Verve Design Reimagines a Connecticut Kitchen

The cabinetry in the butler’s pantry, which links the more formal parts of the house to the new kitchen, is painted Benjamin Moore Old Navy. It is counterbalanced by a jaunty blue-and-white-striped wallpaper from Thibaut.

A coffered ceiling reflects the traditional architecture of the house and unifies the new space.

The second island, topped with knotty French walnut, is kid central; behind it, glass doors with decorative curved accents reveal shelves and drawers that hold school and art supplies.

Behind the Wolf range is a marble mosaic backsplash, while the wall above the counter is sheathed in cornflower blue crackle tile from Ann Sacks.

Adding to the allure of the butler’s pantry is the ceiling’s patterned wallpaper. The small room is as functional as it is beautiful with a wine column for beverages, a coffee station tucked behind countertop cabinet doors, and a second dishwasher. The striped wallpaper on the opposite wall is reflected in the mirrored cabinet doors.

The built-in banquette’s table and chandelier are both from Dunes and Duchess, while Wayland High-Back chairs from O&G Studio provide more seating.

The design team carved an office nook out of the existing front entry and outfitted it with a custom L-shaped Chappy Bench from Dunes and Duchess; behind the desk is Schumacher’s Chiang Mai Dragon wallcovering.

In a powder room that received a makeover as part of the renovation, Farrow & Ball’s Lotus wallcovering complements the Hadrian marble tile floor from New Ravenna.

It’s an old real estate saw that kitchens sell houses. Conversely, a beautifully renovated kitchen can anchor a family in its forever home. For one Connecticut couple living with the spatial, culinary, and aesthetic foibles of an inadequate kitchen, a new, expanded space delivered not only a dream kitchen but a more functional house where they and their three school-age children could thrive and grow.

Thomas Nolan, who handled the architectural aspects of the renovation, describes the existing house, built in 2004, as a French chateau with a Victorian flare. He credits Kimberly Levin of Verve Design with envisioning the expansion of the first floor, adding some 800 square feet to create not just a kitchen but a multipurpose family hub.

“This was a very involved project with a lot of moving parts,” says Nolan, noting that an optimum traffic pattern was a top priority. “The more you control circulation,” he says, “the more useable the space will be.”

For her client, a busy mom who is “very organized and loves to cook,” functionality is key, says Levin. Her wish list included two islands, one that would allow her to do her thing and one where the kids could do theirs. Entertaining tends to the informal and impromptu. “Lots of seating was intentional for this on-the-go family,” says Levin, who designed the kitchen to accommodate a variety of dining styles, from a snack at the counter to a gathering at the cozy banquette in a light-filled corner of the room.

The coffered ceiling, which plays to the traditional architecture of the house, is elegant and cohesive. “It was a process to come up with the design,” says Nolan. “If it were too busy, it would be a distraction.”

The new floor plan opened the kitchen to the adjacent family room, while a butler’s pantry provides passage to the more formal parts of the house, including the dining room and front entry. Windowless with floor-to-ceiling cabinetry painted a moody navy blue, the pantry offers a beguiling, even magical, entrée to the welcoming gathering space beyond.

 
Project Team
Architectural design: Thomas Nolan Design
Interior design: Verve Design
Builder: Ridgewood Builders