Three years ago, when Morgan and Faye Hurley moved into their family home just an hour outside of Boston, they were charmed by the vintage details — especially in the kitchen. Faye describes the original room as “so retro and fun,” but the smaller space (which included a connected laundry nook) wouldn’t be big enough to accommodate their family of five plus three cats.
“It was a very cute, retro kitchen with blue and white cabinets and the sweetest pantry area,” Faye explains. “We loved it, but it was much too small for our needs.”
Knowing that their family spends the majority of their time at home in the kitchen, the couple wanted to start reimagining that room first. Luckily, Morgan is a skilled craftsman and was up for doing most of the work himself. And even though they were renovating their older kitchen, they wanted the remodel to honor the room’s past.
Faye’s goals for the new kitchen? “A mix of vintage and modern. I wanted warmth and color with vintage details that would make it feel lived-in and welcoming,” she says.
The first step of renovating the kitchen was dreaming up a new layout, which Faye and Morgan hired a designer to help map out. Once the floor plan was configured, Faye consulted her inspiration photos to pull together a mood board for the rooms. In her board, Faye included Farrow & Ball’s Calke Green for the cabinets, terracotta countertops, and a white and brown checkered floor.
“My husband did all of the demo and construction himself, and we hired out the electrical, plumbing, and plastering,” Faye says. “All of the custom details, like the cabinet doors, the black wavy shelves, and our breakfast nook bench, were his handiwork as well.”
It took around six months for the kitchen to be renovated, and it cost about $60,000. And it’s no wonder it’s the family’s favorite room. “I think it’s a very inviting space and our family and guests love to spend time in it over any other room in the house,” she says. “The little vintage finds and unique design touches like the wavy bench make it such a special room.”
