Filed under: Kitchen, Your Home, Design, etc, Architecture
A high-end Miami realtor upgrades her 1930s-era kitchen to look more like the glamorous properties she sells.
Colin McGuire for AOL
The house was built in 1930 by Miami architect Russell Pancoast, and is a prime example of historic Mediterranean Revival architecture. Among the desirable features original to the house -- cathedral beamed ceilings, colorful Malibu tiles and a wraparound patio of Florida keystone,a natural stone cut from coral. The one downfall was a tiny kitchen divided in two parts -- a poorly functioning work area and a claustrophobic butler's pantry.
Esther moved into this home 20 years ago, and was finally ready to take on the renovation fifteen years later. Her goal was to design a new kitchen that "felt original and respectful to the architectural style of the house." She had gleaned many decorating ideas from some of the million-dollar properties she sold and adapted some of these to her 180-square-foot kitchen. She wanted to open up the space and was adamant about including a variety of surfaces, colors and a gas stove. She traded her $400 scratch-n-dent Sears stove up for a Viking. To this day Esther, a passionate cook, has only kind words to say about the humbler one.
The re-do took a little over six months to complete. She moved out during the process, returning to a transformed space that functions terrifically and looks swell. With much of the butler pantry now converted to a wet bar, Esther needed to create alternative storage. She utilized the high proportions of the room and built tall cabinets. She relegated unaesthetic items such as foodstuffs, spices and small appliances behind solid doors. She used glass and chicken wire-faced cabinets to show off prettier things like swanky barware and antique china.
Esther's housemates are Pearl, a fluffy Samoyed, and Caramelo, a golden retriever/Samoyed mix. Seydie, her housekeeper of fifteen years, is also around most days. After hours of showing properties and/or minding the store, Esther winds down by exercising her culinary skills. These days when friends come, she warmly welcomes them into her kitchen. Of course, having the bar tucked just inside, is an added bonus.