How to Design a Vintage-Modern Kitchen

Photo by: Lincoln Barbour

Kitchen character
When Vicki Simon first saw the tiny laminate-clad kitchen of her future home, it inspired grander visions. "I once toured a mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, and was so taken with its Victorian-style kitchen that I memorized every detail: the stand-alone furniture, the big pot rack," recalls the interior designer. "It was beautiful but as functional as a commercial kitchen." Simon kept coming back to ... more 

Photo by: Lincoln Barbour

Kitchen character
When Vicki Simon first saw the tiny laminate-clad kitchen of her future home, it inspired grander visions. "I once toured a mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, and was so taken with its Victorian-style kitchen that I memorized every detail: the stand-alone furniture, the big pot rack," recalls the interior designer. "It was beautiful but as functional as a commercial kitchen." Simon kept coming back to that image as she remodeled her 1908 house's kitchen, a process that involved restoring the original floors (despite contractors who said it couldn't be done), trolling Craigslist, and scouring salvage yards up and down the West Coast, a 10-month labor of love that led her to declare, "If I ever move, this kitchen is coming with me." less