Sunshine in a Cottage Kitchen

A happy room demonstrates that simplicity often underlies good design.

- Patricia Poore

This casual yet beautifully detailed kitchen is part of a modern farmhouse designed in 2007 by Treehouse Design of Rockport, Massachusetts. Meant to blend in, the new house sits amidst historic houses in a charming old village on Cape Ann.

The house design is contextual, with nods to the vernacular. Lead designer Tim Thurman says that the clients wanted a friendly space for their family, which includes two grown children and two rambunctious dogs. The house offers an open floor plan that opens to active outdoor spaces both front and rear.

Traditional inset cabinets, built by Jon (Sid) Sidlowski and team from Treehouse, set the tone. Topped with crown moulding, they create a seamless work space even as they satisfy the clients’ wish for a design that is “fun and playful.”