The Renovation of Historical Colonial Kitchens

Wood and Brick

• Colonial kitchens were embellished with the plentiful wood from the surrounding forests. Wide-planked floors, paneled walls, beam-and-plank ceilings, and wood cabinets were common. All the areas near the hearth were bricked, stuccoed or lined in stone to minimize the risk of fire. Using lots of natural wood in your restoration will give your kitchen an authentic look. A Colonial kitchen may have been quite dark as windows were a luxury, and even glazed windows in fine houses tended to be small. Consider larger windows and more light-painted stucco to maintain historic character while letting in more light. Hunt for reclaimed wide-plank flooring to recycle into your renovation.

Hearth

• The hearth was the center of the kitchen and the home. Its massive breadth and depth was located in the center of the house so it could heat the entire structure in winter. Hearths were typically constructed of brick. Flagstone or brick formed the floor. A brick hearth might be timber-framed and always had hooks for hanging iron kettles and bars for suspending pots over the embers or flames. The wide-open design of the hearth meant domestic animals, in winter, and children had to be monitored for safety. Consider a nonauthentic firebreak, maybe forged from iron, if you are preserving an old hearth and protecting your family and pets. In Colonial times, women wore nonflammable natural fibers and learned to step back from the hearth before turning around and accidentally catching a skirt on fire. Today’s flammable fabrics mean extra caution when using a real hearth.

Paint Colors

• The color palette in Colonial times was dictated by what was available. Natural dyes and minerals colored paints, so tones were muted and tended to earth colors. Exposed brick or stucco could be whitewashed. Iron oxide gave reds a rusty hue. Colors that would have graced the walls of an 18th century American kitchen might be honey, pumpkin or woodsy browns. Wood itself was ubiquitous, and many Colonial kitchen ceilings were paneled, with low beams that provided plenty of space for drying herbs.

Adding Amenities

• Colonial-era kitchens didn’t have the benefit of running water, piped-in gas or electricity, so modernizing a historic kitchen does mean adding elements that are not authentic. If you’d rather wash the dishes in the sink than out in a tub in the yard, choose something in keeping with the colors and materials of your kitchen design. A copper or stone sink would blend beautifully with the soft woods and muted tones of Colonial times. The stove is another dilemma. Consider it a concession to convenience and minimize its attention-grabbing modernity with a period-style stove – or, go for it with a brushed-steel stove that vies with the hearth for focal-point status. Refrigerators can be disguised with cabinetry doors or hidden away in specially built cabinets. If you have an adjacent pantry, the fridge could reside there, leaving you room for another rocker next to the hearth.