Remodeling or adding to a Mediterranean Revival house takes a judicious hand. It’s not hard to get carried away with arches, tiles, and other ornamentation, turning the project into an overblown cacophony. But withhold period detailing, and you’ll lose the very characteristics that make the style so enduring. Kajer Architects neatly handled this dilemma when renovating the kitchen in a 1920s Pasadena, Calif., residence originally designed by notable local architect Sylvanus Marston. “It’s so easy to go overboard with that kind of motif,” says principal Georgie Kajer. “Our goal was to make the kitchen look like a really nice butler’s pantry.”
The result is a room with just enough detail to keep the home’s fine pedigree intact. Working on a fast-track schedule necessitated by its role as the 2003 Pasadena Showcase House of Design, Kajer enlarged the kitchen to three times the original servants’ kitchen size. The owners frequently host catered parties, so the space holds two dishwashers, two farmhouse sinks plus a vegetable sink, and an 8½-foot-by-4-foot island. A butler’s pantry designed in period style, with mahogany countertops and glass-front cabinets, holds extra china and glassware.
Kajer’s choice of materials, from custom-made tiles based on antique patterns and colors to the handmade wrought-iron light fixtures and pot rack, demonstrates her sensitivity to the house’s vintage. Yet modern-day touches, such as a built-in writing desk and 48-inch stainless steel cooktop, seem right at home.
Project Credits
Builder: Thomas Lake Builder, Pasadena, Calif.
Architect: Kajer Architects, Pasadena, Calif.
Project size: 600 square feet
Construction cost: Withheld
Photographer: Eric Staudenmaier
Resources: Dishwasher: Bosch; Oven: Gaggenau; Paint: Dunn-Edwards; Range: Thermador; Refrigerator: Sub-Zero.
