors, finishes, textures, and scale, as well as an instinct for finding and reimagining the unusual.
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Plenty of storage was a must. Maria says, "I love being surrounded by my favorite things. My friend Chris is a master cabinetmaker (Chris Zanard, Snowshed Custom Cabinetry), and he built the glass-front cabinet to house my favorite pieces of ironstone. I love that it stores so much. I do use all the ironstone pieces, and when they're not in use, I really enjoy seeing them every day." THE KITCHEN ISSUE 2017
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Maria loves the sense of history this vintage hutch brings to the mix. It's worn painted finish keeps the kichen reno from looking too "new". "I bought it and panicked about the height. In a house from the 1930s, our ceilings are a little lower and not everything is even . I must have measured dozens of times before it was delivered – at points across the cupboard, at points along the wall, double and triple checking." And everything would have worked fine, if not for the clearance needed to turn large, heavy piece upright. "Chris ended up cutting the molding off the top so we could stand the cupboard up," Maria recalls, and then lodged it back into place with a fraction of an inch to spare. 50
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The granite countertops are one of Maria's favorite things in this kitchen. "Marble is too porous for a kitchen, and I don't like the slick, shiny finish that most granite has. I wanted something much more earthy and tactile. Then I found this, and I fell in love. It's beyond honed—it’s leathered. That was the earthy texture I wanted. " Bonus: Its textured finish is very forgiving. 52
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“I love the view of the backyard and the gardens from the kitchen sink.”
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Maria's main work area is by the sink. "The sink is hammered copper. Its changing coloration adds to its natural beauty, and I love that—the way that if turns lighter from contact with something acidic, for example. It has a wonderful earthiness to it that complements the leathered granite countertops." THE KITCHEN ISSUE 2017
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The wood floors are original (c.1930s). Maria kept the quirkiness of the floor’s pattern—the angled boards give hints to a former corner cupboard. 56
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The antique tin cake box that anchors the corner of the countertop was bought about 18 years ago at The Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market in New Milford. It holds Maria and Doug's very favorite cookbooks, and Maria cherishes it. “Anywhere I have lived, one of the first things I’ve always done is look for where the cake box would go. I could never have a kitchen where there wasn't a place for it." 58
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Maria McLennan is the creative force behind Covet, a purveyor of one-of-a-kind antiques and vintage goods. www.covetantiquesct.com Maria's take on Country House style: “Nothing is too precious here, just an unexpected mix of humble, disparate objects, all with honest, time-worn finishes. It's cozy, inviting, and very eclectic. My home has the same aesthetic as my shop. Both are filled with items that I love; objects that have beautiful details, great textures, or a fabulous patina, and, above all, a wonderful history.
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Maria's Kitchen Decorating Snippets
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1. A group of vintage landscapes adds unexpected charm. 2. Spices have a home in a cupboard that formerly held a drop-down ironing board (a feature in many homes of its age). At only 2½" deep, it's perfect for small containers. The doors are original. Chris added shelves, and it was ready for its new role in the house. 3. Maria has been collecting brown transferware for many years. 4. Finding just the right hardware for cabinets can be a challenge. Maria searched and searched for the perfect hardware. She loved that these little bronze pulls were organic in form and delicate in scale. 5. Vintage pieces with the patina of age help balance the newness of the cabinets. 6. Elements of this kitchen: copper, granite and wood. 7. The microwave is hidden away in this special cabinet niche—the cabinet door lifts up to use, and closes to hide.
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The island's 8' x 4' work surface is crafted from floorboards of a nineteenth-century barn, and the copious storage is on pull-out shelves behind cabinet doors below. I love that our microwave is well-hidden at the far end of the island facing the stove.
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Heart Of My Home Tucked into the “newer” (20th c.) section of the house between the gallery and the family room, the kitchen is truly the hub of our Connecticut Country House. Traffic flows in all directions, indoors and out. The room is extraordinarily long—almost 34 feet—and is broken up into various areas with different functions. The home's former owner was a master craftsman, and he designed and built the interior of this space, including the cabinetry and the huge island that’s the room’s centerpiece. THE KITCHEN ISSUE 2017
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The clean-up station: central to the space and cleverly out of sight. The clean-up station is the only part of the kitchen with wall-mounted cabinets. Equipped with a sink and a dishwasher, this niche is a convenient place for our everyday dishes, glasses, and flatware. A small, freestanding vintage cabinet is key to the prep and pile-up in the kitchen.
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Front and center is an early Pennsylvania-crafted pantry shelf in its original rustic barn red—storage for many sets of white dinnerware and serving pieces.
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“The antiques in our kitchen aren’t just here because they look good. I put them into service, and they work hard.” THE KITCHEN ISSUE 2017
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Left: Pretty patina. The 18th century French cupboard, a gift Rick and I gave ourselves for our first wedding anniversary, is our food pantry. It was also our first antique! Above: I hung this unusual antique American tobacco drying basket to show off its impressive size and uncommon shape. Both of these "favorites" bring so much character to the room! THE KITCHEN ISSUE 2017
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Beams from the barn frame the peaked ceiling in the main part of the kitchen and highlight the old Viking stove and hood, making this wall the focal point. Floorboards from the barn were also crafted into the fronts of the cabinets and drawers that flank the stove. THE KITCHEN ISSUE 2017
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Bring on the Country House Style! You all know what I think. It's warm and welcoming, down to earth and elegant. It's graceful. And it's so easy to turn on! It makes me feel happy and creative, content and refreshed, surrounded by beauty, and most important, at home. And anyone can have it, wherever they are. —Nora​
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Nora's Kitchen Decorating Snippets
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1. The best feature of the antique cupboard: tacked up where we can see them everyday, are some of our most precious memories and recipes. 2. Vintage harvest baskets are kitchen-appropriate and plenty charming. 3. The metal sconces that flank the stove are eighteenth-century reproductions, too—these are hand-made in Vermont by Authentic Designs. 4. I keep my antique cutting board collection close to the workspace and stacked by size. 5. Fresh spices from Penzey’s, at the ready. 6. The floors are painted in an over-scaled checkerboard pattern that’s been carefully worn to replicate an old farmhouse floor. 7. The grand metal chandelier is a reproduction from Scofield Lighting in Ivoryton, Connecticut, of a French eighteenth-century fixture. It’s just the right scale for the island.
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