MOTIFS OF THE COLONIAL STYLES

DESIGN CONVENTIONS FOR EARLY & REVIVAL HOMES.

- Patricia Poore

The 20th-century architect Royal Barry Wills was intrigued by the scale and details of early New England houses. Those he designed were not replicas, however; they had to accommodate indoor plumbing, closets, central heat, and an electric kitchen. Some of his commissions emphasize Colonial-era authenticity while others are a lightened, Colonial Revival interpretation. The same is true of the diverse yet period-inspired kitchens shown on these pages.

The "Colonial" kitchen is of course a 20th-century convention. Owners of very early houses often restore the original kitchen, with its huge fireplace, as a keeping room/parlor, then incorporate a plain, functional kitchen-perhaps one with Colonial, Federal, or Greek Revival-era cabinetwork into a wing or ell. Don't fall under the spell of trends you see in kitchen showrooms: Surprisingly, a period-inspired kitchen that goes with the house is less likely to become dated.