Bungalow-Era Suite

This is a design and renovation story, not an energy-upgrade story, so there's little here about efficiency or rebates. It covers a kitchen and pantry remodel in a 1902 Craftsman-style house in Portland, Oregon, where the owners undid a year-2000 update that had left the space feeling like "a drab mudroom" with granite counters and travertine-look flooring.

The designers fixed a cramped kitchen layout built around an oversized island by moving the powder room door into the pantry, opening up better circulation and adding a peninsula for prep and seating. New white-oak floors blend with the home's original hardwood, and stacked upper cabinets take advantage of the high ceilings. Original details were replicated, including stained fir trim and V-groove wainscot (paneling with narrow grooved boards, common in early-1900s service rooms), and a soapstone counter became the room's centerpiece. Custom leaded-glass transoms over doorways, black-and-white hex tile floors, and playful wallpaper round out the look.

For a homeowner, the takeaway is mostly inspirational rather than practical: it shows how a period house can get modern function, a bigger pantry, a beverage fridge, a deep new sink, an appliance garage built into the cabinetry, while keeping details that match its age. There's no mention of insulation, heating, or rebate programs here, just a case study in matching new work to an old house's character.