PERIOD TILE
were a wise indulgence. Painted woodwork throughout the house was stripped, refinished, and replaced as needed to match original mahogany trim, and rotted windows were updated with energyefficient replacements. All of the brickwork was repointed, inside and out. The original Batchelder tiles surrounding the living room fireplace were cleaned, and the firebox got an efficient insert, eliminating smoke. Original fittings were recycled wherever possible; the old kitchen sink and faucets were relocated to the utility room, and the old kitchen cabinets were reused in the laundry room.
Because both homeowners are ardent cooks, they decided to enlarge the kitchen. Leaking French doors were replaced with a period-appropriate but weather-efficient six-light back door, and the overbearing china hutch that blocked the kitchen from the dining room was removed, opening the room to views of Puget Sound. The entire kitchen was extended out six feet across the front of the house, allowing more cabinet and counter space. A box-beam ceiling added more Arts & Crafts sensibility. Craftsman Tudor detailing was repeated on the butcher-block-topped center island, and a short passageway between the foyer and kitchen became a small pantry with floor-to-ceiling cabinets. Here the new arched ceiling repeats the The original Batchelder-tiled fireplace in the living room was carefully restored. Ernest Batchelder started his tile-making at his home in Pasadena in 1908. The unique tiles were sold in virtually every major U.S. city and installed in restaurants, churches, and many a modest bungalow. Today several companies make reproduction Batchelder-inspired tiles.