Inspired by Irish design, one couple reinvented their dated kitchen

After 12 years in their beloved 1910 Arts & Crafts home in Compton Heights, Elizabeth and Keith Wolkoff had just one room left to renovate: a dated, inefficient kitchen that was dark and sequestered from the rest of the house. On a trip to Northern Ireland to visit Keith’s cousins, who are professional chefs, the Wolkoffs were inspired by the airy kitchens they saw there, filled with natural light, unusual color schemes, and high-tech appliances. Upon their return, they hired Jay Eiler of J. Eiler Interior Design to transform their space into a cutting-edge chef’s kitchen. “We love to cook and entertain, so this is the most important room in the house,” says Elizabeth.  “We looked at it as our 10-year wedding anniversary gift and gave ourselves everything we wanted.” 

Deluxe Range & Hood

“I wanted something on the heavy-duty, almost commercial side but with a style that fit the house. The quality and look of the La Cornue cinched it for me,” says Keith. The exquisite French range, purchased at brooksBerry, has a multifunction convection oven, five brass gas burners, and seven cooking modes. For the enameled steel doors and hood, the Wolkoffs chose Pure White with brass and stainless-steel accents. “This was the starting point, and it dictated everything else we did,” Eiler says.

A Cool Wet Bar

“I was concerned about opening up the wall between the kitchen and the dining room and leaving an abrupt transition from a soft space to a room with wall-to-wall built-ins,” says Elizabeth. Eiler’s solution? Designing a wet bar that looks like a freestanding piece of furniture and is consistent with the kitchen cabinetry. 

Painted Cabinetry

The lower cabinets are painted in Benjamin Moore’s Regent Green, a saturated color that feels both modern and timeless. For balance, Stonington Grey, also from Benjamin Moore, covers the upper cabinets. “It’s a nice-size kitchen, but anything too dark or heavy would close you in,” Eiler says, “so we agreed to keep it soft above and add visual weight below.” The countertop’s 2-inch pale gray marble slab provides harmony.

Glazed Subway Tile

When the Wolkoffs expressed interest in using subway tile, Eiler proposed a large-scale glazed Waterworks brick. “It’s really thick, pitted, and textured, not typical. It lends authenticity to the kitchen,” says Eiler. Black grout emphasizes the tile’s beauty and echoes the tone of the lower cabinets. “It has an uneven sheen,” says Elizabeth. “It’s particularly beautiful and reflective at night when the lights are on.”

Statement light fixtures

A dramatic redesign of the kitchen layout necessitated the removal of a wall and connection of the kitchen and dining room. “Traditionally, pendants are placed over the island, but that would block the view and connection to the dining room, so we placed them over workspaces to create great surface light,” Eiler explains. The brass pendants with clear glass shades are from Visual Comfort. “From the outside, they look like lanterns in the windows,” Keith says.

Textural Hardware

Waterworks brass knobs with raised centers grace the upper cabinets, and linear pulls from Vesta, in varying lengths, accent the lower cabinets, refrigerator doors, and wet bar. “I wanted to create visual contrast by mixing things up; the round versus the linear shapes play off the light and dark cabinets,” says Eiler.