It can happen at any time—driving home from work, on a trip to the grocery store, taking a Sunday drive. In the most unexpected moments, fate has a way of intervening and pointing life down a new path.
This was just the type of destiny that led one northern Kentucky family to their dream home in Covington. The rest, as they say, is history.
“We were driving and saw the For Sale sign out front,” Stacey, the homeowner, says. “We were drawn to the Swiss Chalet design, but we weren’t sure if it was a single family home or an apartment building. We called the realtor, and she showed us the home within the hour.”
“It was spur of the moment,” she adds, explaining that her family, including husband Eric and young daughter Lyla, was currently living in Newport. “We knew we wanted a home with a large lot, and that’s hard to find in Covington.”
Barriers to building
The home, built in the 1850s, has a rich history and wonderful craftsmanship that the homeowners wanted to respect and restore. The latter would prove challenging however due to some of the home’s many transformations over the years.
According to Stacey, the previous owner was in the process of converting the home to a bed and breakfast when they lost financing for the project. At the time of purchase, the current owners were faced with some major disrepair. Plumbing had been removed, electrical wiring needed attention, and the house needed to be reconfigured to accommodate a modern family.
The realtor recommended that the homeowners meet with Donald Beck, AIA of Beck Architecture to establish a plan to rebuild their house into the 21st century.
Jim Stegman Construction Company and Legacy Kitchens were also brought on board, and the team worked together for a year and a half to renovate the home. One of the major areas of redesign was the kitchen.
“We lived in the carriage house during renovation,” Stacey remembers. “We were in a one-bedroom apartment with an 18-month-old, but it really wasn’t that bad.”
Knocking down and building up
A small kitchen, a pantry, an office and a service staircase were all located in the rear corner of the home where Beck and the homeowners envisioned the new, open kitchen.
“Don suggested that we open the space to bring in more light and create more room and an open floor plan,” Stacey says. “We also opened the space to the dining room and created doors that lead to the patio, so we’ve extended our entertaining area.”
After the floor plan was configured, which also includes a rear staircase that provides the family with more private access to the kitchen, the homeowners began working with Molly Wagner at Legacy Kitchens to create a contemporary look that kept in keeping with the historical elements of the home.
Classic contemporary
“I definitely like clean lines and contemporary style, but we wanted to mirror that with the original woodworking and design of the home,” says Stacey. “We tried to pick materials that would have been used when the home was originally built.”
For example, she and Eric selected Carrera marble for the flooring, countertops and backsplash. Stacey says she probably would have chosen granite for the countertops, but that would not have been found in a home during the 1850s.
Although it may not have been her first choice, Stacey says the elegance of the marble is now one of her favorite features of the kitchen.
“The homeowners definitely knew what they wanted,” Wagner says of initial meetings. “They were a young couple with their first daughter, and they were in the process of renovating a historic home to include modern touches and contemporary design.
“The house had been renovated so many times before we got there,” Wagner adds. “So there were several challenges to overcome throughout the process.”
One of the main obstacles that the design team encountered was a lack of closet space in the house. This minimal storage issue flowed into the kitchen. The homeowners and design team came up with a solution utilizing the massive 11½-foot ceilings. A row of cabinetry was hung at standard height, but then an additional rung of cabinets was placed overhead to provide the homeowners with additional storage space. “A lot of people question why we would hang cabinets so high that they can’t be reached without a step stool or ladder, but this space can be used to store items like Christmas dishes or formal serving trays that only come out a few times a year,” Wagner says.
The cabinets were chosen in a black finish to create a nice contrast to the white marble. This helps add another element of contemporary design to the elegant space. There is also a balance of contemporary and classic between the stainless steel appliances and the decorative fixtures. “Stacey did a really good job picking out fixtures for the space,” Wagner says. “She mixed glass and pewter hardware on the cabinetry to create more of a focal point.”
Eric and Stacey also worked with Grainger’s Metal Restoration to select lighting that would look original to the home. The fixtures were then refinished to blend with the contemporary design.
A few favorites
The couple loves entertaining in their newly renovated home. The flow from the kitchen into the dining area and out to the patio is one of their favorite features of the space.
“I like being able to cook in the kitchen and still interact with people outside,” Stacey explains.
The large island is another of her favorite areas. The size provides this family, which has now expanded to include a second daughter, with a perfect eating area. “The island will be great for crafts as my girls get older.”
article resources
Contractor: Stegman Construction Co.; Kitchen designer: Molly Wagner, CKD, Legacy Kitchens; Interior designer: Andrea Frangiosa; Architect: Donald Beck, Beck Architecture; Cabinetry: Crystal Cabinets; Flooring: Carrera marble tiles; Countertops: Carrera marble; Backsplash: tile; Sinks: Kohler; Faucets: Kohler; Range: Jenn-Air; Paint: Sherwin-Williams; Lighting: Grainger’s Metal Restoration
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