DesignNJ-FebMar 2024-Digital Issue

A custom Lacanche range is a centerpiece of the kitchen. The “feet” on the lower cabinets
on each side of the range, cut from balusters of the original foyer stairway, were put in
place to hold up the cabinets while workers awaited the planned skirting. Mitilenes kept
them because she liked the way they look and also appreciated the nostalgia they add.
A 50-inch apron-front brass sink sits under a large window with views of the front
gardens. The relaxed Roman shades on the window feature a fox pattern in honor of the
foxes that frolic on the grounds. The designer clad the walls in stone to add a timeworn
feel to the new kitchen.
kitchen walls in the same stone, referencing the partial stone façade of the
rear of Three Fields. “My goal was to make the kitchen look original to
the home, to make people feel like they were transported to an authentic
French kitchen nestled in the Normandy countryside,” the designer says.
Function was important as well. The homeowner likes to cook and
wanted state-of-the-art appliances. The centerpiece is a custom 60-
inch Lacanche range, which was handcrafted in France and required a
12-month wait from order to delivery. Behind the range is a backsplash
of blue and white handpainted terra cotta tiles donated by Euro Stone
and Tile in Wyckoff. The range hood, reminiscent of one Mitilenes saw
in France, was built in wood by Dean Zisa of Sage Design Studio LLC
in Chester to fit the space and then covered in a limestone composite by
Studio Eighteen in Kenvil. The mantel is a reclaimed oak beam.
Other highlights include custom furniture-grade cabinets and island,
which Zisa also crafted. “I wanted the cabinets to look like they had been
built 100 years ago,” Mitilenes says, “and with Dean’s expertise I knew he
would be the one to deliver this.” The top cabinets are made of 100-yearold
reclaimed white oak with a wax finish to preserve and protect the
color and richness of the wood, she says. The large hinges look like they’re
from an old armoire for an authentic feel. Antiqued mesh inserts recall
ones Mitilenes saw in photos of old French kitchens and those she visited
herself on her travels.
The lower cabinetry is rustic alder, which the designer chose because
the wood’s natural cracks, pinholes, knots and grain variation lend an
aged appearance, as does an off-white painted finish. “Using curved
aprons for kickplates gave the lower cabinets a furniture-grade feel,”
she notes.
Another highlight, a 50-inch sink placed under a large window
44 February/March 2024