This 1920s Kitchen Was Once an Awkward Extension – Now It's a Masterclass in Timeless Design

Wood is one of the most classic materials you can bring into a kitchen, but how can you make your design stand out? It's tricky to find new ways to make your space feel unique, but this kitchen, part of a 1920s home, proves there is always a way to give classic design a fresh feel.

It's an example of how to create a wooden kitchen that feels inherently timeless yet still full of depth and interest. From the fluted details to the custom pieces and playful flooring, each element has been carefully chosen to balance a design that honors the architecture with those more personality-led details.

But this space didn't start quite so characterful as the new design. Here's exactly how the designer took this kitchen from an unfortunate extension to an integral part of the home's architecture, and the design details that make it so successful. You'd never know most of the historic charm was reintroduced later.

Let Architecture Inspire the Kitchen Design

Architectural details, or lack thereof, immediately indicate that a kitchen is a later extension, making it feel detached from the rest of the home. In this project, the original 1928 character of the rest of the home needed to be reintroduced to the cooking space, and echoing those original details from elsewhere in the house offered the most sympathetic solution.

'We wanted to reintroduce darker wood tones and a rich color scheme, mirroring the original windows from the front of the house in the kitchen to maintain a cohesive and charming exterior. The clients are also extremely passionate cooks, so it was incredibly important to craft a space that integrated period details, but also included functionality for contemporary living,' explains Ginger Curtis of Urbanology Designs.

'The right windows were an imperative part of the design for this kitchen and the overall aesthetic, which pulled from warm, modern European interiors, and had a massive role in our decision to introduce arched windows into the space. We wanted light to flood the space, but also to frame the garden views just outside of them, to strengthen the connection between architecture and landscape.'

Pair White Oak and Marble for a Timeless Look

Choosing classic materials is a tasteful way to create a timeless design, but that doesn't mean your kitchen needs to be boring. Wood cabinets were chosen in this design, paired with a statement marble that instantly brings the whole room to life. It's bold and beautiful without becoming too themed or out of place in the architecture.

'We used rift-cut white oak for the cabinetry because it grounded the room in an organic warmth, but it was also such a complement to the Calacutta Viola marble. That marble had incredible, rich veining and became a focal point for the kitchen since we wrapped it around the range wall cabinetry as a continuous architectural gesture,' Ginger explains, adding that the marble countertops were a crucial detail, which is why she chose to continue it into the kitchen backsplash.

'This was such a beautiful, bold, and high-movement slab of marble, so it deserved to be treated differently rather than in a traditional sense. We wanted the marble to physically feel like architecture versus just a finish. When you wrap something bold and rich like a piece of marble in a way that’s unexpected, it stops reading as a backsplash, but like an element of the room. It brings character in a simple and different way, and it accentuates the impact of its veining.'

Choose Patterned Flooring to Add Interest to the Design

When you choose classic materials for the main elements of a kitchen, a patterned floor adds depth, interest, and a more layered feel to the design. In this design, the simpler kitchen cabinetry is beautifully complemented by checkerboard flooring, but rather than the traditional black and white tiles, Ginger opted for colors in tone with the rest of the space, balancing authentic and playful design.

'Checkerboard has deep roots in period architecture, especially kitchens, so it was a design choice made to honor the integrity and history of the home. However, checkerboard becomes a lot more interesting when you use colors and palettes that are softer and not as traditional,' she notes. 'That’s exactly how we treated it for this project. From a visual standpoint, almost everything in the space is organic and irregular, so we needed something geometric that holds its own against the kitchen’s tall ceilings and timber beams. '

Add Interest and Texture with Thoughtful Cabinet Details

Long runs of cabinetry can read a little bit flat in a kitchen, but Ginger avoided such monotony by introducing beautiful architectural details and texture throughout the design, starting with the wall cabinets. 'Fluted detailing is one of our favorite architectural moments in a space. It instantly elevates and warrants a closer look, but it also brings movement to a space like a kitchen, which is typically full of flat, high-gloss or matte surfaces,' she explains.

'When you pair this architectural moment with the light that comes through the arched windows, it creates shadows and a sense of depth, which ultimately distributes softness and texture. It also provides scale and proportion because it draws the eye upward, creating balance. Fluting has roots in classical architecture as well, so it carries a sense of history and craft into the kitchen with modern accents.'

Elevate an Island with Architectural Silhouettes

The history of the home lends itself to a kitchen island that feels less built-in and bulky, so Ginger introduced legs that create a more freestanding look and reference the more traditional style. Not only does it add a new layer of interest to the island, but it also ties back to the wall cabinets for a more cohesive design.

'The leg design on the island is subtle, but it has an important role because it bridges structural weight with architectural lightness. We wanted to mirror the vertical grain language of the fluted details on the upper cabinets, as well as the beamed ceiling, so the island didn’t read as a separate object in the room. Rather, it matches the same architectural vocabulary, but has a beautiful contrast with the rounded feet that give it a more casual, yet delicate feel,' she continues.

The custom counter stools were an important element of the overriding island design, a detail Ginger describes as having 'an almost whimsical feel to them. They play a sculptural role in the space and tie the rounded aspects of the room together. We wanted to pay homage to the home’s heritage, and these stools nod to the hand-crafted quality we pride ourselves on, but that’s hard to find nowadays. They are modern accents built from an old craft, which is exactly why they fit so well in this space.'

Introduce Kitchen Lighting That Softens the Room

While many people choose simple, low-hanging island pendants, they aren't always the best design for every scheme. Kitchen lighting needs to illuminate the room, but the fixtures should also suit the architecture and add a softer detail. It's the reason round designs were introduced here, both on the ceiling and walls.

'We wanted lights with a soft, glowing quality to them, unlike glass or metal, so the light diffused unevenly and more organically. Lighting is one of the most important decisions you can make as a designer because it can change the entire feel of the space,' Ginger explains.

'For this kitchen, we wanted the lighting to feel like it belonged to the space and home, but we also wanted it to hold warmth rather than just cast it. The kitchen has many straight, structural lines, and while there are rounded, curved shapes throughout, we wanted the lighting to balance those curves and connect them across various eye levels.'

Quick Tips

• Reference your home's architecture throughout the kitchen for a cohesive design
• Embrace classic materials for an enduring scheme
• Have fun with the flooring – pattern here goes a long way
• Look for areas of your design that can be elevated with thoughtful details, whether it's curves or fluting
• Think about the impact lighting has on your kitchen beyond illumination

Timeless style is always a priority when designing a kitchen meant to last, but that doesn't mean you have to miss out on the smaller details that make a scheme feel unique and characterful. This design proves that a few small elements can instantly elevate the design, from the fluted cabinet details to the custom stools that instantly add a new layer of interest.

But this design also proves that historic charm and architectural features are never truly lost. 'At the end of the day, the arched windows play such a pivotal role in the kitchen’s overall feel and look,' Ginger concludes. 'We purposefully chose materials and architectural details that moved, changed, and evolved as sunlight passed over them, so that the kitchen felt different in the morning than it did in the evening. For clients who spend an incredible amount of time in their kitchen, it was important to make it beautiful.'

Shop the Look

At Homes & Gardens, we believe a kitchen should work as beautifully as it looks. That’s the philosophy behind Dream Kitchens, our new series exploring the world’s most inspiring cook spaces. From clever layouts to the 'it' materials of 2026, we’re uncovering the design lessons tucked inside every home. Join us for an intimate look at the spaces that define modern living – and find the blueprints for your next big project.