HEART OF THE HOME

The Bridgers reveal the kitchen and dining room addition to their historic farmhouse in a balance of old, new and repurposed elements.

See the Bridgers’ stunning kitchen and dining room additions in this fifth of our sixpart series on a young family’s renovation of a 100+-year-old abandoned farmhouse in western Michigan.

If you’ve been

following the Renovation Rescue series this year,

then you know that the Bridgers specialize in blending old with new in their historic Michigan farmhouse. With the functional requirements and contemporary sensibilities of areas that see a lot of use this time of year, the kitchen and dining area in the Bridgers’ addition to the original farmhouse continues the theme of integrating period authenticity with modern living.

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“We whitewashed over the walls exactly as we found them.” The wood is so rough “you can get a splinter.”

on the edge.”

“But,” Christine says, “we like to live

SALVAGED FRAMEWORK

More and more, kitchens function as the hub of a home, especially during the holidays. This was not the case in historic homes, when kitchens were viewed as primarily utilitarian spaces and tended to be smaller and tucked out of sight. In thinking about the kitchen in their renovation process, Christine explains, “We wanted the kitchen to be open and connected to as many rooms as possible.”

With help from their contractor, Jon Faris of Paradigm Renovation, their vision was realized. The kitchen connects to the sunroom and enjoys views out to the apple orchard. Inside, the open floor plan connects the kitchen and dining areas as one big room.

The kitchen divides the original farmhouse from the addition. It was important to the Bridgers to maintain a sense of cohesion and foster the sense that the new addition could have been part of the 1910 farm-

The white ash floor comes from Barnstormers Wood, which uses reclaimed barn wood. Christine loves the fact that the wood floors match the living white ash trees in the forest outside their window.

Built-in bench seating provides a great place to enjoy the view and watch for deer, and also provides dining room seating. The characteristic plaid throw, warm wood and apple pie exude warmth befitting the Thanksgiving season.