Remodeled Kitchen in the Arts & Crafts Style
Asheville, NC

Kitchen following the renovation

Kamia Cottage in Albemarle Park during a recent winter snowfall

Kalmia Cottage was built in 1910. Hand drawn sketches in the correspondence between William Green Raoul and his sons show that the men in the family developed the general design for the house. Then, noted Atlanta architect J. Neel Reid transformed their sketches into the final design.

The kitchen prior to renovation

The kitchen prior to renovation

In the 1990s an enormous amount of work was done restoring the house to its original character. However, the kitchen, which was modernized, still needed attention. Unfortunately, it was significantly damaged from a burst frozen pipe over the Christmas holidays while the family was away.

The update sink area

The family wished to improve what had originally been separate kitchen and pantry areas but which now wholly comprised the kitchen area, to serve the modern needs of their family while, at the same time, restore the character of the original kitchen design. They also wanted to create a useable and comfortable eating area adjacent to the kitchen and improve the original store room to be a pantry that would maximize storage.

The chopped up corner of the kitchen opened up for a small eating nook

Before this renovation, the area had been chopped up and confusing. An added wall separated a small sitting area from the kitchen proper, and the organization of the cabinets and appliances made it a difficult space to work in.

The new eating nook

As part of the renovation, the wall was removed and the sitting area expanded and integrated into the kitchen at one corner. Appliances were relocated and new handcrafted cabinets of quarter-sawn oak and black granite countertops were installed to improve the workflow and capture some of the style of the original kitchen casework. More cabinets and a fold-down desk were installed in the pantry. The original heart pine floors were repaired and restored.  A custom-designed clock was installed above the range hood as a special accent and to celebrate this historic cottage and its construction. This feature is centered on the main entry hall of the house and is visible from the entry foyer.

A reproduction of an Arts & Crafts era clock built be Robert Lock, the cabinetmaker, as an ornament above the range hood

This project is a good example of how a modern, functional kitchen can be created in a historic house, which enhances and respects the original design character and maintains the high level of craftsmanship found in other aspects of the home.