Pantry Tour, In the Press, and Community Partnerships
fall 2022 style story
A Note From Jess
Kitchen pantries: one of my favorite things in life! What better serves a kitchen than a pantry loaded with storage spaces, small appliances, extra wall ovens, prep sinks… the list goes on and on.
A thoughtfully designed and ultra-functional pantry allows the kitchen to remain streamlined, pared down, and aesthetically pleasing.
When I purchased my current home 13 years ago the room I fell head-over-heels for was the butler pantry. Built in the 1890s, it had tall leaded glass cabinet doors, wood countertops, and an amazing copper sink—all of which still functioned for a modern day family.
I hope you enjoy this newsletter and our exploration of kitchen pantry design.
Happy Fall,
- Jess
From Our Portfolio
a 100 year kitchen
Designing a Perfect Pantry
As the weather gets colder and we start thinking about holiday cooking and baking, we wanted to share a few of our favorite pantries—past, present, and in progress. So often the kitchen is the star of the home, with striking features and show-stopping materials. But the pantry plays a crucial supporting role. Balancing functionality and storage and requiring creative maximization of small spaces, pantries pose a unique design challenge. Will the neighborhood kids be using it as a snack destination? Does the homeowner have a collection of fine china they’d like on display? Is there a burgeoning pastry chef in the house? In each pantry, we carefully consider the lifestyle and desires of our client so that the room can serve to support and nourish a joyful home.
The original pantry of this historic Sheffield home is what really sold our clients on the purchase. They loved the aged wood, paned glass cabinet doors, and elegant curved corbels—so it wasn’t easy to convince them to change it in order to create a new and improved layout for their kitchen and surrounding mudroom. A compromise was born out of a commitment to re-use all the original cabinetry, effectively stitching it back together in a shortened pantry run. By doing so we were able to add a new powder bath and expand the laundry and mudroom.
The goal was a 100-year kitchen; one that paid homage to the original 1800s building while equipping our clients with streamlined functionality. In our design, we avoided anything trendy and opted for materials and finishes that would age gracefully. The tumbled limestone floors provide a durable foundation, and it’s a worry-free material for our clients and their 220 lb. Mastiff. We rounded out the space with a wallpaper that balances the traditional details and imbues the space with a sense of whimsy, making the pantry the jewel at the center of this home.
A Baking Bonus
Tucked away off of the rustic yet elegant kitchen of our Monterey farmhouse, this pantry was designed as a fully-outfitted baking zone for our client and her young daughter. It needed to work well for ambitious baking projects (and their ensuing messes), so we developed a plan for ample counter space, wall ovens, and wide drawers for cake decorating tools. The reclaimed oak floors add a much needed warmth, while the Vermont Danby marble counters are ideal for rolling out dough. Glass front cabinets were carried in from the kitchen, but we added in plenty of closed storage for dry goods. The space really functions as a bonus surprise off of an already well-equipped kitchen.
Jess’s historic family home in Great Barrington was built by electricity pioneer William Stanley Jr. for his mother and sister in 1890. The original butler’s pantry is what made Jess fall in love with the home. With its leaded glass cabinet doors, deep copper sink, and solid wood countertops, the pantry served as a connection point between the kitchen and the entertaining areas. You can almost hear the bustle and chatter of Gilded Age parties behind what would have been a swinging door. Today, the pantry holds up to the constant stream of kids and family who grab snacks, prepare holiday feasts, and wait impatiently for cakes to come out of the oven.
A Historic Butler’s Pantry
a bold pop of color
The young family who purchased this home originally planned to use it for a weekend respite, but after spending time on the mountaintop property with panoramic Berkshire views, they began to see the house as a year-round home. In our full gut renovation, we opened the kitchen to the entire first floor on both sides, creating a grand, light-filled sweep. In order to keep the kitchen polished and uncluttered, we needed a space dedicated to accessible, functional storage. While the rest of the home features neutral, transitional finishings, we went bold in the pantry with a pop of color, patterned backsplash tile, and a rolling library ladder to access the higher cabinets. We’re looking forward to the finished product in spring of 2023.
