Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 42

DESIGN WITH

Making a Move

A couple renovates their newly-bought home to cater to
potential buyers while including some personal touches

WHEN HER HUSBAND got a new job, Joni Spear and her family relocated to
Virginia from St. Louis.They bought a house that had been vacant for more
than a year, and prior to that it had undergone several dysfunctional renovations. The residence had been built in the 1890s, and according to Spear,
who is the owner of Smithfield, Va.-based Joni Spear Interior Design, all the
historical elements had been stripped throughout the years.
Her goal was to lighten the dark and dismal home and gut it of its cheap
pine material, which was used in the baseboards, molding, vanities, cabinets
and window surrounds. The 11-month project included the full kitchen
remodel, enlarged bathrooms and a new laundry space.

STARTING IN THE KITCHEN

Because of the home's historical footprint, Spear was unable to build out.
She instead removed large chunks of a wall that carried through the center
of the home to create a more open feel. She also eliminated a laundry closet
in the middle of the former kitchen and relocated this area to the secondfloor hallway.
For the new kitchen, the designer wanted functional, timeless elements -
nothing too trendy - and elegant, clean lines. She chose black stainless-steel
appliances, which hide fingerprints, a farmhouse sink, brass lighting fixtures
and hardware and Shaker-style, custom cabinets. She was able to salvage the
home's original pine floors, which are seen throughout the entire first floor.
A pet peeve of Spear's is not taking the cabinets all the way to the ceiling,
because space is wasted and the open areas on top do nothing but collect dust.
One of the new custom cabinets meets the soapstone countertop, and this is
where she installed a garage to hide her small appliances. A china hutch on

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ABOVE "Marble, although
gorgeous, is very porous and
unforgiving," explained Spear
about her use of two diﬀerent
countertop materials in the
kitchen. "I wanted to have the
beauty for the island and the
beast for the perimeter. Soapstone wears like iron - we don't
have to be so gentle on it."

As the designer is on the
shorter side, she made sure
she was able to reach the cabinets and work at the island
comfortably. She made use of
every inch of cabinet space,
with large drawers across
from the oven and specialized
storage for everything from
cooking oils to baking trays.
RIGHT Spear chose green
lacquered paint from SherwinWilliams to add some pizzazz
to the powder room, which
also includes a pedestal sink
that was locally salvaged and
updated with brass ﬁxtures
from Kingston Brass.

By CHELSIE BUTLER

the other side of the kitchen was inspired by the
one the designer loved in her former house. She
wanted the island to be functional and not just
decorative, so she used every square inch for drawers, book shelves and additional cabinet space.

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Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020

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