CIRCA 1930 KITCHEN REDO

Functionally modern but thoroughly vintage, this Depression-era kitchen adds character to a Colonial Revival mid-1920s house in Connecticut.

The old house had some charm but lacked a defining style. “An architect who looked at it called it ‘higgledy-piggledy’,” says Bill Ticineto, who owns the house with his wife, Jill Chase.

The couple has spent years gently nudging plainer aspects of the house toward the Colonial Revival style. Inside, the showstopper is the galley-style kitchen, which the two envisioned and built with attention to the smallest details. (The sculpted cabinet feet are attached by magnets so they can be removed for easy cleaning!) “There’s no wasted space,” says Bill, who built cabinets in his workshop. A modern Liebherr fridge is behind the icebox façade.

Glass-front cabinets hold uranium glass; vintage glass and jadeite are accessible near the sink.

1. PERIOD-PERFECT CABINETS

Cabinets built by the homeowner are customized to the last detail. Plate racks are decorative and functional. Undersink vent cutouts are inspired by the couple’s favorite game: “When you play bocce, you use four balls per team and one little jack ball.”

2. THE ICEBOX FRIDGE

Inspiration for the custom oak refrigerator enclosure came from studying vintage iceboxes in antique stores and 1910s ads in old magazines. This design follows one from the McCray Refrigeration Co. Underneath hides a side-by-side Liebherr refrigerator.

3. RESTORED APPLIANCES

A vintage two-oven, six-burner Glenwood Deluxe SNJ stove came through a seller on eBay, and it was restored by Erickson’s Antique Stoves in Littleton, Mass. Nickel was removed and replated, and the range brought up to modern code.

4. COLLECTIBLES DISPLAY