The Fulgor Milano range and Visual Comfort chandelier add touches of luxury.
Designer Tristan Gary (of her eponymous Seattle firm) was tasked with reimagining this 1908 home in Everett, WA, after it was purchased by a familiar client: her mother Nancy Williams. Both mother and daughter wanted to preserve the house’s history and give the space an antique look, so Gary set out to create an “un-kitchen” for Williams, who loves vintage. The catch? Williams is also a former restaurant mogul, so Gary had to deliver a chef ’s kitchen that didn’t look like one.
The inspiration began with a 30-inch gas Fulgor Milano range. “When I think of Italian, I think of high style and high food,” Gary offers. She smartly concealed the rest of the appliances, like the panel-ready Signature Kitchen Suite refrigerator and dishwasher. “For this European-style un-kitchen, I did not want to see stainless steel refrigeration,” the designer adds.
Then, Gary created a laundry area within the kitchen (also a very European concept, she notes), removing a wall that separated the two spaces and leaving only a decorative wood beam that signifies the home’s age. The designer created a custom nook for Williams’ dog, Norman, and concealed the washer, dryer and under the sink with custom skirts. “It brings the two sides together and adds some color,” she says. Thibaut Jardin wallpaper and butcher block countertops bring a softer touch, compared with the more sleek marble and white Clayhouse tile backsplash on the kitchen side.
Black and white foor tile from Arizona Tile joins both spaces and adds graphic interest, while nickel board ceilings lend a layer of texture. Gary also installed heated floors to warm up the often-drafty 1908 house. Though Williams recently moved, the designer loved seeing her family enjoy her work. “For every project I do, I envision how it will be used and how people will move and feel in it,” she says. “It was completely surreal to stand in the kitchen and watch it being used, enjoyed, and cooked in. It was really fun.”
