For their 100-year-old gambling house in Lowell, owners Rebecca and Neel Jhaveri didn't want a standard white kitchen. They envisioned something with character, something that would make cooking together a pleasure rather than a challenge. “With a five-year-old and a baby, we cook multiple times a day,” Rebecca notes of the space’s high use.
Their existing kitchen was narrow and the work areas were adjacent to one another. The peninsula configuration just made the room seem more closed. The storage space was not enough. In short, it was time for a change.
The Jhaveris turned to Kelley Elizabeth Antonuccio, principal of Kelley Elizabeth Interiors, to lead the renovation, which included the nearby powder room. In addition to full-service interior design, Antonuccio brings years of training in kitchens and bathrooms, with a particular focus on furniture construction. Working with Imperial Builders, the designer set out to utilize every square inch of available space.
Stealing real estate from a three-season bunkroom and leveling the mudroom's drop floor created a more expansive, rectangular blank slate. Now a real seating island with leather stools from West Elm highlights the room. (“The island cabinets are 18 inches compared to the more standard 24 inches,” notes the designer, “but they serve their purpose.”) Some window repositioning helped free up space for the new Monogram gas range and custom-made range hood with brass inlay to accomplish.
Stylistically, a hand-painted cement tile backsplash from Walker Zanger sets the tone. “I found a picture of what I wanted, and Kelley almost matched it,” says Rebecca, adding that the price of this luxury tile was a waste of money. “We didn’t care,” asserts the homeowner. “We stand in the kitchen every day and at the end we didn’t want to look at anything else and wish we had gone with our first choice.”
Antonuccio agrees that the tile was worth it: “When you walk in the front door now, the first thing you see is this beautiful back wall.”
The cabinets are custom-made by Kelley Elizabeth Interiors and the Moody Blue finish is adapted from the kaleidoscope pattern on the backsplash. “Rebecca and Neel are not afraid of color,” says Antonuccio. “They didn’t want the design to look super modern or new. They wanted something that felt relevant for today but also for years to come.”
Cherry wood on the upper cabinets and the extractor hood interrupts the navy blue with its rich brown tone. “It adds some sophistication,” says Antonuccio. “Although it's a casual eat-in kitchen, we wanted some formal qualities that fit the age of the house,” she adds. Behind the glazed top is a set of dishes that the couple found in a pottery in Amalfi during their honeymoon.
A honed, honed granite countertop with leather trim provides protection from constant cooking on the surrounding cabinets. An apron sink made from the same granite maintains a streamlined look by avoiding the interruption of another material. Meanwhile, Carrera marble on the island adds some brightness and prevents the space from feeling too heavy.
Honey bronze fittings and fittings give the whole thing jewel-like accents. Jamie Young's gold-plated lotus pendants reflect the same gold tone. “They’re fun but have a vintage vibe; “The idea was that maybe they had always been there,” Antonuccio says.
Style aside, the Jhaveris are grateful for the improved functionality of their renovated kitchen. “We now have a 36-inch range that fits four large pans,” says Rebecca. “And we use our double ovens, which we never thought possible, at least once a week.” Antonuccio even supplied a special appliance cabinet with retractable doors for coffee supplies, microwave, air fryer and smoothie blender. And next to the refrigerator is a 9-inch shallow pantry.
Antonuccio's transformation magic continued into the nearby powder room. Here, a wallpaper from York—a ginkgo gold metallic print on black—stands up to the kitchen's equally eye-catching mosaic backsplash. The pistachio green washbasin harmonizes with the striking walls.
“We painted the ceiling, ceiling trim and baseboard black to make everything look seamless,” says the interior designer. “If you put white on something dark in such a small room, it stops the eye,” she claims.
Now Rebecca and Neel have everything they want: a kitchen where they enjoy spending time preparing, cooking and hanging out, and a stylish powder room that impresses guests.
“Kelley was able to take every note we gave her piece by piece and translate our thoughts into a comprehensive design,” Rebecca says of the design-client process. “In the end it looked exactly how we imagined it would – probably even better.”
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