lis t o r y

There’s nothing stufff4bout

this century-old kitchen. It now

handles modern-day cooking

and entertaining with ease.

a

s L is a B a te s w a lk e d th ro u g h th e

1910

h o m e in S a ra to g a S p rin g s , N e w Y o rk ,

sh e fo u n d it fr ie n d ly a n d c o m fo rt-

a b le . B u t it w a s th e k itc h e n th a t h a d

h e r a t “ h e llo !”

“ Im a g in e it: o rig in a l p a in t, ro u g h - h e w n c a b in e ts

b u ilt in to th e w a ll, o rig in a l w o o d flo o rin g . I t w a s

n e a r ly

100

y e a rs o ld , a n d it w a s a m ess,” sa ys L is a .

“ M y h e a rt s k ip p e d a b e a t. I k n e w I ’d fo u n d m y

h o m e .” S h e fe lt lu c k y to h a v e th e s e v in ta g e fe a tu re s

as h e r in s p ira tio n w h e n re m a k in g th e s p a ce in to

o n e th a t w o u ld b e id e a l fo r e n te rta in in g .

L is a , a d e s ig n e r a n d p ro fe s s io n a l h o u s e

re m o d e le r, re ta in e d th e k itc h e n ’s c la s s ic lo o k s b y

k e e p in g th e b e s t o f w h a t sh e h a d —th e flo o rs a n d th e

c a b in e ts w ith th e ir re c e s s e d p a n e le d d o o rs. S h e

h e ld h e r b u d g e t in c h e c k b y w o rk in g a ro u n d fix e d

ite m s s u c h as p lu m b in g , d o o rs, a n d w in d o w s . F ro m

th e re , sh e c h o se m a te ria ls to c o m p le m e n t th e

o rig in a l lo o k w h ile g e n tly u p d a tin g it. F o r e x a m p le ,

w h ite s u b w a y tile , a s ta n d a rd in tu rn - o f- th e-

c e n tu ry k itc h e n s , c o v e rs th e ra n g e w a ll. “ T ilin g to

th e c e ilin g is a g o o d s o lu tio n w h e n y o u c a n ’t fin d a

n a tu ra l p la c e to e n d th e tile ,” sh e says. “ T h e lo o k is

s im p le , a n d th e s u rfa c e is e a s y to c le a n .” N e w

c u s to m c a b in e ts w ith sla b d ra w e r fro n ts s e a m le s s ly

f ill in fo r m is s in g o r d a m a g e d c a b in e ts o n th e ra n g e

w a ll a n d n e x t to th e s in k .

B u t it ’s th e k itc h e n ta b le — a w o rk b e n c h in a

fo rm e r lif e —th a t g iv e s th e ro o m its p e rs o n a lity .

L is a ’s frie n d s g a th e r a ro u n d h e re , tra d in g s to rie s

a b o u t c h ild re n , sp o u se s, a n d th e ir o w n d e s ig n

a d v e n tu re s . “ T h e k itc h e n is th e h e a rt o f th e h o m e,

b u t g o o d frie n d s a re its so u l,” sa ys L is a .