“We wanted a kitchen that looked as though it might have been here in the 1920s,” says Shirley Erstad. That’s the genius of this new kitchen: although it’s new, it is convincing, handsome, and functional, outfitted with its original oak millwork, leaded-glass windows, and built-ins. The transition from living or dining room into the kitchen is seamless. The entire house looks like a lovingly maintained period piece.
For their “period” kitchen, Rich and Shirley used antique appliances, lighting fixtures, and plumbing fittings, but they cleverly integrated them with top-of-the-line contemporary elements. The refrigerator, for example, is an original 1927 GE Monitor Top. Beside the 1924 sink, however, are freezer drawers, hidden behind wood cabinet doors.
“The freezer in the old refrigerator is miniscule, and it needs to be defrosted periodically,”…
