When Joyce Downing Pickens' clients moved into their historic home in New York City's Greenwich Village, the space had been completely gutted. All of the character and charm of the 1899 townhouse had been removed by the previous owners, leaving behind a white box with a chopped-up floor plan. Another thorough renovation was necessary to restore its period-appropriate architectural features, transforming the home from modern and luxurious, yet a little bland, to a dramatic and elegant home that respects the history of its location.
The kitchen was no different from the rest of the house, white and boxy, and missing the original details that had once made it so special. [my clients] “We wanted a beautiful kitchen with inlay cabinets that would fit perfectly into the home,” says Pickens, founder and designer of JDP Interiors in Los Angeles. House BeautifulHer clients, a young couple, were the kind of people who regularly hosted guests, so they needed a kitchen with standing space, constant flow of traffic, and hidden storage and appliances to keep things tidy.
Pickens' solution was a U-shaped floor plan, “to make it feel fuller, more finished, and have a sense of design and function,” as a member of the Next Wave class of 2024 puts it. It's not the most spacious cooking space, but it's efficient. Her design also fit more storage cabinets and added a six-seat dining table for more casual meals. The only part that wasn't updated was the window placement, since the historic façade couldn't be altered.
As with the rest of the home, Pickens took inspiration from the original fireplace (which thankfully remained intact) for the furniture, architectural details, and color palette. Unfortunately, he had to remove one of the fireplaces from the kitchen to make room for the wire-brushed solid white oak cabinetry, but doing so added something entirely unique to the space. “All that was left was the wall overhang,” the designer says. “So we actually created a cabinet area with full millwork from floor to ceiling to hide and hide the wall overhang. This meant we couldn't have deep cabinets on a lot of this wall, but it still gave us more storage space for glassware.”
Now, the homeowners can work and entertain in a kitchen befitting the historic home and neighborhood. Pickens added period-appropriate moldings and other architectural details to each room, with modern touches here and there to fit her clients' style. No amount of décor or detailing is too much. “The small but strong kitchen has become the heart of the home, bringing warmth to a previously cold space,” Pickens explains.
The kitchen looks seamless and clean because Pickens and her team actually managed to hide quite a few features in plain sight. “We hid the microwave in a double cabinet to the left of the stove,” Pickens says. “I don't like conspicuous built-in microwaves, so I tend to hide them in a cabinet with a pull-out drawer and supporting electrical system.” Even the trash can is tucked away in a full-length drawer.
Many of the drawer fronts are actually doors, disguised “to maintain consistency in the arrangement of drawers on the left side and to hide the dishwasher and create symmetry on either side of the sink,” Pickens adds. This consistency helps prevent the relatively small space from feeling cluttered.
island: It was custom designed by JDP Interiors and crafted by Petersen Antiques. range: Lacanche. pendant: JDP Interior. cabinet: KJ Reform. hardware: Liz's Antique Hardware.
One of the “pillars” next to the mirror concealed a pipe that couldn't be moved, so Pickens added another pillar on the other side, centering it in the space to maintain symmetry.
“I love the rustic warmth of this kitchen in the heart of New York City. I feel like a lot of people are quick to throw a smattering of paint on their kitchens, but nothing beats the warmth of stain-grade wood for impact,” she adds. “This was my vision from the beginning, and it's been so fun to see it come to fruition.” Salvaged wood floors from an old barn in the Hudson Valley complement the kitchen.
Flooring: Hudson Company. shade: Rose Unaike Custom fabric. Dining table: Custom, JDP interior. Dining chair: Vintage Guilherme & Chambron. lighting equipment: pinch. mirror: Vintage. bowl: Colin King (via The Expert) Candlestick: Skultuna.
to follow House Beautiful upon Instagram and Tick tock.
