WARM FRONT

Stained woods cozy up a Maryland kitchen that's rich in character and far from cookie-cutter

- JODY GARLOCK

It's the little things in life-and in renovation-that can bring the most happiness. For Tara Easley, it was a plate-warming shelf that hung above the range in the kitchen of her Maryland home. She used the stainless-steel shelf almost daily to keep dinners warm for late-arriving family members. And she wasn't about to part with it when a search for a suitable replacement turned up empty.

Hence, kitchen designer Tanya Smith-Shiflett and interior designer Elizabeth Reich were tasked with remodeling the Easley kitchen around the existing range hood, which contained the housing that connected the shelf. When renditions to create something spectacular around the mechanicals looked out of proportion, the designers pivoted. They built a drywall form around the housing and clad it in marble to create a clean-lined range hood that fades into the background.

"Sometimes, the simplest solution is the best solution," Reich says.