History Lesson
The kitchen is well thought out , again with a nod to the couple ’ s respect for the past . The undercounter stools are an antique find and the sinks and faucet were in the house when the clients bought it . The owner ’ s multi-bulb hanging light fixture and the under-counter stools are also vintage .
Blakely gets design inspiration from the use of color , working with clients to find out what they ’ re drawn to . Her job is to help them embrace color ’ s intensity in different degrees .
In this case , the creative through line is the choice of black and white in the kitchen and the bathroom , from the geometric floor tiles in both rooms to the black cabinets and white quartz counters , warmed up by the wooden rafters , in the kitchen .
During the several weeks of renovation , the resourceful couple set up a mock kitchen upstairs where they cooked out of a microwave and , temporarily shower-less , took baths in a copper tub . Living through a home renovation isn ’ t for the faint of heart , as anyone who ’ s survived it can tell you .
“ How do you make their budget work with their aesthetic , ending in a result that will rock their world ?” Blakely asks .
In the case of the Wakefield project , the successful answer rocks on . �
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l FEBRUARY 2021 71