FLOW AND FLAIR

HEARTWOOD KITCHENS CREATES FUNCTIONAL WORK SPACES AND A CLEAN LOOK IN AN OUTDATED KITCHEN

- Mary Grauerholz

AT ONE TIME, KITCHEN INTERIORS, AS A PRACTICE, were not painted. Instead, natural wood surfaces were left alone, appearing almost everywhere— sometimes even on walls. Katie and Rick Gebhardt, a young married couple in Boxford, love the sheen and variation of wood, especially when sunshine drifts in, changing colors, shadows, and mood.

Katie Gebhardt, the main cook in the family, also loves midcentury style. As it turns out, the two components—natural wood surfaces and mid-20th century styling—are a match made in heaven, especially when they have the flourishes and conveniences of modern living.

When the couple brought their wishes to Mike Serafino, the owner of Heartwood Kitchens in Danvers, he was delighted. “Katie had a very strong vision,” Serafino says. “Stylistically, she knows what she wants.”

The Gebhardts may be ahead of a trend: Kitchen styles that reach for inspiration to the 1960s and ’70s are gaining in popularity, Serafino says. “Midcentury, with a modern twist, has always been around, influencing color, shape, natural wood tones, and textures.”