Tour A Timeless Kitchen With An Old-World Aesthetic Inspired By Vermeer

Hi, I'm Maria Namov, and I'm an interior designer. I'm Giampiero Pugliese. I'm an architect. We are the principals of Audax. And this is our kitchen. This was a brand new construction project. The company provides architecture services, interior design services, and construction management services. So this project being our home was an example of how all three of those things can come together. And we happen to be the client as well for this project, which is always fun. I think it was the floors. So the floor is checkered Berdelio gray and Bianca Carrara marble. I have a background in art history. So often when I design anything, the design process for me starts with looking at artwork for color, for inspiration, for anything really. And so I was influenced by paintings of Vermeer and the Dutch aesthetic. And if you look at this particular kitchen, you will actually be able to see a lot of similarities between his interior spaces in this space. We spend a lot of time here. That's really the heart of the house. It's where we spend time with the kids, dining, obviously. Homework. Homework is done at this table. Relaxing is done here. We watch soccer games on Sunday morning and we sit by the fire. So this space is actually very central to our everyday life. So we wanted it to be very special. There's a time period that we're alluding to, but it's also this blend between the Dutch aesthetic, but there's a bit of Italian Florentine aesthetic as well. So if you look at the mantle over the fireplace, if you look at the hood over the range, there are patterns and profiles that speak to that. The edge profile of our countertop is called a Dupont profile. And it's a very timeless and classic detail. And it was done historically because it was a way to round off the edge because stone is brittle and then you'll chip it. So you don't want just a straight edge. It works actually quite well. If you look at all the profiles, even the beams in our ceiling, the corners, there's basically a half inch quarter round with a one eighth inch step. It's the same step that you see on the paneling. We've integrated that into the millwork. The shelving, if you look at the profile of the shelf, it's a Dupont upside down. We wanted to have this old world warm feel to the kitchen. So we have open shelving, which was very common. I wanted to do something that was functional. And I personally found that when you're doing your everyday tasks, when you're cooking dinner for your family, you just want to quickly grab a plate, grab a cup, especially when you have so many kids. It's always easier just to grab a plate. I always loved the farmer's style sink. I've wanted one for a long time and here was my chance to finally get one again on lacquered brass, plumbing fixture. And I just love how big it is for me, especially when you have a big family. It's nice to have a big sink and also two dishwashers, very important. Our appliances are hidden. Everything is concealed inside these cabinets. A lot of the things that you'll see in traditional interior design and architecture had a very practical, functional purpose. So this Tudor paneling originally acted as insulation, right, because they had stone buildings. It was a way to soften that space. So you're not just dealing with stone hard materials. There are so many antiques in this kitchen, anything from candlesticks to paintings to this piece over here to the wash basin. That's, I think, over a hundred years old. I also got a book stand. Oh, the book stand is nice. I think it was from a church. The reason I keep buying antiques is because they're so well-made. So, I mean, there are certain new pieces as well. For example, the chairs we had custom-made from Cravat Canada and also the footrest as well. The carpets are sisal from Wine Co. We also chose linens for the space in terms of curtains from a company called Decortex in Florence as well, and they're all made there. And we just wanted to have, again, that sort of distressed, timeless look that's not too fussy. One of the things we believe very strongly in is to build beautiful, high-quality products that will last for generations. For example, this piece here is hundreds of years old, and we've repurposed it. So that idea of sustainability is important. This wooden table is actually a purposed wood as well. Originally, we were gonna have a more conventional setup with an island and a smaller table. When we decided midway to ditch the island altogether and go with the harvest table, it was the best decision we ever made. The light fixtures, those are brand new. We designed and had them made by this amazing company in Florence. They're so beautiful and of such high quality that either we pass them on, or those will end up in an auction one day if our kids don't want them. We set up the family room, not like a conventional family room with a sofa. It's really more for smaller get-togethers groups. Well, usually we like to have a coffee. Yeah, it's great. We're always sitting here. You make your coffee in the morning, you come, you sit here. Watch some TV. We like to sit here and light the fireplace, especially in the wintertime. It's really nice and warm. We have our little pantry with the coffee station and the tea station. There's a fridge that's also concealed. The pantry is really this separate thing. So it creates its own little niche, which is very elegant, actually. And then you have a counter to drop food. So if you have groceries, for example, you come in, you can put it on the counter. So it serves that purpose. It's also intended to serve the dining room, which is adjacent. The exterior terrace is a really beautiful space with a very minimal color palette. It's basically black and white with green. And then the awning with a black and white stripe. And we were like, from the beginning, we knew that was something we were gonna do. The only thing that's not black or white is the stainless steel barbecue. When we were starting the design, and we do this with all of our clients, what you're really doing is you're storytelling. Close your eyes, imagine a holiday event, a Christmas dinner where everybody gets together. You make them a drink at the bar or in the pantry, and they can sit by the fire, and the kids are reading a book, and they're watching cartoons on the TV. So it's like you're thinking about all those things that you might want to accommodate. And then you think, okay, well, how should I lay it out so that those things can happen? There's a misconception about antiques being expensive. There are certain pieces that, yes, they're very expensive because they might be the originals or some important craftsmen made them. But there's so many reasonably priced pieces that are beautiful. And for me, what's very important, whenever I get something, I have to love it. This space is great for us right now because of our big family, but maybe when we're empty nesters, we'll probably want something smaller. And maybe our style will change. I can't. Are you sure? I don't know. It's a nice space. Don't make me look bad. We're happy, let's put it that way. Yes, it's a dream kitchen.