Paradoxically, this of-the-moment kitchen is a repository for design icons of the early 20th century. It takes skill to evoke the charm of an earlier era without creating a slavish copy. Here credit begins with the architect William Templeton Johnson, who designed the 1920s California-style Colonial Revival house, as well as the San Diego Art Museum and numerous other city landmarks.
Credit also goes to owners Beth Callender, who diligently researched period-appropriate products and materials, and Pete Garcia, who acted as general contractor, fielding the usual daily crises. They and designer Cheryl Hamilton-Gray were committed to honoring the home’s lineage, while creating a personal space.
“I wanted the kitchen to feel like a modern interpretation of the period,” says Callender. Hamilton-Gray recalls that the words “open” and “airy” surfaced in their first meeting. She adds, “And Pete said, ‘of course, you’ll leave space for my painting of a kitchen table.’ So I said, ‘of course.’”
As the primary cook, Callender was set on a gas cooktop in the island so that she could chat with guests and serve appetizers there while preparing a meal. The couple also wanted to do away with a pantry that jutted into the kitchen. They chose not to incorporate the rear entry and the laundry room into the kitchen, but did want all the spaces to flow together stylistically and visually. Hamilton-Gray was able to open up the room to a 16-foot square, crafting a floor plan that centers the main work area around an island fitted with a Wolf cooktop and a prep sink. Facing them on an inside wall are a Sub-Zero glass-door fridge/freezer and a double oven, convection microwave oven, and warming drawer.
On the exterior wall, sunbeams bounce off a shiny German-silver sink of vintage design in the cleanup area. Other period features include the inset, framed cabinet doors, white subway-tile backsplashes, Douglas fir floors, soapstone counters, polished-nickel pulls and fittings, and glass-pendant lights.
Removing interior doors, including those to the breakfast porch, added the illusion of greater space. Bead-board wainscotting that starts in the rear entry and travels along a kitchen wall and into the laundry room also unified the rooms, as did painting all walls the same buttery yellow.
White kitchens are often nice but bland, the last adjective one would apply to this room with its green-stained island, thick walnut counter, rolling library ladder, and compact desk. Then there’s the art. Garcia’s bold oil painting is in good company with a Modigliani etching and a Léger lithograph.