This 1900 post-and-beam home, once a fishnet repair shop, a beauty salon and then a general store, posed renovation challenges inherent to its age, but a little creativity and innovation made it work. 

The small kitchen was enlarged by “shrinking” a bathroom to a powder room and borrowing space from a mechanical room and from beneath the stairway. A bulky furnace and boiler were replaced with a hybrid tankless hot water and heating system. “Because the new system is only the size of a piece of luggage, we were able to tuck it under the stairway and eliminate the need for the mechanical room,” say project manager (and homeowner) Derik Burgess.  This allowed space for a new entry/mudroom and bar area. Removing the walls between the original kitchen and living room opened up the entire first floor. 

The cooktop, range and hood vent remain in place,  but the rest of the kitchen’s layout was altered to improve counter space and flow.  Double refrigerator drawers just left of the cooktop enable... easy access, increase counter space and free up floor space.  Lowering the former cathedral ceiling to a flat ceiling resulted in diminished light. To compensate, Cape Associates added transom windows above the cabinets and installed multiple glass-paned cabinet doors to lighten the overall look.  To reference the century-old pine floors, an architect friend suggested carrying the wood up the walls.  The Cape Associates millwork shop meticulously pieced together a custom backsplash of stacked walnut and butternut in a random pattern, which was put together in the shop, transported to the site and installed in one long and large piece.  The antique pine floors were then stained the same darker hue to echo the backsplash.

The new level ceiling, along with the removal of the wall between the kitchen and living room, creates the feeling of a unified space.  Though the footprint was not increased, now, when you enter the home through the front door, the sightline carries through from the living room, to the kitchen and French doors to the screened porch and garden beyond.

With the French doors to the screened porch fully open, livable and usable space is further expanded. The flow from the kitchen to porch makes for seamless al fresco dining.