Even A Queen Would Approve

A Glen Ridge family of five knew their 1880s Queen Anne Victorian needed a kitchen built for today’s lifestyle.

Text by Donna Rolando Architecture by Rosario Mannino Design by Amanda Giuliano Photography by Julie Blackstock

Key to a Glen Ridge home’s complete kitchen transformation, the island was huge at homeowner Elizabeth’s insistence and now meets their entertainment and day-to-day needs. The challenge: doing it all within historic home regs.

From left to right: Emerald green cabinetry is a throwback to Victorian days, as is the reclaimed milk glass lighting. Wire mesh attractively opens the space. The wheelchairaccessible alcove with mini brass chandelier by Visual Comfort is a hot spot for all generations.

A family’s grand home looked right for royalty in a Glen Ridge neighborhood celebrated for its vintage structures. That’s why the owners, former San Franciscans, snatched it up in 2018 for their multigenerational family. It was a Queen Anne Victorian—a style that bore the names of two monarchs.

“We like beautiful things,” says homeowner Elizabeth, who has made this house her seven-bedroom castle with husband Rajeev, two school-age kids and a senior parent.

But could the hub of the home—the kitchen—meet the demands of modern life and rise above a “budget” reno that dated from the 1980s, the antitype of the home’s rich exterior? Not without a design rescue that gutted the room for a fresh start.

“It wasn’t family friendly,” Elizabeth recalls. “It was dated. It was worn, and there wasn’t enough counter space. All the traditional things weren’t there.”

Yet it took a broken pipe on the third floor that flooded several rooms and booted the family out of the house for a while to move the kitchen off the back burner in 2019.

That’s when the couple got down to business with Rosario Mannino of RS Mannino Architecture, interior designer Amanda Giuliano of Nicolette’s for the Home and contractor Dettmore Home Improvements on a kitchen that’s classic with modern elements. Mannino walked the tightrope to balance timeless quality with a family-friendly design, and even worked with the Glen Ridge Historic Preservation Commission on insulated windows that met local guidelines.

To permit a family of this size to congregate in the kitchen took more than a much-desired big island—like the black wire-brushed oak topped with quartz pictured here. Mannino worked to create the classic work triangle, which meant getting the commission’s nod to raise the windowsills slightly to fit new countertops.

“That really opened a lot of options and opened the floodgate, if you will, of our design,” he says.

While layout was a puzzle that kept intact original window locations, it led to a family favorite: a breakfast nook designed for a wheelchair but equally popular with the younger set for homework. It’s very practical, with a charging station inside a banquette drawer.

A functional kitchen, yes, but a looker too, with a modern and vintage mix over wide-plank, white-oak floors.

“I’m in love with the green,” says Elizabeth. But something she never imagined in her kitchen is the Victorian-inspired emerald perimeter base for contrast with the white inset cabinetry (all custom by Mannino Cabinetry). Wire mesh cabinet inserts are a fresh alternative to glass.

It would have been costly and not functional to run the cabinets to the top of the 10-foot ceilings, Mannino says. The Victorian-style solution? Cornice-detailed soffits that encircle the kitchen and give a classic vibe to the V-groove ceiling.

“I feel like white subway tile is so boring,” says designer Giuliano, who instead enlivened the backsplash with varied shades of Bedrosians Cloe glazed tiles.

Other modern elements are the quartz countertops and the Thermador appliances with dual steam ovens and an induction range for safe and healthy cooking. On the vintage side, reclaimed milk glass in the fixtures is “very typical of Victorian lighting,” as is the unlacquered brass hardware that will age with time, Giuliano says. Flanked by windows, the flared custom hood is a “wow” factor— slightly modern but in no way clashing like stainless steel. And instead of what Elizabeth called a “pantry to nowhere,” the family got storage they could use with a designed pantry/fridge wall.

Reflecting on how the reno has changed their lives and the pros that made it happen, Elizabeth says: “The amazing thing about the team is that they heard us and challenged us. They forced us to figure out what we wanted.”