The kitchen is both elegant and warmly inviting.
The owners of a Tudor-style, 1920s home in DC’s Kalorama neighborhood were looking to renovate their house—including its outdated kitchen. They tapped architect Caroline Boutté for the job, which would entail protecting the home’s existing architecture while introducing modern, unfussy interiors.
Boutté envisioned a timeless look throughout the house that would bridge past and present. To evoke that classic aesthetic in the kitchen, she relied on symmetry of design, with a perfectly centered island and a bank of mirrors on one side of the room that mimics the windows directly across. With the classical lines in place, she then selected contemporary, streamlined Poggenpohl cabinetry. She worked with Poggenpohl designer Elizabeth Cosby to create an uncluttered space with clean lines and functional work areas that would feel both modern and timeless in their traditional home.
Because her clients appreciated beautiful materials and textures, Boutté proposed Honey onyx for the walls and backsplash, backlighting the stone surfaces to create a kind of halo effect near the ceiling. The designer even flew to Florida to select the particular onyx slabs that would afford the level of translucence she wanted.
Poggenpohl’s sustainable Teak collection of cabinetry blends harmoniously with the onyx surfaces, and Juparano Gold granite countertops meld almost seamlessly where they meet the onyx backsplash. Miele appliances are carefully concealed behind cabinetry to maintain a spare, uncluttered look.
RENOVATION ARCHITECTURE & INTERIOR DESIGN: CAROLINE BOUTTE, Graybanks Design Group, LLC, Easton, Maryland. KITCHEN DESIGN: ELIZABETH COSBY, Poggenpohl, Washington DC. PHOTOGRAPHY: JENNY YANG.
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