New Old House Kitchens & Baths

Many architects, kitchen designers, and cabinetmakers are turning back the clock when it comes to a kitchen’s aesthetic. Their guides, of course, are historical kitchens and baths. And while these designers don’t advocate forgoing modern plumbing and technology, they do champion thoughtful spaces that are ultra functional. For a historic Victorian mansion, architect Spence Kass went to great lengths to update the spaces while offering a historical feel to the project. The kitchen and master bathroom were the prime focus but, as with many house projects, the scope grew to touch the entire building. The kitchen and bath are just two small examples of what a talented architect and expert craftspeople can do to antique homes. When a couple wanted to preserve historic precedence in their home, they called Patricia…

Editor-at-Large Russell Versaci is a residential architect who has spent two decades designing traditional houses. He attended the Harvard University Graduate School of Design in 1973 and received his graduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Fine Arts in 1979. He has designed traditional country houses, cottages, and farmhouses, as well as restorations and significant additions to period homes. Versaci is also the author of Creating a New Old House and Roots of Home (Taunton Press). Editor-at-Large Russell Versaci is a residential architect who has spent two decades designing traditional houses. He attended the Harvard University Graduate School of Design in 1973 and received his graduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Fine Arts in 1979. He has designed traditional country houses, cottages, and…

An essential element in late 19th-century houses of the well-to-do, the butler’s pantry was the spot to store linens, china, glassware, and silver, as well as a place for servants to plate dinner for the wellheeled homeowners. The room—always placed near the kitchen and dining room to buffer the family and their guests from the bustle of the kitchen—was essentially a storage closet for everything meal related. In fact, the word pantry comes from the Anglo-French, panetrie, which means “bread room,” and the Medieval Latin panataria, “room of a servant in charge of food or bread.” These Victorian-era pantries often had more complex storage space and tools than the kitchen: ice chests, safes for flatware, knife cleaners and sharpeners, warming ovens, and copper or German silver sinks. But the pantry’s…

A “powder room” may sound a bit stuffy, but these little half-baths can be great, confined canvasses for beautiful, strategic design. These rooms are usually on the first floor and intended primarily for use by guests, which means they’re typically decorated more formally—or at least more richly or intricately—than other bathrooms in a house. Above all, designing such small rooms with such limited contents— a toilet, a vanity, a sink, a mirror— requires savvy techniques to maximize the appearance of space. “It’s an issue of scale,” says Thomas Catalano, principal of Catalano Architects. “It’s trying to get the design of the furniture piece and the details to fit the scale of the room.” In one of his designs, a light-filled room wallpapered in horizontal stripes, he and his team adapted…

1. Soothing Soak The Bath Works offers the St. Lyon cast alloy freestanding soaking tub with a sustainably sourced solid wood plinth. Price $10,150. For more information, visit thebathworks.com. 2. Seeing Double Kohler’s Damask 42" vanity is twice as good when there are two in the bath. For more information, visit kohler.com. 3. Marble Marvel Waterworks offers a turn-of-the-20thcentury sink in their extensive bath collection—the universal two-leg single washstand with marble sink and slab offers charm and sophistication to the lav. For more information, visit waterworks.com. 4. Golden Luxury Sunrise Specialty offers timeless elegance for the bath with clawfoot tubs and more. For more information, visit sunrisespecialtycom. 5. Handsome Bath Waterworks offers a plethora of bath fixtures and tubs to suit the most discerning homeowner looking for period style. For…

1. Glass Globe Remains Lighting’s Sorenson 18 Lantern references a form of historical factory lighting where the glass was netted for safety. The thick clear mouth-blown glass is wrapped in a handwoven wire fabric. $2,085. For more information, visit remains.com. 2. Old School Styles Rejuvenation offers pendants perfect for the historically inspired kitchen. Shown here are Rose City, East Moreland, and Tolson pendants. For more information, visit rejuvenation.com.…