The idea for this kitchen was born when we found our rental apartment in Paris. We had spent several years looking and finally found it inside a historic Art Nouveau building. The kitchen was very small, but I loved the modern approach and how the space felt spacious and streamlined. The high ceilings and large windows helped accomplish this, but there was more to it. The entire kitchen was against just one wall but had a lot of dimension to it, accomplished by using two complementary colors and two depths of cabinets.

From Paris to Portland

“When we purchased our nineteenth-century home on Munjoy Hill I knew we would need to renovate the kitchen. I worked with Ron Petrone from Petrone Built and Melinda Campbell of Atlantic Design Center. I created several CAD renderings before we got it just right. It was a challenge to fit everything necessary in a somewhat small space. I wanted to create a pantry area with a sink that also could house a stacked washer and dryer, so we took the existing full bath down to a half bath.

Inspired by the Paris kitchen, we extended the cabinets to the ceiling and significantly reduced the size of the fridge. Then we inset two different depths of cabinets around the stove. I love our Franke sink. It’s called the Workstation: a double sink with a second smaller sink that holds accessories like a cutting board and a strainer.

Materials That Marry Old and New

“The back door off the kitchen is the most utilized entrance in our home, so I wanted the floor to be able to handle heavy traffic. I chose a commercial-grade terrazzo tile from Old Port Specialty Tile. I thought that since terrazzo is a classic older material it would fit well in our historic home. The one we settled on adds a contemporary feel because of the larger stone pattern and color combination.

From there I coordinated the colors of the cabinets (Templeton Pink and Lilypad by Farrow and Ball) to the coral and green tones in the terrazzo. I felt the colors I chose worked with the details of the other rooms in the home. 

“I used a white ash wood with a pink tone to it and selected European-style cabinetry because of its sleek design, which I thought would be better in a small space. The countertop is made of Dekton, a man-made material that is impervious to scratches, stains, and hot and cold. All the materials came from Atlantic Design Center other than the cabinet hardware that we purchased from Decorum Hardware in Falmouth. 

“The kitchen is now more cohesive with the rest of the house. We are enjoying it daily and especially when we have guests over—we just love to entertain.”

—Marianne Lesko, designer, Enclave Interior Design