This “Claustrophobic” 1890s Kitchen Finally Gets Room to Breathe

When interior designer Evette Ríos, the host of Dime Cómo Hacerlo (the Spanish language version of This Old House) first moved into her 1890s Pennsylvania apartment, she wanted to do something about her kitchen. The room was closed-in on all sides with only one small 30-inch opening, and it felt a little claustrophobic. 

“Because of the way that we live in our home, I wanted to open up the kitchen to a dining area,” she says. “I have two kids, so the idea of having a breakfast nook area where we could all casually be together that could also double as a great place for entertaining was really important to me.”

Over the course of four-and-a-half months, Ríos took the space down to the studs and removed a wall to give her cook space a new lease on life. She came up with a design plan that would feature plenty of color — one of the designer’s top priorities. Chief among the pops of color in her palette? Warm and punchy purple and cranberry shades, thanks to a statement Big Chill Classic 36-inch Fridge in Pastel Violet and 36-inch Classic Gas Stove in Oxide Red.

“I am so tired of the all-white kitchen,” she says. “I think we all hesitated from adding color into our kitchens because … we wanted to keep them as ‘long lasting as possible,’ but the reality is that when you add color, you can actually make a space seem timeless.” 

Built during the Gilded Age, Ríos’ home leans somewhat traditional, and she loves old-house charm. So she wanted to “make sure that the kitchen looked like it had always been there.” She adds, “One of my pet peeves as a designer is when people don’t pay attention to the time and place and history of a home; I think that homes are living, breathing things and not just commodities to be traded.” 

The U-shaped space centers on all new Shaker cabinetry from Wren Kitchens in an earthy mushroom hue. It’s a shade that has some depth, but is neutral enough to play well with her statement appliances. The sink wall shines with a patterned backsplash featuring tan and cream zellige tile in a stack bond checkerboard configuration. 

To further set this area off, Ríos chose a hard-working stainless steel sink from Ruvati and added three rows of open shelving to the left of it — the perfect spot for displaying decorative candlesticks, cookbooks, and other cooking pieces. Throughout the kitchen, Caesarstone celestial sky quartz countertops provide a traditional marble look but are much lower-maintenance than that particular natural stone. Like the Big Chill appliances, they’re the perfect bridge between old and new. Same is true of the Brassna fixtures, including the sink, pot filler, and bar pot filler.

A few DIY projects and other vintage finds brought personal touches to the space. One DIY involved sourcing a bookcase from a mansion on Philadelphia’s Main Line that was soon to be demolished. Ríos refinished and repainted it, turning it into a bar-like display area for glasses and dishware. “Instead of using the glass shelves that it came with, I had a local maker create shelves out of cherry wood and I finished it with a beeswax coating,” Ríos adds. 

She also gave a vintage wooden cabinet from Facebook Marketplace a bit of a makeover, turning it into an eye-catching island — perhaps the true focal point of the space (although the colorful appliance wall and vintage-look rug underfoot certainly gives it a run for its money there). Here, she used Caesarstone’s Striata porcelain for the countertop, a slightly darker surface with dramatic veining. The area is crowned with a trio of beautiful, vintage-inspired globe lights.

Just across the island and around the corner nearby, Ríos carved out a spot for a dining nook. Now that the kitchen no longer is closed-off there, she can use the island for prepping and entertaining — and speaking to her guests or children while cooking. Also perfect for shared meals? The dining room table, another vintage score that can seat up to 10 with its five leaves in. 

Ríos successfully married her personal style — and the home’s history — in this space. The biggest testament to that, though, is the feedback her family and friends have given her upon seeing the project.

“When people come in, they look at the kitchen, and they feel like it’s a really good reflection of me and my look and feel,” she says. “That is extremely important to me.”