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Mixing Vintage and Modern in an Urban Family Kitchen | South Salem Real Estate

Emily and Ian Allison’s kitchen looked like it was thrown together on a whim, that’s because it kind of was. When previous owners converted their 1888-built home into a duplex, they put together an ad hoc kitchen on the second floor because the original kitchen resided on the ground floor. So when the Allisons bought both units and rented out the bottom floor, they were stuck with a kitchen that seriously lacked function. “There wasn’t even a single drawer,” says Ian. “It was a bummer.”

Kelli Kaufer Designs

BEFORE: There also were limited counter and cabinet space and a river-rock floor left over from the 1960s or 1970s that the couple had attempted to cover up. “We erroneously painted the floor black,” Ian says. “But it started to chip, and you could see the brown and cream-colored river rock tile beneath.”

Fed up, the couple met with interior designer Kelli Kaufer. After several conversations about their likes and dislikes, they handed the reins over to Kaufer. “We basically said, ‘We trust you. Build a kitchen that you think suits us,’” Ian says.

Kelli Kaufer Designs

AFTER: They gutted everything but left the plumbing where it was to save money. Kaufer interpreted the couple’s personalities — he’s a bass player; she’s a digital artist — into a design that channels modern urban hipness with a vintage feel.

For example, repurposed bleacher seats form the honey-colored lower cabinets, while old schoolhouse chalkboards make up the countertops. There are also a black ceiling, pops of color and a funky, graphic floor pattern. But, above all, there’s finally function. “It looks like us, it’s functional, and it’s a delight to be in,” Ian says.

Flat-slab upper cabinets deliver a dose of modern, and the flooring plays on an old houndstooth print that’s been around for a century, Kaufer says. She enlarged the pattern and printed it in a funky color on tiles.She then painted the ceiling black as a visual trick that forces the eye up and makes people pay attention to the whole space.