the KITCHEN UPFRONT

When this 1880s Philadelphia house was built, the kitchen was undoubtedly in a different location.

- Regina Cole

Danielle Burrows and her husband, Jeremy Stock, bought the three-storey attached brick-and-brownstone house in 2019: "in Philadelphia, we call these row homes, not row houses," she explains. She says they found no evidence of an original kitchen in the basement. "We think it was mostly likely in back, behind public rooms, on the first floor."

ABOVE Designer Sean Lewis was hoping to expose the chimney to create a brick feature wall, but was presented with a pair of narrow chimneys. Brick veneer solved the problem. LEFT Visible from the street, the front-ofhouse kitchen stops passersby with its good looks. The double front window was sympathetically replaced with larger glazing with two lights above, retaining the original brick arch.

A very visible, ho-hum kitchen was replaced by a timeless space that suits the Victorian row home. Brick, tile, and cherry cabinets are complemented by an accent of Morris wallpaper.

even good smells can be too much Homeowner Jeremy Stock insisted that he and Danielle not only needed a stove vent but that they'd need a very efficient one that would vent steam, smoke, and smells to the outside.

• "We like to cook, so we had to build in a way to keep the indoor atmosphere fresh and clean," he says. "In addition, this is a seriously busy foodie neighborhood, with all sorts of cooking going on all around us. Those smells can be fun to walk past but you don't want them in the house."

• Sean Lewis obliged with a handsome stainless-steel and antique-brass stove hood concealing a modern venting system. The clients got fresh air along with a timeless feature.