A Peek at This Creative Director’s Airy, Relaxed Kitchen

 

When Dara Caponigro, creative director of Schumacher, and her husband, David, purchased their 1920s-era Georgian home in The Bronx 11 years ago, the landmarked property had been abandoned mid-renovation by the previous owner. “It was a total wreck,” Caponigro says, recalling its lack of electricity, plumbing and heating. “We couldn't get a traditional mortgage; we had to get a construction loan.”

Cut to now and the kitchen, specifically, bears little resemblance to its former self thanks to a thoughtful year-long gut rehab. Out went the room’s rusty fridge, irreparable parquet floor and half-demoed staircase, and in came featherlight blonde floors and open shelving punctuated by a few (or 20) sentimental embellishments. Of her choices, Caponigro says, “I tried to respect the Georgian architecture by referencing traditional English design, but then I took those references and made them more modern.”

The resulting vibe couldn’t feel more carefree. Pulling off the kitchen’s laid back look, however, took a lot of work. Ahead, we go behind the scenes of the project to reveal exactly how Caponigro and her close friend, designer Thomas O’Brien, achieved the relaxed slant.

Make Things Easier On Yourself With An Intuitive Layout

Initially, a powder room cut into the kitchen’s footprint, creating an awkward boot-shaped layout that interrupted the space’s flow. So how’d Caponigro work the angles? On O'Brien's suggestion, she had her contractor move the powder room elsewhere to turn the kitchen into a square. From there, the team freed up floor space for a clear footpath by nuzzling the appliances up against the walls. Each one kisses a bit of the countertop so there’s always a landing place for groceries, utensils, and the like whether the mother of two is busy at the sink, fridge or stove.