04/20/2026
Up in the wooded hills of Canton, Connecticut is a charming gambrel style house with a level front yard and terraced rear yard both devotedly landscaped with stone walls, mossy pathways, and enchanting features scattered about. Inside, the house has been delightfully curated in English Country style by the owners who recently transformed from city to country mice. Our involvement focused on a renovated kitchen and dining space which were previously separated by a wall, but are now combined into one larger, more flexible, more flowing space, better engaging with the rest of the home. The rustic alder cabinetry is original, but we moved and modified the refrigerator cabinet to make room for a new island and likewise an end cabinet and soapstone countertop moved to accommodate a wider gas range. Both the alder cabinetry and white subway tile backsplash, which is also original, now have new life connecting with a white quartz island countertop with light brown marbling. The previous kitchen tile floor was replaced with matching red oak flooring stained medium brown to match the rest of the house, which along with new, similarly stained, red oak ceiling beams and vent hood accent moldings set-off the lighter brown alder cabinets. And balancing these natural tones is a new warm, green-grey penny tile range backsplash and wall and island cabinetry paint color. And to further balance the dynamic knots and checks of the alder, the kitchen cabinetry was framed with v-groove wall paneling and the dining area with English Country style molding. The final touches include strategically positioned undercabinet lights, ceiling recessed lights, three vintage style kitchen island pendants and one distressed style dining table shroud. The end result is a space which is highly functional while warmly casual, yet subtly sophisticated. (Photos by Caryn B. Davis)
