Kitchen Interior Strategies for Cape Cod Homes

Mar - 30
2022

Kitchen Interior Strategies for Cape Cod Homes

Cape Cod homes hark back to the country cottage in England. British settlers adapted the small, efficient cottage layout to the harsh weather of New England coastal communities — using steep gabled roofs to slough off snow and rain, big central chimneys to heat the entire house, and tiny rooms only laid out. A modern or vintage Cape typically has a kitchen having an approximate island or counter, double windows above the sink, lower and upper cabinets and the sense of a central hearth.

From the Ground Up

Wood floors are not compulsory, but they don’t catch the original layout of a Cape Cod kitchen. If you’re replacing floors, consider reclaimed broad plank timber — uneven widths will give a sense of hand-hewn logs. The wear on the old boards is a part of the appeal, but if the timber is less than magical, you can sand and refinish the floor by bleaching or staining it. A lighter color will reflect more light in a small kitchen; boards that operate in the direction in which light falls during the dominant window are ideal. Bleaching is best done by professionals, unless you have some experience. It takes another sanding because the bleach raises the grain of the timber. Irregular or slimmer boards might not be good candidates for additional sanding.

Cabinet and Cupboards

Stash your stuff at lower and upper cabinets using bracketed molding that looks like original workmanship. Crown molding at the top of upper cabinets along the ceiling has mini-brackets that echo the accession of curved wood mounts below the cabinets. The doors and cabinet sides comprise molding with inset panels, and the paneled treatment goes on the lower cabinets and drawers. Continue the distinctive molding on any freestanding cabinets in the room, in addition to across the entire ceiling, and paint cabinets and molding the identical color. Update the upper cabinets with glass windowed doors to display your Fiestaware dishes, or simply to make a slightly more open feel in the kitchen.

Essential Island

An island with seating for casual meals is a frequent feature of a Cape Cod kitchen. Even a small Cape home typically has an eat-in kitchen, and also a island provides both additional work surface along with a gathering place. Copy the woodwork on the bead board on the walls to the base of the staircase, and paint the same color as the cabinets, trim or backsplash. An island top is old when it’s made of butcher block or smooth, worn wood. Granite, slate or tile to match the countertops fuses vintage kitchen style with a more modern approach. A brushed steel island top will join a contemporary stainless cooker and refrigerator with the rest of the decor. In a very cramped kitchen, give up the storage space in the island for an under-the-counter recess for stools.

A Hint of Hearth

The chimney and fireplaces in original Cape Cod homes were central characteristics of the design. A contemporary Cape kitchen gives a nod to history with a concentration on the stove. Develop the illusion of a hearth with a notable hood above the stove; a brushed stainless hood that matches the stove resembles a chimney breast while it disguises the exhaust fan and task lighting. Painted cabinets or shelves are somewhat less obtrusive but nevertheless position the cooker as part of a taller unit, like a fireplace with a chimney column. In your fully contemporary spin on a Cape kitchen, a minimalist rectangle of a stove hood — or a microwave unit — at the same brushed aluminum as the cooktop trim is a vestigial chimney over the “hearth.”

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