How an Old Hotel Bar Became the Unlikely Inspiration for This Kitchen Remodel – And Why the Designer Embraced Modernity over Traditional Style
Inside designer Jess Cooney's kitchen, and how she balanced historic architecture with a more contemporary approach
As later additions, kitchens in old properties often feel small, misplaced, and not quite right for the way we use our cooking spaces today. The answer? Moving them into a larger, more central room.
Designing the kitchen in this home required exactly that. Originally located in the basement, then moved to a small ground-floor room in the 50s, relocating the entire space made it easy to create a larger, more multi-purpose kitchen catered to the whole family.
With a thoughtful mix of materials, a careful balance of historic charm and modern design, and details inspired by the aesthetic of an old hotel bar, the kitchen has been reimagined into a hub for everyday life, whether it's family meals, morning rituals, or a place for four-legged friends to relax. And there are a few key features that make it work.
Add Modern Elegance With Slab-Front Cabinetry
Dark wood kitchen cabinets pair elegantly with aged brass hardware, blurring the lined between new and old.
A huge part of this remodel was swapping the formal dining room and kitchen, creating a larger, better-placed kitchen for the whole family to use and gather. But that also meant starting entirely from scratch while trying to balance the look of a new kitchen with the more historic bones.
'When moving the kitchen to the dining room, I didn’t want to try to pretend that the kitchen had always been there. The slab-door walnut cabinets for me were a purposeful modern touch to the space,' explains interior designer and homeowner Jess Cooney.
Instead of following every component of an original kitchen of her home's era, she took inspiration from luxury spaces that nailed the balance she was looking to strike. 'I wanted the new kitchen to feel a bit like a hotel bar. I loved the dark walnut element and the sophistication and element of surprise it brings. It grounds the large room well and still feels timeless in its modern flair.'
Take a Custom Approach to Open Kitchen Shelving
Color has been added in small doses through decor and collected tableware, displayed on the dining table and open shelving.
Thoughts of open kitchen shelving may conjure images of wall-mounted ledges or even miniature surfaces that add a finishing touch to a stone backsplash. But Jess wanted something more unique and statement-making, opting for a custom design that ignores the walls, instead sitting on the countertops and attaching to the kitchen ceiling.
'The open shelving was made locally by a metal worker for us. It was the other touch in the space meant to feel modern, fresh, and hotel-bar-like,' she explains. 'We played around with so many ideas for the back wall of the space and landed on the brass hammered tiles on the backsplash along with these shelves at each end. We decided not to put any shelves across to keep the space very clean.'
The shelves serve several purposes – they add a visually striking feature that helps to balance the room's proportions, while adding storage and display space in an unexpected way. It's a stylish example of introducing open kitchen storage in a way that feels intentional.
Elevate an Island Countertop With Decorative Edge Details
The elevated details on the island create the sense of a freestanding piece, rather than a purely functional station.
Certain details can make your entire design look and feel more elevated. And one that Jess has implemented on the island is a decorative kitchen countertop edge profile. From ogee to Dupont, introducing a more considered edge makes your surfaces look more custom and offers a nod to historical design, two things Jess was keen to add.
'The kitchen island was a detail that we wanted to feel more historic in nature. We added a good amount of detail to the base and the counter edge to give a rounded, soft historic feel as if you were in an old hotel bar. This visually balanced the straight, clean walnut slabs surrounding it. We added a brass rail on the bottom to call back to the tiles and to preserve the wood at the bottom that always gets a bit beat up over time.'
Remove the Formality with a Cozy Dining Banquette
Taking up almost the full width of the wall, the bay window becomes a focal point in its own right, further elevated by the cozy banquette seating.
As kitchens have evolved from purely functional to more lived-in rooms, the informal dining nook has become a must-have. Instead of a traditional dining table setup, a cozy banquette seat has been wrapped around the far end of the room, creating a dynamic layout and making use of the beautiful kitchen bay window.
'My family loves to sit in a banquette together. We had one in the previous kitchen, and we all piled into it together each night rather than using the formal dining room. I knew that I wanted to replicate this feature and to be able to sit in that sunny window with my morning tea,' Jess explains.
It's become more than just somewhere to eat, but a place to relax and enjoy everyday rituals. 'We still pile into that banquette most nights and even carry chairs from the dining room in to fit when we have guests because it’s so cozy and fun to be close together. It’s also my dog's perch most of the day. She suns herself there and watches for the mailman.'
Utilize Kitchen Alcoves For a Home Bar, Pantry, or Coffee Station
Using the same materials as the main kitchen, dark wood and marble create a luxurious pairing for the home bar.
As it was once the formal dining room, the kitchen features an original fireplace, flanked by alcoves on each side. Instead of leaving them empty or leaning into the predictable shelving, Jess used them to create dedicated zones that enhance the main kitchen, both functionally and aesthetically.
'We love having a fireplace in the kitchen – we added a Stuv insert, and burn wood in there most of the winter,' she notes. 'On either side of the fireplace, there are deep alcoves. We made one into a food pantry with rollouts inside right off the island. The other, we made into a bar area on top and wood storage on the bottom. When we entertain, we open up the pocket doors and slide them back into the wall to entertain in the space.'
Pocket doors are really useful in this scenario, allowing the bar to be opened and closed as needed, without leaving huge doors obstructing the room when it's in use. It's these small but meaningful design decisions that take the design from standard to something far more custom and considered.
Quick Tips
Shelves at either end of the countertops creates a sense of symmetry, and balances the proportions on the opposite side of the kitchen.
- Don't be afraid to add modern kitchen design features in a historic property
- Consider more unique takes on open shelving that feel custom to your kitchen
- Add decorative edges to countertops, even if its just on the island
- Embrace banquettes for a more informal dining space
- Maximize kitchen alcoves, especially for curated stations
It's easy to get lost in period details and retaining character, but finding that balance between new and old, preserving history and designing for modern life, is key to creating a kitchen that you truly love. This design proves that quality materials, elevated finishes, and curated stations are the answer to a high-functioning space that feels at home in the architecture.
Shop the Look
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