a poolside pantry
Designed with functionality and style in mind, the butler’s pantry at our Tyringham farmhouse will feature custom brass shelving, full height glass front cabinets, and a secret laundry chute. Positioned toward the back of the house facing the pool area, the pantry was designed to accommodate bare feet and damp towels—the laundry chute ends at an industrial washer dryer in the basement. The young family from Cambridge MA wanted a space that served as a transition point between kitchen and dining room, outdoors and in. The pantry will house grill accessories, seasonalware, and dry goods, while offering overflow serving space for entertaining.
a seamless transition (and project preview)
Because the newly-finished pantry in this multigenerational home serves as the physical connection between the original side of the house and the addition, our design was uniquely tailored towards tying the two spaces together. Each finish was carefully chosen to seamlessly—and playfully—marry old to new. The combination of rich materials like marble, walnut, and solid bronze with playful pops of color and pattern packs a sensory punch into a small transitional space. The stone floors create a graceful transition from the painted floors of the original space and the hardwood in the addition, and a full height wine column provides ample space for the clients’ collection.
JCI in the Press
This Year and Next
As the weather gets colder and we start thinking about holiday cooking and baking, we wanted to share a few of our favorite pantries—past, present, and in progress. So often the kitchen is the star of the home, with striking features and show-stopping materials. But the pantry plays a crucial supporting role. Balancing functionality and storage and requiring creative maximization of small spaces, pantries pose a unique design challenge. Will the neighborhood kids be using it as a snack destination? Does the homeowner have a collection of fine china they’d like on display? Is there a burgeoning pastry chef in the house? In each pantry, we carefully consider the lifestyle and desires of our client so that the room can serve to support and nourish a joyful home.
We were thrilled to have our historic Sheffield project featured in New England Home this July! The kitchen and mudroom renovation is a striking before and after.
Our Richmond Victorian farmhouse renovation (featured in our Spring newsletter) will be grabbing a spot in Country Living magazine - keep a lookout for us in 2023 editions.
Community Partnerships
We are excited to announce that we are partnering with Annie Selke to complete a multi-space makeover project for the Elizabeth Freeman Center in Pittsfield, MA.
The center has been providing a haven and resources for health and safety to victims of domestic violence since 1974. The Elizabeth Freeman Center was the only women’s shelter in the state to remain open throughout the entirety of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We believe wholeheartedly that living spaces deeply impact quality of life and wellbeing. A shelter for victims escaping domestic violence should be given even more attention and care. We are very excited to bring functionality, comfort, and joy to women in need and to the dedicated people who assist them day in and day out at the Elizabeth Freeman Center.
Stay tuned for exciting developments as we start work later this Fall.
Our Staff Style Picks
As designers, we speak the language of materials—wood, stone, metal, fiber—and we’re always on the lookout for the unexpected. This season, our design team highlights familiar materials being used in new and surprising ways.
Benjamin
Project Manager
“I love these lighting pendants made from mycelium (mushroom root structure) and wood. The wood forms are made and the mushrooms are grown around the form to make the shade. These beautiful fixtures are not only sustainably produced; they are also entirely compostable.”
Rachel
senior designer
“I am both captivated and comforted by re-use of shipping containers. Captivated by the fact that this ubiquitous element in our modern lives, responsible for transporting so much of what we use in our industry, can be transformed into something beautiful. Comforted by the repurposing and reuse of this massive industrial element. My current fascination is with container houses and even more so with container pools.”
Marie
Senior project manager
“I’ve always loved the use of tile in unexpected applications, for its durability and versatility. DTILE out of The Netherlands in particular is always executing new and interesting installations with their dynamic “construction and function tiles.” This custom coffee table they designed and fabricated with Corrine Mathern Interiors is one of my favorite recent creations.”
Lauren
senior Designer
“There are no unconventional materials used in this structure, but the way in which they are employed is what makes this project. The intent was to create a space for quiet contemplation and pause, and the approach to materiality lends itself to that end. Douglas Fir logs from surrounding forests were minimally processed, and though it’s more sculpture than architecture there are elements of both the construction and philosophy behind it that can be carried into how we design our homes.”
Leila
senior project manager
“There's nothing more unexpected than a substance as heavy as concrete being transformed into a flexible curtain. Construction materials, resized, cut up or molded into the right form can bring an element of surprise and textural contrast to a home.”
Jennifer
project manager
“Created in the 1820's, and typically found on roofs, corrugated sheet metal is a sustainable building material. Corrugated sheet metal is lightweight and corrosion resistant; applied interior opportunities are endless.”
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