By Monica Jones
Photos By David Dietrich
Styling By Steve Parker
Some people have no use for the past, preferring to live totally in the here and now. But the present wouldn’t be nearly as colorful, interesting or meaningful were it not infused with some memories of an earlier time. Lori and Bob Harrison’s appreciation and passion for the history of their home in Biltmore Forest empowered them to restore it to its former splendor, earning a 2008 Griffin Award for residential restoration. It also inspired them to grace it with a kitchen worthy of their house’s pedigree.
The Harrisons always had their eye on the house, so when it came on the market two years ago, they were quick to make an offer. Designed by architect Charles Parker, who also designed the Grove Arcade in Asheville, the Tudor Revival exhibits Parker’s love of intriguing rooflines, nooks and crannies, and plenty of complex angles. His romantic style was a reflection of the era — grand, glorious and resplendent.
The home was in "very original condition" when they bought it, which was good for the Harrisons since they wanted to return it to its original grandeur. The kitchen, however, had been renovated at one time and didn’t reflect the antiquity or character of the home.
Lori had great memories of her grandmother’s kitchen, which was "the place where everybody would go and talk as food was cooking." She loves to cook, and wanted her kitchen to be a warm, friendly and inviting place, as well as sympathetic with the rest of the house.
With the expert help of David Carpenter of Carpenter Restorations, they were able to salvage many of the original fittings and restore the house as close to the original as possible. But the original kitchen had been a maze of smaller rooms that the previous owners had made into one. The whole space had to be reevaluated, and that’s where designer and master cabinetmaker Jonathan Wainscott of Wainscott Designworks came in.
What the Harrisons didn’t want was an expanse of cabinets running around the walls. They wanted a kitchen with character, a kitchen that was functional and a kitchen that brought the past seamlessly into the present.
"I’m an advocate of the Johnny Grey philosophy when it comes to kitchen design," Wainscott says. A famous English designer, Grey’s guiding concept is the "unfitted kitchen," a mixture of freestanding furniture and architectural features to provide a functional, stylish and elegant workspace. "Each element in this kitchen is given its own composition," explains Wainscott, "but each is also part of the whole. It’s a loose-fit feeling."
"We ripped everything out," says Bob, "even the outside walls. David rebuilt them, insulated them, and that’s where all the plumbing and wiring went. We moved the radiator to the opposite wall, we recessed a load-bearing beam into the ceiling — which took a little bit of doing — relocated a couple of doors, and made the tiny porch off the kitchen into a pantry."
Without going into full-scale historic reproduction, which wouldn’t have given the Harrisons the functionality of a modern kitchen, they achieved the old-world charm and ambiance they desired by carefully choosing the architectural components.
"The windows didn’t have any relationship to one another, but by integrating the elements, and working the cabinetry from the windows to the trim, it looks and feels like it’s original. Every inch had to be considered to bring symmetry and balance to the room," explains Wainscott.
The Sub-Zero refrigerator placed in front of the old chimneybreast was the starting point for the layout of appliances and task areas. Overlaying the refrigerator door with paneling and building out the alcoves on either side of the chimney transformed the area into a freestanding, breakfront-inspired area with lots of storage and display.
All appliances are just steps away from one another, and everything is within easy reach. The Viking wall oven has a warming drawer below and handy storage for spices and spoons in the adjacent scalloped-edge drawers. Open shelving above, with decorative wrought-iron scrolls, is convenient for pans and platters. The freestanding oak island topped with simple, honed black granite from Carolina Stone houses plenty of storage, as well as a Viking six-burner cook top and chimney downdraft. Completing the task triangle is the Shaws Original apron sink of fireclay construction, handcrafted in England.
One of the smaller windows in the room is framed with cabinetry to make the area appear "more like part of the structure rather than just cabinets applied to the wall," notes Wainscott. It also camouflages the fact that the other window on that wall is a different size. Topped with a gracefully arched valance, it reflects the lines on the refrigerator wall and echoes the arched doorways found in other parts of the house.
Although the corner cupboard in the breakfast area was partially rebuilt and refurbished with beveled glass to match the Hinkley schoolhouse light fixtures over the island, the cupboard door with its delicate arched details is original to the house. In the opposite corner is what Lori describes as a mail desk where, if you let your imagination run freely, you can imagine the cook sitting 70 years ago, preparing menus for the week ahead.
Wainscott used a combination of painted wood and oak cabinetry, juxtaposing and integrating the pieces like fine furniture. He transformed rough-sawn logs into the finished oak pieces, using water dye for the base color to give luminosity, then oil stain and about six coats of lacquer. "All the oak cabinets are quarter sawn, which gives a subdued look with an open grain," he says. Decorative turnings on the island and beneath the sink give more of an original feel, and the trim and wainscoting add dimension and a sense of antiquity. Inlays of sapele (an African hardwood), placed here and there on wood counters, are a special touch.
The Harrisons used natural earth clay on the walls, found at The Arch in Asheville. Reminiscent of old Venetian plaster, the soft sage color, set off with a splash of muted red in the refrigerator alcove, adds warmth and dimension. Different finishes are available, and any scratches or dings can be erased with a touch of water.
Modern conveniences are tempered to fit the flavor of an old house: pushbutton light switches and dimmers, unobtrusive sound system controls and canned lighting in workspaces. "This has turned out to be my favorite room in the house," says Lori. "We knew what we wanted and we stayed with that vision all through the project."
What they ended up with is an upscale, farmhouse-style kitchen, an incorporation of old world ambiance and modern practicality. Or as they put it, "A vision of casual elegance without being dressed up for dinner."
