This Victorian home in Madison, WI has gorgeous woodwork – wainscoting, two fireplaces, paneled doors, built in wooden seating, and many decorative carvings.
When we entered the kitchen, however, we were shocked to see wood paneling, wallpapered soffits over their 1970’s cabinetry, and no beautiful Victorian woodwork. Everything stopped at the entrance to the kitchen. The homeowners, who love their hobby of a house, wanted to make the kitchen feel like it was original and beautiful like the rest of their home.
Before
Before
They had just replaced some windows, so those needed to stay. They also wanted an overall more functional space than what they had. First, we gutted out the entire kitchen and laid out the space to work with the windows and door openings where they were. The homeowners chose white casing and Dover White cabinetry, which was a common choice for older kitchens.
Victorian Kitchen After
Victorian After
Next, we relocated a pipe that was concealed within a soffit. As a result, the ceiling could again be full height like in the dining room and entry way. With the new high ceilings, we had enough space to do stacked wall cabinets all the way to the ceiling.
Stacked Wall Cabinets
Undermount Sink with Tilt-out Tray
We found inspiration for all of the woodwork in the other rooms of the Victorian home.
We found egg and dart molding on their fireplace, crown molding to match their door molding, and an applique for their hood as well as corbels on their island that mimic the curvature in some carvings in the entry way. The new exterior door with an oval of glass mimics the style of the front entry doors.
Victorian Kitchen After
Hood Detail
Lastly, the couple wanted an island that looked like a table so that their original wood floors would be more visible. They also wanted it to be a contrasting wood. We chose the birch wood and stain color found in an adjacent living room. In addition, our woodworkers put together some window casing to match the other side of the dining room entry. As a result, both spaces flow together seamlessly. We can call this Victorian remodel a huge success!
Island After
Added Storage in Island
Updated Window Casing
To see more project photos, visit our Kitchens page.