Coastal vibes are nothing new for homes here on the North Shore, but Erin and Jason Russell wanted to do things a little differently with their farmhouse fixer-upper in Beverly. Instead of sticking to a classic New England coastal design, the couple wanted to incorporate an easy, breezy California style, too.
They had their work cut out for them, though. The house, which was built in the 1970s and had been unlived in for a while, was stuck in a bit of a rundown time warp. Nowhere was that more evident than the kitchen, where outdated appliances, yellow countertops, linoleum floor, and dark cabinets made the room feel cramped and uninviting. A wall separating the kitchen from the dining room didn’t help matters, either.
“It was a very compartmentalized house. There was a full partition between the kitchen and the dining space with almost no flow between them,” says Essex-based designer, Kristina Crestin of Kristina Crestin Design. The Russells wanted a more open and inviting space for themselves and their children.
“Like all young families, they wanted to be able to see what was happening, have the kids at the dining table, be able to converse, and have room for a kitchen island,” Crestin says.
That’s why the couple enlisted the help of Crestin and farmhouse renovator Jonathan Knight, of New Kids on the Block fame, to give the home a much-needed makeover. The renovation and design project appeared on season two of the HGTV show, “Farmhouse Fixer,” which features Knight and Crestin.
The result is a light, bright, open space that’s perfect for Erin and Jason’s lifestyle and marries the best of East Coast and West Coast style.
After gutting the home down to the studs, the team removed the wall separating the kitchen and dining room, put in a structural beam, replaced the windows, and shifted kitchen forward toward the front of the house. Doing so not only opened up the space and improved the flow, but allowed for an L-shaped kitchen and let bright, natural sunlight flood the kitchen and dining area.
Once the house was renovated from a physical aspect, the team could get down to decorating.
“They were looking for a casual, transitional West Coast vibe, with as many natural materials as possible,” Crestin says. “They also really wanted a neutral kitchen but were open to some color.”
For instance, the walls, trim, white brick backsplash, quartz countertops, and custom cabinetry from North Shore Woodworking are different shades of white and cream, but the island is painted a rich, dark teal-blue.
“It’s a little nod to coastal color without knocking you in the head with it,” Crestin says.
While features like inset cabinets added a classic element to the kitchen, other touches made the space feel more laid back, casual, and organic. The oak floors and white oak oven vent hood face are clean and warm, giving the eye a break from the white cabinets. Similarly, the unlacquered brass faucet and cabinet hardware, and black metal on the light fixtures and woven counter chairs offered “a nice, casual, earthy way to balance out the palette.”
That earthy, West-coast vibe was evident in the dining area, too, thanks touches of blush, terracotta and warm tones. A sunset-hued antique rug anchors the room and brings color into the space, while a wire-brushed oak dining table; woven seagrass chairs with black metal legs; and a large, mobile-style black metal light fixture add additional layers of texture.
The finished product was a light, bright, open kitchen and dining space with West Coast touches that made the Russells feel as though they were in a totally different house than the one they originally bought, they said on the show.
“I feel like I’m in a dream,” Erin said.