kitchen of the month

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KITCHEN OF THE MONTH Design by H EI D I P I R O N

Bay Head, New Jersey They knocked down some walls— and gave up the dining room—to create one big, open, friendly kitchen.

Interview by CHRISTINE PITTEL Photographs by PETER MURDOCK

CHRISTINE PIT TEL: Where did

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all these soft grays come from?

They’re the shades you see in a piece of driftwood that’s been weathered by the sun and rain. They have a natural, organic feel, and that suits this beach house. It’s a place where the family can get away from the hectic schedule of school and work to just relax. HEIDI PIRON:

Was the kitchen always this big?

No, we took down the walls between the original kitchen, the dining room, and a little office to combine them into one open space. The homeowners didn’t need a dining room. Life here is casual, with lots of friends and extended family coming to stay. The adults can eat at that ninefoot-long table while the kids have their chicken nuggets at the island. What’s that beautiful stone on the countertops?

Quartzite. I’m always searching for something new. The challenge is finding something beautiful that’s also durable, and quartzite happens to be stronger than granite. I love all those Calacatta marbles, but they can stain, and they often chip, usually around the sink. Did you hone or polish it?

Hickory Chair’s Ilsa counter stools are pulled up to an island whose legs are cuffed in stainless steel to prevent scuffs. Sub-Zero refrigerator. Shaws sink and Country Kitchen faucet by Rohl. Two large drawers under the Dacor microwave are full of easily accessible snacks. Shade is Nobilis’s Vole au Vent.

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The slab I chose at the stone yard was already polished, but you can take it back down to a honed finish. I like that softer, chalkier look. And then my fabricator sealed it. About once a year, you should probably seal it again as a preventive measure—kind of like cleaning out your gutters every spring. What’s on the backsplash?

I was determined not to do white tile. I thought, ‘I can’t do another white kitchen. I have to find something to make it more interesting.’ That’s what prompted the idea of gray in the first place. But wait—isn’t that white tile?

Yes. Sometimes the simplest solution is the best. But originally I thought I would pull >> HOUSEBEAUTIFUL.COM

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out the colors in the quartzite with gray-blue tile. I must have tried 20 different shades, but nothing was quite right. So I ended up with white. To give it a little twist, we put the gray in the grout.

What’s different about the paint on the cabinets? It’s almost soft.

That’s because it’s milk paint, which has the foggy gray of an early summer morning before the sun shines through. And then we did a hand-brushed finish, which gives you more depth and texture. It’s not perfectly flat and smooth. And the imperfections make it more interesting. What’s the idea in the butler’s pantry? The materials change.

That was just a back hallway, and we wanted to make it special. The cabinets there are stained instead of painted, to look like old weathered wood. And the granite countertop is a rich dark brown with a ‘leathered’ finish, so it has some texture. Stains just kind of blend in. What is that backsplash?

Antiqued mirror. It opens up the room but continues the same color palette.

Why did you frame it, rather than running it top to bottom?

I wanted to repeat that rectangular shape in the upper cabinets, almost as if you popped out the center panel and replaced it with mirror. It’s an unexpected touch.

And it adds a little mystery to a very practical space. There’s a small sink that can be used for prep, or the counter can be set up as a bar during a party. I think that helps take pressure off the main room. The kids can get a soda or you can rinse out a glass without getting in the cook’s way. It’s smart to have several work zones in a kitchen. >> A Rohl sink and faucet are set into the Antique Brown granite counter top in the butler’s pantry. Sub-Zero refrigerator. Weathered pewter hardware by Classic Brass.

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KITCHEN OF THE MONTH

“I love natural stone. It’s nature’s artwork,” designer Heidi Piron says. She chose quartzite for the countertops. 2. The graceful curves of RangeCraft’s Baroque hood contrast nicely with Metrix tiles by Waterworks. Wolf range. 3. You can see the brushstrokes in the milk paint, which “makes the cabinetry feel more casual.” Aubrey pull and knobs in satin nickel by Restoration Hardware. 4. The Linear Flat Line chandelier from Visual Comfort lights the length of the Trestle table by Bausman. Neoclassic chairs by Baker. These pieces were chosen by interior designer Marisa Lafiosca. Wall paint is Benjamin Moore’s Northern Cliffs. 1.

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GET THE LOOK... Cabinetry: premiercb.com. Tile: waterworks.com. Refrigerator and range: subzero-wolf.com. Hood: rangecraft.com. Microwave: dacor.com. Sinks and faucets: rohlhome.com. Hardware: classic-brass.com and restorationhardware.com. Chairs: bakerfurniture.com. Stools: hickorychair.com. Table: bausmanandcompany.com. Chandelier: visualcomfort.com. Paint: benjaminmoore.com. PRODUCED BY SAMANTHA EMMERLING ST YLED BY GREGORY BISSONNET TE FOR MORE DETAILS, SEE RESOURCES

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