Glenna Koehler knew something needed to change in her kitchen. The Upper Arlington resident felt all too confined in the space and was looking for a way to open up the room to give new life to her cooking and family gatherings.
Built in 1974, the home has many details and finishes which Koehler and her late husband worked on together, so Koehler held some strong attachments when going into the remodeling process. She had lengthy conversations with John Coleman, project manager for the Cleary Company, before proceeding to remodel the kitchen.
“We talked about remodeling for a long time, but never did it,” Koehler says, “Things got so bad, the oven wasn’t working... The stove wasn’t working. I figured, this is it.”
Koehler and Coleman focused on the style and color scheme of the space before beginning the project. It’s all about looking at the character of the house and taking some original elements from the kitchen and merging them with a new look without completely altering the room.
Marshall Evan
In this colonial Williamsburg-inspired kitchen, both vintage and modern designs are incorporated into the space. Modern elements that weren’t around during the historic time period create an interesting dynamic to the aesthetic of the kitchen.
“With the beams on the ceiling, that space used to be two separate rooms. We took down the wall and made it one big space, but only half of that space previously had beams,” says Coleman. “We removed what was remaining and brought that element of it all the way into the kitchen to keep it consistent with what the house originally had.”
Doing so helped create more room for the fireplace and TV room – making a larger space for entertaining family and guests.
“I have a real large family, and although my kitchen is bigger than most,” Koehler says, “It was almost unbearable when they all came over because that’s where people tend to go during the holidays.”
When it came time to choose appliances, Koehler and Coleman focused on exactly what would best serve her cooking needs. Since every client uses their space differently, it’s important to know how each person intends to make use of their new renovated space.
Marshall Evan
“Some people like to have a nice kitchen, but they actually don’t cook that much,” Coleman says. “But that is not the case here. This kitchen is definitely designed for large entertaining, which is why you see the really large stove.”
Another major consideration was choosing appliances to match the overall aesthetic of the kitchen. Most of the appliances came panel ready, so they smoothly blended with the cabinetry.
A main focus of this project centered on the colors and textures of the space. The hope was to stick with elements that went well together and not tamper too excessively with the home’s original design.
“(Koehler’s) house is brick on the outside, so we brought some of the brick into the kitchen to make sure things are tied together,” Coleman says, “and it isn’t just colors, it’s also materials like the brick.
Marshall Evan
The color happens to match the outside of the house, but it’s an attempt to bring everything together, like cohesive design and color pallets and materials, as well.”
One thing’s for sure: this colonial-style renovation won’t be stuck in the past.
Sanaya Attari is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
