Updating A 100-Year-Old Kitchen in Myers Park

Lindsey Myers’ clients had already renovated two historic properties in Connecticut before they moved to Charlotte last year and purchased a 100-year-old home in Myers Park. They knew the 3,900-square-foot, two-story house had great bones, and they loved the story behind it. “It was the local butcher’s house in the 1920s,” Myers says. “They wanted to preserve as much of the historic charm as they could.” The kitchen had gotten a few updates over the years, but it was time for a proper renovation that included new appliances, cabinetry, and countertops. “They didn’t want to remove any walls,” she says. “They wanted to work with the existing footprint and make it look lived-in, like an old, English-style kitchen.” 

INNER LIGHT

Myers refinished the original wood floors and installed white oak ceiling beams from Whole Log Reclaimed in Henderson County. She added drop pendant lights over the sink and replaced the ceiling fan with a vintage brass chandelier. “There was a similar chandelier left in the basement that the owner tried to have rewired,” she says, “but there was no saving it, so we found this.” The biggest challenge, she says, was the electrical work. “A lot of electricians had been in there over the last 100 years, but it took a lot of work to bring everything up to code.” 

NEW AGE

The homeowners weren’t afraid of color and wanted something bolder than basic white cabinets. Myers suggested yellow to complement the off-white La Cornue range they’d already purchased. They looked at four shades before landing on Benjamin Moore’s Golden Hills. The team at Morgans Cabinets installed the cabinetry, which included custom panels on the refrigerator and dishwasher to create a seamless look.

ISLAND HOP

Myers had her cabinet maker build an island based on an old English worktable. They stained the white oak a rich brown and topped it with the same aged charcoal soapstone they used for the countertops. They kept the white porcelain backsplash and filled in places that needed more coverage. To make the cabinets and island look more lived-in, Myers chose lacquered brass hardware from deVOL. “It’ll patina over time, and that’s the look they wanted to go for,” she says. “The homeowner said this is his favorite kitchen he’s done.”