Keira Ritter often needs to elicit a vision from her clients – that wasn't the case with Abby Webster and Andy Pruhenski. The couple, who own home goods stores One Mercantile and Sett in Great Barrington, often cook, bake and entertain. Having lived in their early 19th century farmhouse in Sheffield for almost 20 years, they were clear about their needs and wants there. However, the layout was not clear to them.
Ritter, founder of Keira Ritter Design Co., and the couple agreed to remove the two staircases that separated the formal dining room from the kitchen so that Ritter could combine the spaces. However, they were less inclined to demolish the disused red brick chimney in the center of the room. “Abby and Andy liked the patina of this relic and were nostalgic about keeping it,” says the architect.
When the demolition around the chimney was completed, the couple realized it was a visual obstruction. So they dismantled it themselves. “We had the tools from the demo the year before in our shop,” says Pruhenski. “It only took a day.”
With 430 square meters of additional work space, Ritter met every need. A 10-foot-long island with a sink and five stools forms the center of the cooking area. (There is also a dining area at the end of the room.) The stove sits opposite the island between two existing windows, and the refrigerator sits on the adjacent wall, completing the cooking triangle and providing easy access to the original walk-in pantry.
On the other side of the island, a separate baking zone extends over the wall. There's a second sink under a new window and a fold-down counter so Webster can easily knead and roll out dough, as well as look into her mixer. Ritter installed the wall oven with French doors that Webster had long wanted. A cupboard with a glass front completes the row of cupboards.
Ritter approached the material palette very deliberately, ensuring it didn't look too dark, too white, or too expected. Additionally, as a modern space within a historic structure, the palette needed to make contextual sense. The trio quickly settled on Farrow & Ball's Studio Green, an inky, almost black shade for the cabinets; Webster had always envisioned dark green cabinets.
The couple love soapstone, but instead of the usual green-colored stone, they opted for an anthracite-colored version. Reclaimed core pine floorboards connect the kitchen to the rest of the home, while cherrywood accents add warmth to the hutch and tie the couple's handcrafted cherrywood dining table into the overall scheme.
As the holiday season approaches, the couple is looking forward to hosting their families. “We’ve already called Thanksgiving,” Webster says.
resources
Architect and interior designer: Keira Ritter Design Co., krdesignco.com
Builder: 377 Builders, 377builders.com
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Marni Elyse Katz is an editor at Globe Magazine. Follow her on Instagram @StyleCarrot. Send comments to magazine@globe.com.